YNAB Budget Alerts is a private, household SMS notification service that sends real-time transaction alerts and helps your family manage a shared budget using YNAB (You Need A Budget).
Receive a text message every time a transaction is detected on your linked bank accounts.
AI-powered suggestions match each transaction to the right YNAB budget category automatically.
Simply reply to a text to confirm or change a category. No app to open, no login required.
When a purchase is made on a linked bank account, the system automatically detects the transaction, categorizes it using AI, and sends an SMS/MMS notification to participating household members. Members can reply to confirm the category, pick a different one, or request more options — all by text message. Confirmed transactions are logged directly in the household's YNAB budget.
This is a private, invitation-only service for a single household. It is not a business, commercial product, or marketing platform. There is no public sign-up.
YNAB Budget Alerts is a private, invitation-only household service. There is no public sign-up, no marketing list, and no way for anyone to self-enroll. Each participant is added by the account owner through the following three-step process, and must reply YES to a confirmation message before any transaction alerts are delivered:
Step 1 — Personal Invitation: The account owner personally invites each household member and explains (a) the service sends automated SMS/MMS transaction alerts from shared bank accounts, (b) message frequency varies based on spending activity, and (c) they can stop receiving messages at any time by replying STOP.
Step 2 — Explicit SMS Consent: Each household member provides explicit consent to receive text messages, either verbally (in person or by phone) or in writing (via text message or email). Consent specifically covers receiving automated SMS and MMS messages at their mobile phone number. No one is added without first agreeing.
Step 3 — Welcome Message & Reply YES to Confirm: Upon enrollment, each participant receives an initial opt-in confirmation text message and must reply YES to activate message delivery. No transaction alerts will be sent until the participant replies YES.
Only members of the account owner's household who have completed all three consent steps above and replied YES to the confirmation message. This service currently includes a maximum of two (2) participants. No third-party opt-in is permitted — every participant is personally known to the account owner.
Any participant can stop receiving messages at any time by replying STOP to any message. After opting out:
Participants can text HELP at any time to receive:
Last updated: February 17, 2026
YNAB Budget Alerts is a private, household SMS/MMS messaging service that sends automated personal finance notifications. This service is operated by an individual for personal and household use only. It is not a business, marketing platform, or commercial service.
All data is used exclusively for:
We do not sell, rent, or disclose personal data to third parties. Data is processed through the following services solely to deliver notifications:
No data is used for marketing, advertising, analytics, or any purpose beyond household budget management.
Transaction data and message content are processed in real time and stored only as needed for budget management. Phone numbers are stored securely within the messaging platform configuration. Access to all systems is restricted to the account owner. No data is stored in publicly accessible locations.
Transaction records are retained within YNAB as part of normal household budgeting. SMS/MMS message logs are retained by Twilio per their standard retention policies. No additional copies are retained beyond what is necessary for processing.
As a participating household member, you may at any time:
This service is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13. No data is knowingly collected from children.
Household members will be notified directly of any material changes to this policy.
Last updated: February 17, 2026
YNAB Budget Alerts is a private, household SMS/MMS notification service that automatically categorizes bank transactions and sends text message alerts to participating household members. When a transaction is detected, the system sends a message with the merchant name, amount, and suggested budget category. Household members can reply by text to confirm, change, or manage the categorization. This is a personal service for household budget management only — not a commercial product or marketing service.
YNAB Budget Alerts is provided "as-is" for personal household use. The account owner makes no warranties regarding the accuracy of transaction categorization or the reliability of message delivery. Always verify transactions directly with your financial institution.
Household members will be notified directly of any material changes.
YNAB Budget Alerts is operated by an individual for private household use. For questions about this service, your data, or to exercise your opt-out rights:
This is not a commercial service. There is no sales team, support department, or marketing list. All inquiries are handled personally by the account owner.