heaps! FAQ

Q. I've bought a couple of things today and they aren't showing up in heaps! - why not?

A. Information on what's been going on with your accounts is sent through to heaps! overnight. So you won't see transactions appear in heaps! as you make them, but don't worry - they should all be there the next day for you to see!

Q. Can I manually update what heaps! is calculating as my income?

A. heaps! calculates your income based on your average income for the past 5 pay cycles. However, you can manually update your fixed income from the budget tab. Remember to scroll to the bottom of the budget page and click the Save button after making your changes.

Q. How do I change when my budgeting period starts?

A. You can change your default budgeting period on your Settings page.

1. In the top-right corner of the screen, under your profile picture, click on the Settings link

   

2. Go to the Budget settings for <your name> heading

3. Select the a budget periods (Weekly, Fortnightly or Monthly)

4. Select the day that the budget period starts.

Q. Does heaps! automatically transfer money for my goal?

A. When you set up a goal, you are asked how much money you want to allocate for your goal in each budget period. heaps! then includes this in your budget so you can make sure you have enough money to put aside towards your goal.

However, if you want to transfer money between accounts, you'll need to do this in internet banking. We strongly recommend that you set up an automatic payment for your goal, to match the amount you have created in heaps!, so that you can stay on track and achieve your goal faster.

Q. I accidentally put something into the wrong category - how can I change it?

A. You can change the category whenever you like.

1. Find the transaction on the spending tab. You can narrow your search by selecting a category and sub category

2. Once you have found the transaction click on the transaction's current category

3. Select a new category

4. Click Save

Q. How do I change the category for just one transaction for a specific business?

A. When you're viewing your spending page you can expand the view for a business or person to show all of the individual transactions for that business. When you only want to change the category for a specific transaction you un-tick the option 'Categorise all transactions like this as (selected category)'.

1. Expand the transactions for the specific business

2. Click on the edit pencil next to the category, for the specific transaction you want to edit

   

3. Select a new category

4. At the bottom of the page un-tick the option Categorise all transactions like this as (selected category). This will only change the category for that particular transaction and not for all the transactions for that business or person

   

5. Click Save

Q. Can I add my own categories?

A. We recognise that we currently have only a minimum number of categories for you to select. This is a limitation we are working to improve as quickly as possible.

Q. I want to be keep up-to-date with what's new in heaps! how can I do this?

A. If you've provided us with your email you'll be one of the first to know when updates are made to heaps!. This also makes it easier for us to contact you if you are having problems.

1. In the top-right corner of the screen, under your profile picture, click on the Settings link

2. Go to the My details heading

3. Enter in your email address

4. Remember to click the button.

Q. I get money out from the ATM each week for different things - how can I split these transactions so I can categorise them properly?

A. At the moment, you can't split transactions in heaps!. However, we're working on this and you'll be able to split them in the not-too-distant future so that you can categorise an ATM withdrawal as multiple transactions.

Q. How can I add in a second job?

A. heaps! will recognise when you have new income coming into your account, and it will then appear in your budget. You can also manually add another income line that you'd like to budget for, for example, income from a casual job or for selling goods on Trade Me.

1. Click on the budget tab

2. Under the I earn section click the Add another income line link

   

3. Choose an income type using the arrow on the dropdown field.

   

4. Click the Add button

5. Remember to click the Save now button at the bottom of the screen.

Q. How do I look at the spending categories individually?

A. From the home page, you can look at how much you're spending on the high-level categories (for example, Home or Travel. Click on the image of the category on the home page and the transactions and graph below will then show your spending on that category.

From the spending page, you can see more detail on what you've been spending on each sub-category. Select the high level category (for example, Home) then the subcategory (for example, Rent). You can then see where you've been spending your money.

Q. Can I set a start date for heaps! to analyse my spending and income? Earlier data makes my averages inaccurate.

A. No. When you first register for heaps! you'll see transaction history for the past 12 months (or less if you haven't had active accounts at Kiwibank for up to 12 months).

Q. I want to group my individual savings account and my joint account together to create a family budget group, is that possible?

A. Yes! If you have a Joint account with you partner you can move a personal (individual) account into the shared account group. This is great if you want to combine your personal savings account with a joint account you share with another person to help you set budgets and goals for all of your spending.

1. Go to the accounts page in heaps!

2. Select the edit link for the account that you want to include in your shared account group

   

3. Select the Account group that you want to move the account to

4. Select the tick box to confirm you have understood and accepted the implications of sharing your personal transactional information

5. Click the Update button.

You can only move your personal (individual) accounts, not anyone else's, so if you want to move any of your partner's personal (individual) accounts to your shared account group, your partner would need to do this from within their heaps! view.

Q. I have a flat account and it's messing with my budget - what can I do?

A. You can move the flat account into a new account group. This will keep it separate from your other personal accounts and allow you to set a separate budget for your flat account, so you can make sure you have enough money to pay the flat bills!

1. Go to the accounts page in heaps!

2. Click the button

3. Rename the account group.

   

4. Select the account group you created

5. Click the Update button.

Q. I don't want to participate in heaps! any more...how do I remove my details from heaps!?

Through the in heaps! you can ask us to remove you from heaps!.
You'll need to provide us with your internet banking access number and full name.  All your data will then be securely removed from the heaps! application.
Please note that the heaps! button on your Accounts page in internet banking will still display.  Because you will no longer be registered for heaps! when you click the button it will display the registration page, rather than the heaps! application.

Q. I am having problems with heaps! - can you help (technical issues)?

Please use the button in heaps! and our support team will be able to help you.

Q. Why is my closed account showing in heaps!?

heaps! is designed to show you your income and spending trends over time. To do this, we bring in information from your old account(s) so that we can show you the complete picture of your spending and saving patterns over the past months.

Q. If I change the status of an account to Closed will this close my account in Internet Banking?

No. Any action to an account in heaps! won't affect your internet banking. When you change the Account status to Closed, the account will be hidden from the account summary view on your heaps! home page, but the transactions are displayed for categorisation and are included in the budget group which they belong to.

Q. I've recently closed an account in internet banking, how do I change the status of my account in heaps!?

1. Go to the accounts page in heaps!

2. Click the edit link next to the account you would like to edit

3. Under the Account status section, select the Closed option

4. Click the Update button.

Q. I don't want to view one of my accounts in heaps! how do I hide it?

If you don't want to include an account in any of your account groups, or track your spending or income on it, you can hide it.

Accounts that display under the Hidden accounts group won't be included when using heaps!. This means that you won't be able to see any of the account transactions or its balance in heaps! and any income or spending on this account will not be included in your budget tracking.

To hide an account:

1. Go to the accounts page in heaps!

2. Click the edit link next to the account you would like to hide

3. Select the Hide account group

4. Click the Update button.

5. The account will show under the Hidden accounts group

   

6. If you decide you want to include the account in heaps! simply edit the account and move it into another account group.

Q. I want to move an account but I don't have permission - why?

You can have 'Other groups' that contain accounts that you are able to view, but you are not the primary owner of. For example, you may have an Authority to Operate (ATO) on a trust, flat or business account. Only the primary owner of the account will have permission to move the account.

Q. I have two joint accounts under two different account groups - how do I move them into one?

In the current release this is not an available action. We recognise that this is a limitation and we are working to improve this as quickly as possible.

Q. Why do I keep going back to the setup wizard when I select a new account group?

You'll need to complete the set up at least once for each heaps! account group. This will confirm your regular income and spending and allow you to set up your basic preferences.

Q. How do I change my default account group?

You can change your default account group on your Settings page.

1. In the top-right corner of the screen, under your profile picture, click on the Settings link

2. Go to the Main (default) account group heading

3. View your account groups by clicking on the arrow in the dropdown box

4. Click on the account group name to select this as your default account group

5. Remember to click the button.

Q. How do I view the set up wizard again?

You can restart the set up wizard from your Settings page. When you click the Start set up wizard button, you'll need to click through to the end of the set up wizard before you can go back to using heaps!.

1. In the top-right corner of the screen, under your profile picture, click on the Settings link

2. Go to the Restart set up wizard section

3. Click on the button.

Q. How long can heaps! session be inactive for before I am logged out?

If your heaps! account has been inactive for 15 minutes we ask you to log back in via internet banking.

Q. I'm moving an individual account out of a shared account group - why does the 'Important information' text and tick box display?

If you move an account out of a shared account group and someone else that was previously prevented from seeing the shared account group regains access, you will receive a message telling you that access to the shared account group has changed.

Q. Why is there an orange exclamation mark at the end of my budget line?

The orange exclamation mark lets you know if your budget for that item is too ambitious. For example, you may be budgeting above your average spend for that item.

Q. What do the '1' and '2' icons mean next to my budget items?

You can click on the icons to change a budget item from a necessary to an optional spend (or vice versa). All necessary spends will move to the top of your list when the page is refreshed.

The means this is a necessary spend.

The means this is an optional spend.

Q. I want to add a new spend in my budget can I do this manually?

Yes. On the budget page under My spending you will see the text Add another spend.

1. Go to the budget page

2. Click the Add another spend link

   

3. Select a category from the dropdown box

4. Click Add

5. Enter in the amount you want to budget for this category

6. If you delete the item it will automatically appear under the transactions for the Other categories

   

7. To include the category again, just click the Include button.

When you categorise your transactions on the spending page the category will automatically be added to the budget if your weekly average spend is over $10 or your fortnightly or monthly average spend is over $20.

Q. I've deleted one of my regular payment lines in my budget by mistake, can I get it back?

Yes. When you delete one of your regular or income lines you can view the 'recently removed' items and click Include to add it back in. Easy!

Q. One of my categories is duplicated and is showing under 'My regular payments' and also under 'My spending', what should I do?

Sometimes heaps! can temporarily duplicate category information. If this happens for an item that is showing under your 'My regular payments' and your 'My spending' all you need to do is to refresh the page.

To refresh the page is to click your web browser's refresh icon, or, if you navigate away from the budget page, when you come back heaps! will have updated this for you.

Q. One of my categories is showing under 'I earn' and under My spending and has duplicated my transaction information. What should I do?

Sometimes heaps! can temporarily duplicate category information. If this happens for an item that is showing under your 'I earn' and under your 'My spending' all you need to do is to refresh the page.

To refresh the page is to click your web browser's refresh icon, or, if you navigate away from the budget page, when you come back heaps! will have updated this for you.

Q. Can I view the internet banking statement details (for example, my code, particulars and reference information) in heaps!?

No. In the current release this is not an available action.

Q. I have a new Credit Card so the number on my plastic card is now different from the number I used in heaps! what should I do?

When you upload a new data file heaps! detects that the card number in the file is different from the card number you have previously updated data for. You will be asked if you would like to accept this upload. If you do, heaps! will also update the recorded credit card details to the new number for you!

Q. Why do I have to enter in my account number for ANZ?

ANZ transactional files provide heaps! with the transactional data, but the account number is not easily formatted by heaps!. Entering in your account number will help you to easily identify this ANZ account.

Q. Why do I have to enter in my bank balance?

If you know that the balance in the uploaded file is different from your actual account balance (for example, you have pending authorisations), you can update this manually. This confirms you are budgeting on the correct account balance.

Q. Why am I getting a missing data message in my upload account?

heaps! recognises when there are transactions missing; either between your uploaded data files (for example, if you have accidentally skipped a date range) or if you have not yet uploaded your most recent transactions.

Q. What happens if I upload the same data file twice?

heaps! can recognise duplicate data. If you accidently upload the same file twice or you have selected overlapping date ranges, these are skipped to keep your data accurate.

Q. How do I edit my uploaded account information?

You can edit your added account from the accounts page, click on the account name hyperlink.

1. Go to the accounts page in heaps!

2. Click on the account name (it's a blue hyperlink)

   

3. The uploads page will display. From here you can upload a new data file.

4. To edit either the account name, change the account group the account belongs to, or delete the account click on the Edit account link.

   

Q. I uploaded the wrong transaction file - can I delete it?

Yes. Under My upload history, click on the trash can icon to delete the uploaded file. (See 'How do I edit my uploaded account information' if you are unsure how to get to this screen)

Q. The account balance of my uploaded data is incorrect can I change it?

Yes. Under the My upload history click the pencil icon to edit the balance. Don't forget to click the save icon to save your changes. (See 'How do I edit my uploaded account information' if you are unsure how to get to this screen)

Q. I've uploaded a picture for my goal, why isn't it showing?

The picture will be display once you save your goal.

Q. I've got a message telling me my account groups have changed. What does this mean?

When you have joint account(s) with another person, they may make changes to your shared account groups. heaps! displays a message letting you know that changes have been made, so you can review the changes.

Q. I want to remove the notification/information message box that appears - how do I do this?

To close a notification/information message, click on the 'X' on the top right-hand side of the box.

Q. Why does my goal now show as completed?

heaps! will automatically complete your goal for you when you reach your goal target amount. If you want to increase your target amount, it's easy to reactivate, and continue to track against your goal.

Q. I've reached my goal target, but I want to continue to use this goal, do I have to create a new goal?

No. You can reactivate your existing goal, set a new target and continue to stay on track with your goal.

1. Navigate to the goals page

2. Under the "My completed goals" section click on the goal name

3. On the My progress page click the reactivate link

   

4. Enter in your new Goal Target and if needed adjust the target date, and goal allocation

5. Click the Save goal button

Q. What's the difference between a Spending goal and an Investment goal?

A spending goal is for anything that isn't likely to increase your wealth. Examples of a spending goal might be buying a new car, saving for a holiday or paying off debt.

An investment goal is fro something that has potential to increase your wealth. Examples of an investment goal might be buying a home, a retirement fund or investing in the stock market.

Q. How do I create a new (blank) goal that isn't pre-populated by heaps!?

1. Navigate to the goals page

2. Click the button

3. From the 'Pick from a goal template (optional)' drop-down list select the 'Create my own goal' option

   

Q. Can I customise the fields when I use a goal template?

Yes. When you use a goal template heaps! pre-populates the Goal name, selects whether the goal is a spending or investment goal, adds in a description and creates some tasks. You can edit all of these fields to make the goal more relevant to you.

Q. The amount I have actually saved is different from what heaps! shows for my goal, how can I update my goal in heaps!?

Goals help you budget for you goal in heaps, but if you have made additional payments or spent some money from your actually savings account in internet banking you will want to update heaps!

To Allocate more money to your goal within heaps!:

1. Navigate to the goals page

2. Select the goal you want to edit

3. Next to the My Progress chart click the button

4. Add in the amount you wish to allocate and select one of the allocation options:

   • Bring the due date forward -this option will change the date that you want to achieve your goal by, or

   • Increase my goal target - this option will increase your goal target amount, or

   • Reduce my weekly allocation - this option will reduce the amount heaps! allocates to your goal each budget period.

   

5. Click the button to save your changes

To Deduct money from your goal in heaps!:

1. Navigate to the goals page

2. Select the goal you want to edit

3. Next to the My Progress chart click the button

4. Add in the amount you wish to deduct and select one of the allocation options.

   • Extend my goal target date-this option will change the date that you want to achieve your goal by, or

   • Decrease my goal target - this option will decrease your goal target amount, or

   • Increase my weekly allocation - this option will increase the amount heaps! allocates to your goal each budget period.

   

5. Click the button to save your changes

Note: The tool will help you budget for your goal in heaps!. If you want to transfer money between accounts, you'll need to do this in internet banking.

Q. Where do I find the heaps! Terms and Conditions?

In the footer of each page in heaps! you will be able to click on the Terms and conditions.