Edit, change, or delete a category or subcategory
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About editing, changing, or deleting a category or subcategory
You can rename a category at any time; Quicken updates the name on the associated transactions for you.
If you decide you no longer need a category, you can delete it. What about the transactions associated with the category you want to delete? Transfer their category assignment by either:
- Merging the category you don't want with another category that you do want.
- Recategorizing them (Quicken automatically presents this option when you delete a category with assigned transactions).
- Choose Tools menu > Category List.
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- Right-click the category or subcategory you want to change.
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- To change the name, properties, or tax line item association of a category
- Choose Edit.
- As necessary make changes to the name or description, or to the category's designation as income, expense, subcategory, or discretionary spending.
- If you want to change a category so that it tracks tax-related transactions, select the Tax-related check box. In the Tax line item list, select the tax schedule line item that you want to associate with your category.
- Click OK to save the change.
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- To demote a category to a subcategory
- Choose Edit.
- Click Subcategory of.
- In the Subcategory of list, select the name of the main category that you want to assign your new subcategory to.
- Click OK to save the change.
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- How will I know if this worked?
All transactions that use this category now show the original category as a subcategory of the category you selected. In the register, Quicken inserts a colon (:) between the two category names to indicate that the second category (the one you demoted) is now a subcategory of the first.
For example, if you demote a category called Internet Service to a subcategory of Computer, the register displays the category for any associated transactions as Computer:Internet Service.
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- To promote a subcategory to a category
- Choose Edit.
- Select Income or Expense instead of Subcategory of.
- Click OK to save the change.
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- What happens now?
When you promote a category in this way, Quicken changes the category in all transactions that were associated with the old subcategory. For example, transactions using the subcategory Computer:Internet Service would now use the category Internet Service, once you promote the subcategory.
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- To move a subcategory to a different category
- Choose Edit.
- In the Subcategory of list, select the name of the category to which you want to assign the selected subcategory.
- Click OK to save the change.
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- To delete a category or subcategory
- Choose Delete.
- Depending on whether the selected category has transactions associated with it, you may be given the option to recategorize the affected transactions. If so, follow the on-screen instructions to select a replacement category.
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- What if I've selected multiple categories?
If multiple categories are selected, Quicken prompts you to recategorize each one individually.
When you use CTRL+click or SHIFT+click to select a group of categories that you want to delete, you're prompted to recategorize any categories that have associated transactions.
- Click OK to confirm the deletion.
Note
Certain categories (for example, investment categories that begin with the underscore character) are permanently used by Quicken and so can't be deleted.
About changing category types
A category type (such as Personal Income or Personal Expenses) depends on its designation as income or expense as well as its tax line assignment. You have a limited ability to change category types. Refer to the information below to see what applies to your situation. To make a change, follow the above procedure for changing the properties and tax line item association of a category.
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What determines category types
| Type | What it's based on |
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| Personal (Income or Expense) | A tax line item assignment other than the ones specified in the Business and Rental sections, or no tax line item assignment |
| Investment | Predefined categories used by Quicken; you can't add new categories or move existing ones to this group |
| Business (Income or Expense) | Tax line assignments: Schedule C or Form 8829 (all assignments associated with these forms), Form 1099-MISC, and _MileageBus (this is a predefined category used by the Vehicle Mileage Tracker). |
| Rental Properties | Tax line assignments: Schedule E, and _MileagePer (this is a predefined category used by the Vehicle Mileage Tracker). |
| Transfers | Only accounts show up here (see About the Category List) |