YNAB
Sync your bank transactions to YNAB (You Need A Budget) automatically. Connect each bank once, and Lunch Flow keeps your YNAB accounts up to date every day.
The YNAB destination is in beta. It works end to end, and you may still see a Beta label on it in the app while we refine the experience.
Prerequisites
- An active YNAB account (a trial or paid subscription)
- At least one bank account connected in Lunch Flow
Setup
YNAB uses OAuth, so you authorize Lunch Flow directly with YNAB. You never share your YNAB password, and no API key is required.
Add the destination
In Lunch Flow, go to Destinations → Add Destination → YNAB, then click Connect to YNAB.
Authorize and select your budget
Lunch Flow redirects you to YNAB. Sign in, select the budget you want to sync, and authorize Lunch Flow to access it. YNAB then redirects you back to Lunch Flow automatically.
Connect each bank account
For each Lunch Flow account you want to sync, click Connect and choose how it maps to YNAB:
- Create New Account creates a matching account in your YNAB budget on the first sync.
- Use Existing Account links to an account that already exists in your budget.
Choose a sync mode
Select what Lunch Flow keeps in sync for that account:
| Sync mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Transactions & Balance | Syncs transactions, then adjusts the YNAB balance to match your source account. This is the default. |
| Transactions Only | Syncs transactions. The YNAB balance reflects the total of those transactions. |
| Balance Only | Syncs the balance as adjustment transactions, without importing individual transactions. |
Set a start date, then sync
For transaction sync modes, use Sync transactions from to pick the earliest date to import. Leave it as All time to import your full available history. Click Save & Sync to run the first sync.
How syncing works
- Sync frequency: Daily, automatically, after the first sync.
- Deduplication: Lunch Flow tags each transaction with a stable import ID, so re-syncing the same transaction doesn't create a duplicate in YNAB.
- Balance adjustments: In Transactions & Balance and Balance Only modes, Lunch Flow reconciles the YNAB balance with a transaction payee named
Balance Adjustment. - Date limits: YNAB rejects transactions dated in the future or more than 5 years in the past, so Lunch Flow skips those.
To avoid importing older activity that is already in YNAB, set Sync transactions from to a date after the last transaction in your budget.
Troubleshooting
Related
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