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Set Up Your First Budget

After you create your account, Moneyscope guides you through a short setup so your money is organized correctly from the start.

In this setup, you will:

  • Create your first budget
  • Choose your main currency
  • Add income sources if you want
  • Enter your current account balances

By the end, your first budget will be ready and you’ll land on the Home screen.

Before you start​

Before beginning this setup, make sure you already have a Moneyscope account.

It also helps to have these ready:

  • the name you want to use for your first budget
  • the main currency you want to use
  • an estimate of your monthly income
  • your current balances for cash, bank accounts, and cards

You do not need perfect numbers to continue. You can start with simple estimates and update most of them later.

How setup works​

Step 1: Create your first budget​

Start by entering a name for your budget and choosing its main currency.

Your main currency becomes the base currency for this budget, so it is important to choose it carefully.

⚠️ Important: You cannot normally change the main currency for this budget later.

Step 2: Add income sources​

Next, you can add the income sources you want to track, such as salary or other regular income.

This step is optional. You can:

  • enter amounts now
  • add custom income sources
  • leave everything blank and come back later

If you enter a monthly amount for an income source, Moneyscope automatically sets it up as a recurring monthly income entry.

Step 3: Add accounts and starting balances​

In the final step, Moneyscope helps you set up the accounts you want to track.

By default, you will see accounts like Cash and Credit Card. You can enter the balance each account currently has, or leave it at 0 for now.

You can also add more accounts if needed.

If you enter a non-zero balance, Moneyscope creates a Starting Balance entry for that account automatically so your budget begins from your real current totals.

Finish setup​

When you select Finish setup, Moneyscope activates your first budget and takes you to the Home screen.

Why this setup matters​

This first setup gives Moneyscope the foundation it needs to organize your finances correctly.

It helps the app understand:

  • Which budget you are working in
  • Which currency to use
  • Where your money comes from
  • Which accounts you want to track
  • What balances those accounts already have

Even if you mainly want to track expenses, this setup still creates the budget structure Moneyscope uses across the app.

Common setup questions​

QuestionAnswer
I’m not ready to add income yetThat’s okay. Step 2 is optional, and you can come back later.
I don’t know my exact balances yetYou can leave balances at 0 and update them later.
I picked the wrong currencyGo back before finishing setup. Once the budget is created, the main currency is locked for that budget.
Do I need to add more than the default accounts?No. You can finish setup with the default accounts and add more later.

Tips​

  • Choose your main currency carefully before continuing
  • Start simple if you are not sure about exact numbers yet
  • Add only the income sources and accounts you want to track right now
  • You can keep refining your setup after you start using the app