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SturdyBooks Help

Use category suggestions

Who it’s for: Owners, admins and bookkeepers Where: The Suggest accounts button on Enter bill, Record expense and a receipt’s Record the expense form Before you start: Choose the payee (vendor), or type a description on each line you want a suggestion for. Leave the Account empty on those lines.

Suggestions come from your categorization rules first, then — if it’s on for your company — from AI. A suggestion only fills in or offers an account; you still check the document and save it.

Steps

Section titled “Steps”

  1. Fill in the payee and the lines — description and amount — and leave Account empty where you want help.

  2. Click Suggest accounts. The line next to the button says what happened, for example 1 suggestion, 1 filled in.

  3. A suggestion from one of your rules fills the account in, marked your rule:

    An expense to Summit HVAC Supply after Suggest accounts: 1 suggestion, 1 filled in. The line's account is 5100 Materials and Parts — Suggested 5100 Materials and Parts · your rule; Your rule: summit hvac supply

    An AI suggestion it’s sure about (90% or more) fills the account in too, with how sure it is and a one-line reason:

    An expense to Metro Uniform Co.: the line's account filled in as 6810 Uniforms and Safety Gear, Suggested … AI, 94% sure, Work clothing and safety gear.

  4. When the AI is less sure, nothing is filled in. A hint under the account says what it suggests — click Use to take it, or choose a different account yourself.

    An expense to Brightline Hardware: the account is still Choose an account; under it, Suggests 6800 Small Tools and Equipment · AI, 74% sure, with a Use button and the reason

  5. Save the bill or expense as usual. SturdyBooks notes what you kept. When the same vendor has gone to the same account three times on someone’s choice, a banner at the top offers to make it a rule — click Make it a rule, or Not now.

    The banner: “brightline hardware” has gone to 6800 Small Tools and Equipment 3 times. Always use that account? Make it a rule / Not now

You’ll know it worked when…

Section titled “You’ll know it worked when…”

The lines have accounts, marked Suggested … · your rule or · AI, (n)% sure. After Make it a rule, the vendor is listed on Rules as made by Accepted offer.

Notes & limits

Section titled “Notes & limits”
  • Only lines with no account are sent, and a suggestion never replaces an account you’ve picked — even one you picked while the suggestion was on its way.
  • Changing the payee clears the suggestions on screen; click Suggest accounts again.
  • Messages you may see next to the button:
    • AI suggestions aren’t on for this company — these come from your rules. (Shown when AI is off and some lines had no rule to answer them.)
    • This month’s AI budget is used up — suggestions come from your rules until next month.
    • The AI service is busy — suggestions come from your rules. Try again in a minute.
    • No suggestions — no rule matched.
    • Every line already has an account.
    • Choose a payee or describe a line first.
  • Suggestions can only use expense, cost-of-goods-sold and asset accounts (equipment, vehicles, inventory, prepaid expenses and the like).
  • The rule offer counts only accounts a person chose or took with Use — an account filled in automatically and left alone doesn’t count.
  • Suggestions are for bill and expense lines (including expenses recorded from receipts). Invoices don’t use them.