Bank Messages Documentation

How to read this document

Sections move from purpose → concepts → calculation process → worked examples → edge cases. Formula boxes use plain mathematical notation for clarity; they are conceptual summaries, not API contracts.

• Point lists call out operator-visible behaviour.
• Callouts mark warnings, limitations, or important qualifications.
• Worked examples use round numbers so you can reproduce the arithmetic by hand.

Purpose

Every card swipe already produces a bank SMS. Bank Messages reads the senders you allowlist on your own phone, extracts the transaction details, and hands you a pre-filled expense draft to review — or, once a message format has earned your trust, posts routine transactions automatically.

• Capture is Android-only and opt-in per member, per phone
• Only messages from senders you explicitly allowlist are ever processed
• Drafts link to the right card by matching its last digits
• Automation ranges from review-everything to trusted auto-posting with a cap

Availability and setup

• The feature is enabled per household during beta; ask via Contact & Support if it is missing.
• Each member then opts in on their own phone ('Capture on this phone').
• You pick which bank senders to read — nothing is captured until you choose them.
• Backfill options pull in the last 7, 30, or 90 days of matching messages to catch up.

From message to draft

A matching SMS becomes a draft expense: merchant, amount, currency, date, and the card it was made with, plus your household's tax presets where they apply. You review the draft and apply it — the same draft-then-review shape ReceiptVis uses.

• The card is matched by its last digits against your My Cards list.
• A matched card linked to a bank account also moves that account's balance.
• If no card matches, the draft is flagged and prompts you to add the card.
• Capture is idempotent — re-processing the same message never duplicates a row.

Automation modes

Three modes control how much you delegate:

• Review each — nothing posts without your approval. The default.
• Learn — a message format starts posting automatically once you have approved three of them unchanged.
• Always — anything read confidently with a matched card posts; setting a maximum auto-post amount is recommended.

Whose expense is it?

• Card owner — whoever owns the matched card spent it (the default).
• Always me — every imported transaction is yours.
• Household — imported transactions book as general household spending.
• Set once in Bank Messages settings; every draft follows it.

Boundaries

• Outflows only for now: incoming credits (salary, refunds, transfers in) are detected and parked, never posted. Log income through the Income screen.
• Only allowlisted senders are processed or uploaded; every other message on the phone is ignored.
• Capture can be switched off at any time without losing already-applied expenses.
• Applying a draft requires the create-expenses permission.

Privacy, advice limits, and what we do not publish

AccountHouse is a household tracking and organisation tool. It is not a bank, payment processor, tax advisor, or investment advisor. Forecasts, health scores, balances, and alerts are informational.

• Household data is scoped to your household; other families cannot see your ledger.
• Public documentation explains product behaviour and calculation concepts, not proprietary internals.
• Exact scoring weights, anomaly thresholds, cryptography parameters beyond high-level algorithms, and operational detection rules are reserved.
• Message text from allowlisted senders is processed to build the draft; other SMS content never leaves the phone.