Complete feature reference
Everything you need to know about Strong Arm Accounting — from AI receipt scanning and income tracking to Bank Sync, Budget Tracker, AI Savings Advisor, MFA security, inactivity auto-logout, credit billing, and the admin panel.
How the AI reads your receipts
When you upload a receipt, the image is resized to 1600px wide and sent to GPT-4o vision. The model extracts vendor name, date, total amount, and a suggested expense category. The whole process takes 3–8 seconds depending on image quality.
Tip: Flat, well-lit photos with the full receipt in frame produce the most accurate results. Crumpled or partially cropped receipts may require manual correction.
Auto-category creation
If the AI suggests a category that doesn't exist in your list yet, Strong Arm creates it automatically with a matching color and icon. New auto-created categories appear with a blue "Auto" badge in your category list so you can review and rename them.
Tip: After 5 or more receipts, the AI learns your vendor→category patterns from your history. Repeat vendors will be categorized consistently.
Scan comment (optional note per receipt)
You can enable a per-scan comment prompt in Settings → Preferences → "Add comment after each scan". When turned on, a text box appears after every successful scan — before the expense is saved — so you can attach a note such as a client name, project number, or purpose. The comment is stored in the Notes field on the expense record. You can skip the comment and save immediately, or type a note and click Save Expense.
Tip: Great for freelancers and contractors who need to tag receipts to specific clients or projects for 1099 reporting.
Smart history learning
Once you have 5+ receipts, the system queries your last 50 expenses to find vendor-to-category patterns. If you've previously categorized "Shell" as "Fuel", future Shell receipts will default to Fuel automatically.
Credit deduction
Each successful scan deducts 3 cents from your credit balance. If your balance drops below 3 cents, the upload is blocked with a 402 error. Top up your balance from the Buy Credits page before scanning.
Note: Uploads that fail due to a network error or unreadable image do not deduct credits.
Receipt thumbnails
A compressed 800px thumbnail of your receipt is stored alongside the expense record. You can view it at any time by clicking the thumbnail icon in the expense table. The preview opens in a modal — use the back arrow to return to the dashboard, or X to close the modal only.
Default categories
On your first login, 14 default categories are seeded to your account: Food & Dining, Travel, Fuel, Office Supplies, Software & Subscriptions, Utilities, Marketing, Professional Services, Equipment, Entertainment, Healthcare, Insurance, Rent, and Miscellaneous.
Creating custom categories
Go to Categories and click "New Category". Give it a name, pick a color from the palette, and choose an icon. Custom categories appear alongside defaults everywhere in the app — in the expense table filter, the reports breakdown, and the OCR suggestion list.
Tip: Use specific names like "AWS Hosting" instead of "Cloud" — the AI will match future receipts to the most specific category it recognizes.
Editing and deleting
Click the pencil icon on any category to rename it, change its color, or swap its icon. Deleting a category does not delete the expenses assigned to it — those expenses move to "Uncategorized" so no data is lost.
Filtering expenses by category
In the expense table on the Dashboard and Receipts page, use the category dropdown filter to show only expenses in a specific category. This is useful when reviewing a single cost center before exporting.
Inline editing
Click any cell in the expense table to edit it directly — vendor name, date, amount, category, and notes are all editable inline. Changes save automatically when you click away or press Enter.
CSV export
The expense table has a "Export CSV" button that downloads all currently visible expenses (respecting any active category filter). The CSV includes date, vendor, category, amount, and notes — ready to hand to your accountant.
Tip: Apply a category filter before exporting to get a focused CSV for a single cost center.
Deleting expenses
Click the trash icon on any expense row to delete it. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. The associated receipt thumbnail is also removed.
Note: There is no bulk delete. Delete expenses one at a time to avoid accidental data loss.
Receipt preview
Click the image thumbnail in any expense row to open the full receipt preview modal. Use the back arrow (←) in the top-left to navigate back to the dashboard, or the X button to close the modal while staying on the current page.
Adding income records
Go to the Income page and click "Add Income". Enter the source (client name, payer), date, amount, and an optional note. Income records are saved immediately and appear in the unified transactions feed on the Dashboard.
Tip: Use the source field consistently — for example, always use the client's company name — so you can quickly identify income by payer.
Net profit on the Dashboard
The Dashboard stat cards show "Income This Month" and "Net Profit" (income minus expenses for the current month). These update in real time as you add income records or scan receipts.
Bank deposits (Pro)
If you have Strong Arm Bank Sync enabled, the Income page also shows unimported bank deposit transactions for review. You can select individual deposits and import them as income records — or skip ones that aren't business income.
Tip: Bank deposits appear separately from manually entered income records so you can review them before they affect your totals.
Income in reports
The Reports page includes income data alongside expenses. Use the year selector to view historical income and compare it against your spending to understand your profitability over time.
Summary stat cards
Four cards at the top of the Reports page show: total expenses this year, total amount spent, largest single expense, and average expense amount. These update in real time as you add or edit expenses.
Monthly vs. Quarterly bar chart
Toggle between Monthly and Quarterly views using the buttons above the chart. The bar chart shows total spending per period for the selected year. Hover over any bar to see the exact amount.
Category breakdown
A donut chart and table show what percentage of your spending falls into each category. This is the fastest way to spot where your money is going.
Top 5 expenses
A ranked list of your five largest individual expenses for the selected year, with vendor, category, and amount. Useful for identifying one-off large purchases.
Year selector & CSV export
Use the year dropdown to view historical data. The CSV export on the Reports page downloads all expenses for the selected year — different from the Dashboard export which respects the active filter.
How credits work
Your credit balance is stored in cents. Each receipt scan costs 3 cents (1 scan = $0.03). Your current balance is always visible in the CreditWidget on the Dashboard — it turns red when your balance is low.
Credit packages
Three packages are available: Starter Pack (50 scans / $1.50), Value Pack (205 scans / $5.00 — includes 5 bonus scans), and Pro Pack (525 scans / $12.50 — includes 25 bonus scans). The Value and Pro packs include bonus scans as a purchase incentive.
Tip: The Pro Pack works out to about 2.4 cents per scan — the best per-scan rate available.
Payment flow
Clicking "Buy" on any package redirects you to GoDaddy's secure checkout. After payment, you're returned to the checkout success page which automatically confirms your purchase and adds credits to your balance. The process is idempotent — refreshing the success page will not double-credit your account.
Credit balance after purchase
Credits are added immediately after the payment confirmation succeeds. If you return to the success page and credits haven't appeared, wait 10 seconds and refresh — the page polls automatically.
Note: If you close the browser before reaching the success page, your credits may not be applied. Contact support with your order ID to resolve this.
Inactivity auto-logout
Strong Arm automatically logs you out after 15 minutes of inactivity to protect your financial data. At the 13-minute mark, a warning banner appears at the top of the screen giving you 2 minutes to click "Stay logged in" before the session ends. If you're logged out, your work is saved — just sign back in.
Tip: The inactivity timer resets on any mouse movement, click, or keypress. It only counts down during genuine idle periods.
Enabling TOTP two-factor authentication
Go to Settings → Security tab → "Enable Two-Factor Authentication". Scan the QR code with an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.), then enter the 6-digit code to confirm enrollment. MFA is active immediately.
Tip: Save your backup codes when prompted. These are the only way to recover your account if you lose access to your authenticator app.
MFA login flow
After enabling MFA, every login requires your password plus a 6-digit TOTP code. After entering your password, you're redirected to /auth/verify-mfa where you enter the code from your authenticator app.
MFA nudge banner
If you haven't enabled MFA, a yellow banner appears at the top of the Dashboard reminding you to set it up. Click "Enable MFA" in the banner to go directly to the Security settings tab.
Session management
The Settings → Security tab lists all active sessions (device, browser, last seen). You can revoke any individual session — useful if you've logged in on a shared computer. Sessions have a shorter expiry than typical apps for added security.
Changing your password
Go to Settings → Security → "Change Password". Enter your current password and your new password twice. Password changes take effect immediately and do not invalidate existing sessions.
Profile tab
Update your display name and email address. Your name is used for the avatar initials shown in the sidebar and top bar. Email changes require re-verification.
Notification preferences
Toggle email notifications for low credit balance warnings, weekly spending summaries, and new auto-created categories. These are off by default.
Connected accounts
If you signed up with Google OAuth, your Google account appears here. You can disconnect it and switch to email/password login, or connect an additional provider.
Danger zone
The bottom of the Settings page contains account deletion. Deleting your account permanently removes all expenses, categories, receipts, and credit balance. This action cannot be undone.
Note: Export your data via CSV before deleting your account. There is no recovery option.
Connecting a bank account
Go to Strong Arm Bank Sync and click "Connect Bank Account". A Plaid Link modal will open — search for your bank, enter your credentials, and select the accounts you want to connect. Your bank credentials are handled entirely by Plaid and are never stored by Strong Arm.
Tip: You can connect multiple bank accounts and credit cards. Each connection appears as a separate card on the Strong Arm Bank Sync page.
Free historical import (first sync)
When you connect a new account, click "Import History" to pull in up to 31 days of past transactions at no cost. This is a one-time free import per connection. The import runs in the background — if Plaid is still preparing your data, the page will auto-retry up to 8 times with 15-second gaps.
Tip: Run the historical import immediately after connecting so you have a full month of context before your first incremental sync.
Incremental sync (ongoing)
After the initial import, click "Sync" on any connection to pull in new transactions since the last sync. Incremental syncs cost 3¢ per new transaction — the same as a receipt scan. Your credit balance must have at least 3¢ to start a sync. The sync result shows how many transactions were added, modified, or removed.
Note: Pending transactions are not imported. Only posted (settled) transactions are pulled in.
Auto-import to expenses
After syncing, click "Import All" to bulk-import all new, non-pending transactions as expense records. Each imported transaction becomes an expense with the bank merchant name, date, amount, and a mapped category. You can edit any field inline after import.
Receipt cross-matching and "Bank Verified" badge
Strong Arm Bank Sync automatically cross-matches imported bank transactions to your existing receipt scans. A match is found when the vendor name (including acronym matching) and amount are within ±$0.01, and the dates are within ±3 days. Matched expenses show a green "Bank Verified" badge in the Notes column of the expense table.
Tip: The cross-match runs both ways — if you scan a receipt after importing the bank transaction, the match is detected and the badge appears automatically.
Deleting a bank connection
Click the trash icon on a connection card to remove it. Deleting a connection removes the connection record but does not delete any expenses that were already imported from it. Imported expenses remain in your expense table.
Note: Disconnecting a bank account in Plaid (via your bank's settings) does not automatically remove the connection in Strong Arm. Delete it manually from the Strong Arm Bank Sync page.
PRODUCT_NOT_READY error
If you see a "Plaid is preparing your transaction data" message after connecting, this is normal. Plaid sometimes takes 1–2 minutes to prepare transaction data for a new connection. The page will auto-retry up to 8 times. If it still fails after all retries, wait a few minutes and try again manually.
Setting a budget
Go to Strong Arm Budget Tracker and click the edit icon next to any category to set a monthly limit. Enter a dollar amount and click Save. The budget takes effect immediately for the current month. You can also set an overall monthly budget at the top of the page that covers all spending regardless of category.
Tip: Start with your highest-spend categories first. The AI Smart Suggestions (available after 2+ complete months of data) will recommend limits based on your actual spending patterns.
Progress bars and color signals
Each category shows a progress bar with your current spend vs. the budget limit. The bar is green when you're under 80%, turns gold at 80–99%, and turns red when you've exceeded the limit. The overall budget bar at the top follows the same color logic.
Budget alerts and in-app notifications
When a category crosses 80% or 100% of its budget, an in-app notification is generated. Notifications appear in the bell icon in the top bar with an unread badge. Budget alerts are deduplicated per month — you'll only get one 80% alert and one 100% alert per category per month, not one per scan.
AI Savings Advisor
Click "Get AI Savings Plan" on the Budget Tracker page to run the AI Savings Advisor. It sends up to 12 months of your real expense data to GPT-4o and returns a structured savings plan. For each spending category, you'll see: your current monthly average, a suggested spending limit, the percentage reduction, a plain-English reason, and 2–3 specific actionable tips. Each suggestion card has a "Set budget" button to apply that limit immediately, or you can click "Apply all as budgets" to set every suggestion at once.
Tip: The AI Savings Advisor is most useful after 3+ months of consistent data. The more receipts you scan, the more accurate the recommendations.
AI Smart Suggestions
After you have 2 or more complete calendar months of expense data, the Strong Arm Budget Tracker page shows AI-powered Smart Suggestions. These project your monthly spending rate based on actual pace, and flag trend signals (spending accelerating vs. prior month) and spike signals (a category jumped significantly). Suggestions appear as cards below the budget list.
Tip: Smart Suggestions are most accurate when you have 3+ months of consistent data. The more receipts you scan, the better the projections.
Removing a budget
Click the edit icon on any category and clear the amount field, then save. Removing a budget does not delete the category or its expenses — it just removes the spending limit so no progress bar is shown for that category.
New to Strong Arm?
Start with the Quick Start Guide — it covers the essentials in 4 steps.