Rules

Rules automatically categorise bank transactions when they match conditions you define. Instead of manually coding the same type of transaction every time it comes in, you can create a rule once and let Prosaic apply it for you during bank reconciliation.

How rules work

When new bank transactions arrive, Prosaic checks them against your active rules. If a transaction matches all of a rule's conditions, the rule's categorisation is suggested automatically during bank reconciliation — no manual lookup required.

Rules take priority over AI-based suggestions. If a rule matches a transaction, its suggestion is used instead of any AI guess or similarity-based match.

Creating a rule

Navigate to Settings > Rules and click Create rule.

Describe it in plain language

At the top of the form, you can describe the rule in your own words — for example, "Code Spark transactions to the Telephone and Internet account for the NZ Standard Business chart template". Prosaic will interpret your description and fill in the conditions, scope, and posting lines automatically. You can review and adjust the generated rule before saving.

This step is optional. You can also fill in the form manually.

Conditions

Conditions define which transactions the rule matches. All conditions must be met for the rule to apply (they are combined with AND logic). You can add as many conditions as you need.

Tip: Amount conditions match on the absolute value — the same threshold applies whether the transaction is a debit or credit. Use a Type condition alongside Amount if you need to restrict by direction.

Scope

Scope controls where a rule applies. You can target a rule broadly or narrow it down depending on your needs. Choose one or more of:

• Entire workspace — The rule applies to all bank transactions in the workspace, across every entity and bank account.
• Chart template — The rule applies to all entities using a specific chart of accounts template. Useful when you manage multiple clients on the same chart structure (e.g. all clients on the NZ Standard Business template).
• Entity — The rule applies only to a specific entity's transactions. When you select an entity, its bank accounts are automatically covered.
• Bank account — The rule applies only to transactions from a specific bank account. This is the most targeted option.

You can combine multiple scopes on a single rule. For example, you could scope a rule to two specific entities, or to one entity and one standalone bank account.

Selecting "Entire workspace" removes all other scopes, since the workspace already covers everything. Conversely, selecting any specific scope removes the workspace selection.

Posting lines (categorisation)

Posting lines define how matching transactions should be categorised. Each line specifies:

• Account — The chart of accounts code to post to
• Tax rate — The tax treatment for this line
• Allocation — Either a percentage of the transaction amount, or a fixed dollar amount

For simple rules, you'll typically have a single line at 100%. For split coding, add multiple lines. Percentage lines must add up to 100%.

You can mix percentage and fixed-amount lines. Fixed amounts are applied first, and the remainder is split across percentage lines. If the fixed amounts exceed the transaction value, the rule will not apply to that transaction.

Entity coverage check: When you select accounts for your posting lines, Prosaic checks whether those accounts exist on every entity in scope. If any entities are missing an account code used by the rule, you'll see a warning before saving. You can still save the rule — the warning is there so you're aware of the gap.

Previewing matches

As you build your rule, the right-hand panel shows a live preview of transactions that match your current conditions and scope. This updates automatically as you type.

The preview shows up to 20 matching transactions with a total match count, including the date, entity, description, and amount for each. Hover over a transaction to see additional details like payee, particulars, code, and reference.

Use the preview to verify your conditions are matching the right transactions before saving.

Managing rules

The Settings > Rules page lists all your rules with their scope, conditions, and posting lines displayed as summary badges.

Searching and filtering

• Search — Find rules by name, condition values, account codes, or scope names.
• Filter by template — Show only rules scoped to specific chart templates.
• Filter by entity — Show only rules scoped to specific entities.
• Filter by bank account — Show only rules scoped to specific bank accounts.

Activating and deactivating

Each rule has an active/inactive toggle. Deactivating a rule stops it from matching new transactions without deleting it. You can reactivate it at any time.

When you activate, deactivate, or edit a rule, Prosaic automatically re-evaluates unreconciled transactions to update suggestions.

Editing and deleting

Click a rule's name to open it for editing. The same form used for creation appears, pre-filled with the rule's current settings and a live match preview.

To delete a rule, click the delete button on the rule row. Deletion is permanent — if you might want the rule again later, consider deactivating it instead.

How rules appear during bank reconciliation

When you're reconciling bank transactions, rule-matched suggestions appear alongside other suggestions (AI, similar transactions, etc.). Rule suggestions are identified by:

• The rule name displayed on the suggestion pill, so you can see which rule matched at a glance
• "Based on rule match" shown as the suggestion source
• A "Why this rule was matched" popover that lists the matched scopes and conditions, so you can understand exactly why the rule fired

Rule suggestions receive higher confidence than AI or similarity-based suggestions, so they typically appear as the top recommendation. For split-coded rules, the suggestion shows each posting line with its percentage or fixed amount.

Rule priority

When multiple rules match the same transaction, Prosaic uses the most specific rule. Priority follows this order:

1. Bank account rules (most specific)
2. Entity rules
3. Chart template rules
4. Workspace rules (least specific)

If two rules have the same specificity, the older rule (created first) takes priority.

Tips for effective rules

• Start specific, then broaden. A rule scoped to a bank account with a tight description match is more predictable than a broad workspace rule. You can always widen the scope later.
• Use the preview. Before saving, check that the preview is matching the transactions you expect — and not matching ones you don't.
• Combine Type with Amount. If you want to match debits over $500, add both a Type condition (Debit) and an Amount condition (Greater than $500). Amount alone matches both debits and credits.
• Use chart template scope for consistency. If you manage multiple clients on the same chart template and they all have the same recurring transaction (e.g. bank fees), a template-scoped rule handles them all at once.
• Check entity coverage warnings. If a rule uses an account code that doesn't exist on some entities in scope, the rule won't be able to categorise transactions for those entities. The warning helps you catch this before saving.