🎥 Video: Create & Manage Rules by Merchant
Rules by Merchant lets you set a default category, asset, and payment recipient for each merchant in Clearing, so every transaction from that merchant is mapped automatically instead of by hand.
Setting Up Rules by Merchant
Step 1: Open Rules by Merchant
Go to Rules in the left-hand menu, select the On Transactions tab, then click By Merchant.
This shows a list of every merchant identified through your bank account and credit card transaction feeds. The number next to each merchant is how many transactions are associated with it, ranked from highest to lowest, so your most frequent merchants appear first.
Step 2: Find a Merchant
Use the search field to narrow the list to the merchant you want to set a rule for. For example, type "Hulu" to bring up Hulu.
Some merchants appear under unexpected names because your bank determines the merchant name in the feed, not Clearing. For example, VRBO payments can show up as "Yapstone." To rename or combine merchants like this, use Custom Rules on Transactions.
Step 3: Set the Category
Choose a category for the merchant so future transactions to and from them are categorized automatically. For example, if Hulu is a streaming expense, select "Streaming."
Not every merchant can be tied to a category, but most can, so we recommend attaching a category to each one. If the category you need doesn't exist yet, you can create a new one from the top right corner.
Step 4: Assign an Asset (Optional)
If a merchant is always tied to one specific asset, such as a cleaner who only services a single property, select that asset. Their transactions will then be tied directly to the property for precise tracking and reporting.
Step 5: Assign a Recipient (Optional)
If you pay this merchant through Payables in Clearing, map a recipient to the merchant. Whenever you select that merchant in Payables, the payment automatically defaults to that recipient's payment account, which helps make sure you're paying them out of the right account.
Step 6: Apply Your Changes to Existing Transactions
Clearing saves your changes to each merchant automatically, and the rule runs on new transactions as they come in. To also update transactions you already have:
Select the merchants you updated. You can select several at once, or select all.
Click Apply Selected Rules.
Clearing applies the category, asset, and recipient you filled in to the existing transactions for those merchants.
Tip: Need to go further than category, asset, and recipient? Custom Rules on Transactions let you build rules from criteria like memo, amount, or owner, rename or combine merchants, and split a transaction.
🙋 Need more help?
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Clearing is a Financial Technology Company, not a bank.