Amanah Budget — User Guide

Getting Started

Amanah Budget is an Islamic personal finance app built for Muslims who want to manage money in accordance with their values. It combines practical budgeting tools with halal compliance tracking, Zakat calculation, and a Ramadan planner — all in a single app.

Creating Your Account

1. Download Amanah Budget from the App Store and open the app.

2. Tap Create an account to begin the 3-step signup flow.

3. Step 1 — Personal details: Enter your first name, last name, email address, and phone number.

4. Step 2 — Password: Choose a password. It must be at least 8 characters and include one uppercase letter and one number. A real-time strength indicator guides you.

5. Step 3 — Terms: Review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (both accessible in-app), confirm you are 18 or older, and tap Create account.

6. Check your inbox for an email verification link and tap it to activate your account.

Guided Tour

After completing onboarding, Amanah walks you through a brief guided tour the first time you visit each major screen. Spotlight highlights draw your attention to key areas — for example, the Goals screen tour covers the Summary bar, your goal list, and the + button for creating new goals, then shows an info card explaining the Halal Investing Guidance feature (the Investments tab inside each goal). The Transactions screen tour covers search and navigation, filters, and the Review Center. The Invest Catalog tour covers linking investments to goals, search and filtering, and how Shariah screening works. You can dismiss any tour step at any time by tapping outside the spotlight, and individual tours do not repeat after you complete them.

Onboarding

After verifying your email and signing in for the first time, Amanah guides you through a 7-step setup to personalize the app to your life. You can skip any step and complete it later from Settings.

1. Welcome: Enter the name you'd like Amanah to use when speaking to you.

2. Islamic values: Select the financial priorities that matter most — such as Zakat tracking, Halal investing, Hajj savings, or Ramadan planning. These shape how the app personalizes your experience.

3. Income: Enter your monthly take-home pay. This sets your budget baseline.

4. Budget categories: Choose which spending categories to track. Suggestions are pre-selected based on your household type and values.

5. Savings goals: Pick one or more goals to work toward — Hajj, Umrah, emergency fund, home purchase, education, or others. You can set target amounts now or later.

6. Bank connection: Optionally link a bank account via Plaid for automatic transaction import. You can skip this and connect later from Settings.

7. All set: Your personalized Amanah experience is ready.

Logging In

Enter your email and password on the login screen. If you have forgotten your password, tap Forgot password? to receive a reset link by email.

Navigating the App

Amanah Budget uses a tab bar at the bottom of the screen for primary navigation. There are six main tabs:

Dashboard

The Dashboard is the first thing you see after logging in. It gives you a full picture of your current month's finances at a glance.

Header & Balance Card

The teal gradient header greets you with "Assalamu Alaikum, [your first name]" and shows the current month's name. The large balance card displays:

• Net Balance — income minus expenses for the current month, shown large in white (positive) or gold (negative).
• Income and Expenses as two side-by-side figures.
• A subtle sparkline bar chart overlaying the last 30 days of net cash flow as a watermark.

Pull down on the screen to refresh all data, including re-syncing any linked bank accounts.

Daily Spend Rate Pill

Just below the header, a small pill shows your current daily spending rate for the month. This lets you know at a glance whether you are on track.

Monthly Spending Insight

An auto-generated insight card appears based on your actual spending patterns, budget usage, and savings progress. Examples include "you are pacing under budget" or highlights of a goal nearing completion.

Quick Actions

Four tappable buttons provide fast access to the most common actions:

• Expense — opens the Add Transaction screen pre-set to Expense type.
• Income — opens the Add Transaction screen pre-set to Income type.
• Zakat — opens the Zakat Calculator.
• Bank — opens Linked Bank Accounts (Pro/Family plan required; tapping on a Free plan shows the upgrade prompt).

Savings Goals Summary

If you have savings goals, a horizontal scrollable row of goal cards appears here showing each goal's name, current amount, target amount, and a circular progress gauge. Tap See all to go to the full Goals tab. A stacked portfolio bar beneath the cards shows the relative contribution of each goal to your total saved amount.

Top Spending

The four highest-spending categories over the last 30 days are shown with ranked badges and horizontal bar charts. Tap Budget to jump to the full Budget tab.

Recent Transactions

The five most recent transactions are listed with merchant name, category, amount (green for income, red for expense), and halal status badges. Tap any transaction to edit it. Tap See all to go to the full Transactions tab.

Transactions

The Transactions tab is your complete financial ledger. You can view, search, filter, and manage every transaction you have added manually or imported from a linked bank account.

Budget Pace Card

At the top of the list (visible when no search or filter is active) is a compact Budget Pace card showing how your spending tracks against your monthly budget: a large percentage, a thin progress bar with a marker for how far the month has elapsed, a caption with the amount spent of your total budget and your average spend per day, and an On track / Over status pill. This card is specific to the Transactions tab — the Home and Budget tabs use a more detailed pace chart with scrub-to-inspect, described under Budget.

List View

Transactions are grouped by date in cards with a dark teal date pill header showing the date label ("Today", "Yesterday", or a formatted date) and the count of transactions for that day. Each transaction row shows:

• A colored icon representing its category.
• Merchant name or description, and category name below.
• Amount (green for income with a + sign, red for expense with a − sign).
• Status badges: Pending (for uncleared bank transactions), a link icon (for Plaid-imported transactions), and a Halal badge for confirmed halal transactions.

Review Center

When you have transactions awaiting attention, a Review card appears above the list with a row of pills — Categorize (transactions needing a category confirmed), Halal (transactions awaiting halal review), and Recurring (detected recurring charges awaiting your confirmation) — each showing a count. Tap a pill to jump straight to that review flow. When nothing needs review, the card instead shows a link to Recurring & Subscriptions. A circular + button next to the card opens Add Transaction.

Search

Tap the Search button above the list to expand a full-width search field that filters transactions by merchant name, description, or category in real time. Tap Cancel to collapse it back to the compact button and chip row.

Filters

Next to the Search button is a compact All / Expenses / Income chip row for narrowing by transaction type. Tap the Filters icon to reveal additional filters:

• Date range — choose from preset ranges (This week, Last 7 days, This month, Last month, Last 3 months, This year) or pick a custom start and end date with the date pickers. Tap Clear to remove it.
• Categories — opens a full-screen category picker (tap the back arrow at the top to return). Select one or more categories to show only transactions in those categories. Tap Clear all to deselect all.

Active filters stack — you can filter by date range and categories simultaneously. A Filters Applied summary row appears above the list showing up to 3 active filter pills plus a "+N" count for any beyond that; tap a pill's × to remove it, or tap Clear filters to reset to "All".

The Categories management link (to edit your category list) is accessible from Settings → Account → Manage categories.

Deleting a Transaction

To delete a manually-entered transaction, tap it to open the transaction detail screen, then tap Delete Transaction at the bottom. Plaid-imported transactions cannot be deleted.

Swipe Gesture

Swiping left on a transaction in the list opens a quick-action panel to assign that transaction to a savings goal. This is not a delete gesture.

Pull to Refresh

Pull down on the transaction list to trigger a fresh Plaid sync (if you have linked accounts) followed by a reload of all transactions.

Infinite Scroll

Transactions load in pages of 40. Scroll to the bottom of the list to automatically load the next page.

Calendar View

Tap the Calendar chip in the view toggle (above the transaction list) to switch to the calendar view. This shows a monthly calendar grid where each day is color-coded:

• Green background — net positive day (more income than expenses).
• Red/coral background — net negative day (more expenses than income).
• Teal border — today.
• A miniature amount label (e.g., +$45 or −$120) appears on days with transactions.

Navigate months with the left/right chevron arrows in the header. You cannot navigate forward past the current month.

Tap any day to see a detail panel below the calendar showing income, expenses, and the full list of that day's transactions. Tap a transaction in the detail panel to edit it.

Adding & Editing Transactions

Tap the green + button (floating action button on the first date card, or via Quick Actions on the Dashboard) to open the Add Transaction screen.

1. Type: Toggle between Expense and Income using the pill toggle at the top.

2. Amount: Enter the dollar amount. Decimals are accepted.

3. Description: Type the merchant name or a brief description. As you type, Amanah's halal analysis engine checks the merchant name and shows a halal confidence indicator in real time.

4. Category: Select from your expense or income categories. Categories are color-coded and grouped (Charitable giving, Islamic finance, Savings, Groceries, etc.).

5. Date: Defaults to today. Tap to open a date picker.

6. Tags (optional): Add one or more tags: Tax Deductible, Reimbursable, Business, Zakat-Eligible, or Personal.

7. Tap Save to record the transaction.

To edit an existing transaction, tap it anywhere in the app. To delete it, open it and tap Delete Transaction at the bottom of the detail screen.

Halal Review Queue

When Amanah cannot automatically determine whether a transaction is halal or not, it adds it to the review queue. A Halal pill with the count of items awaiting review appears in the Review Center card on the Transactions tab.

Tapping that pill opens the swipe-to-review screen, where each transaction is presented as a card you can:

• Swipe right (green) — confirm as Halal.
• Swipe left (red) — mark as Not Halal (needs Islamic review).
• Tap the category tag or Notes — re-categorize or add notes before deciding.

A progress banner tracks how many are left and estimates the time remaining. Your decisions are saved and applied to future similar merchants automatically.

Inline prompts also appear beneath individual transactions in the list view, showing a simple "Is this halal? Yes / No" pair of buttons without requiring you to leave the list.

Budget

The Budget tab gives you a clear view of how your spending compares to your planned budgets across all expense categories.

Time Range

At the top of the screen, four range pills let you view your budget for different time periods:

• Week — the current Monday-to-Sunday week.
• Month — the current calendar month (default).
• Quarter — the current Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4.
• Year — the full calendar year.

Per-Paycheck View

In Month view, if you have income sources configured, a second toggle appears: Monthly / Per paycheck. Switching to "Per paycheck" divides all budget amounts and spending by your paycheck frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly), so you can see what to expect each pay period. If you have multiple income sources, the calculation uses the highest-earning one.

Budget Pace Chart

The chart at the top of the budget list shows how your spending tracks against budget for the selected period. It displays two progress bars — one for days elapsed and one for budget used — along with your remaining budget, average spend per day, and a projected end-of-period total. Touch and drag the budget-used bar to scrub through the period; a tooltip shows the date and cumulative spend at that point. The chart turns red when you have exceeded your budget or are running ahead of pace.

Category Groups

Expense categories are grouped and displayed in a fixed order:

1. Charitable giving — sadaqah, donations, charity (highlighted in teal to emphasise their Islamic priority).
2. Islamic finance — zakat, Islamic finance products.
3. Savings — savings contributions.
4. Then standard expense groups: Groceries, Dining out, Education, Housing & utilities, Transportation, Travel, Healthcare, Debt payments, Family, Subscriptions, Entertainment, Other.

A visual divider separates the three Islamic-priority groups from the rest.

For each category, a row shows:

• A color dot matching the category color.
• The category name, and a green Halal badge if the category is marked halal-specific.
• Your actual spending for the period vs. your budget (e.g., $45.00 / $200.00). Spending turns red when over budget.
• A bullet graph (horizontal progress bar). The filled bar shows your spend. A thin vertical marker shows where you "should" be at this point in the period based on elapsed time — if the bar passes the marker, you are running ahead of pace.

Setting Budgets

1. Tap Set budgets (the pencil icon in the header). The screen enters edit mode.

2. Each category row shows a dollar-sign text input. Enter a monthly budget amount. Leave blank (or enter 0) for no limit.

3. Use the keyboard toolbar arrows to navigate between inputs without tapping each one.

4. Tap Save to commit changes, or Cancel to discard them.

Savings Goals

The Goals tab lets you track dedicated savings buckets for specific purposes — including Islamic milestones like Hajj and Umrah.

Summary Bar

If you have goals, a summary card at the top shows total saved, total target across all goals, and an overall percentage gauge.

Goal Cards

Each goal card displays:

• A circular liquid-fill gauge showing progress percentage (turns gold with a ✓ when the goal is reached).
• Goal name, type label, and a category icon.
• Amount saved, days left (if a target date is set), and amount remaining.
• A gold banner with "Goal reached! Masha'Allah" when 100% is hit.
• An auto-save indicator if automatic allocations are enabled.

Tap any card to open the goal detail screen, which shows a contribution history chart and lets you add contributions.

Creating a Goal

Tap the + floating action button. Free plan is limited to 1 goal; Pro/Family plans have unlimited goals.

1. Choose a goal type from the preset list:

   • General savings
   • Emergency fund
   • Hajj fund
   • Umrah fund
   • Ramadan
   • Eid
   • Home fund
   • Education (529)

2. Enter a name for your goal (e.g., "Hajj 2026").

3. Set the target amount.

4. Optionally set the current amount already saved.

5. Optionally set a target date. The goal card will show days remaining.

6. Optionally enable Auto-save: set an amount and frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). Amanah will automatically add that contribution to the goal on schedule.

7. Tap Save goal.

Adding a Contribution

Open a goal (tap its card), then tap Add contribution. Enter the amount and date. The contribution chart updates in real time.

Auto-Allocations

When auto-save is enabled on a goal, Amanah checks daily whether a scheduled allocation is due and adds it automatically. You can force an immediate run from Settings (Developer tools, for testing).

Editing or Deleting a Goal

Open the goal detail screen, then tap the edit (pencil) icon in the header. To delete, scroll to the bottom and tap Delete goal.

Halal Investing Guidance

Each savings goal includes an Investments tab that provides educational guidance on halal investing options suited to your goal's timeline and purpose. This feature is entirely educational — Amanah Budget does not provide financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.

Suggested Investment Profile

When you open the Investments tab on a goal, Amanah automatically classifies it into one of five halal investment profiles based on your target date and goal type:

• Cash Preservation — goals under 2 years, or Emergency Fund goals regardless of timeline. Focus on capital safety with no market exposure.
• Conservative — 2–5 year goals (e.g. Hajj, Umrah, Wedding). Primarily sukuk with a small equity and REIT sleeve.
• Balanced — 5–10 year goals (e.g. Home Purchase, Education). Equal mix of halal equities and sukuk with REIT exposure.
• Growth — 10–20 year goals (e.g. Retirement, long-term wealth). Higher equity allocation with a sukuk stabiliser.
• Aggressive Growth — 20+ year goals (e.g. Retirement, children's education). Maximum halal equity exposure.

The profile card shows the suggested allocation breakdown (Halal Equities, Sukuk, Cash, Islamic REIT) as proportion bars, along with hypothetical conservative, base, and growth annual return scenarios for that profile.

Goal Status & Projections

The Investments tab also shows whether your goal is on track based on your contribution history:

• Ahead of Schedule — your average monthly contribution exceeds what's needed by more than 10%.
• On Track — your contributions are within 10% of the required monthly rate.
• Behind Schedule — contributions are below the required rate. An explainer shows the gap: your current average, the monthly amount needed, and the projected shortfall.

Below the status, a Growth Scenario Comparison chart shows your goal's projected value at the target date across four scenarios: Save Only (no growth), Conservative, Base, and Growth — all calculated from your current balance and average monthly contribution.

Allocation Visualisation

A donut chart shows the target allocation for your investment profile — for example, 45% Halal Equities, 35% Sukuk, 10% Islamic REIT, 10% Cash for a Balanced profile. A legend lists each asset class with example tickers (e.g. SPUS, SPSK, SPRE) and a proportional bar.

Investment Catalog

The Investment Catalog can be accessed in two ways: tap Browse all halal investments from any goal's Investments tab, or navigate directly to the Invest tab in the main navigation.

The catalog lists Shariah-screened investment options available in the US, including:

• ETFs — e.g. SPUS (SP Funds S&P 500 Sharia ETF), HLAL (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF), SPSK (SP Funds Global Sukuk ETF), SPRE (SP Funds Global REIT Sharia ETF)
• Mutual Funds — e.g. Amana Growth Fund (AMAGX), Amana Income Fund (AMANX)
• Platforms — e.g. Wahed Invest

Use the filter chips at the top to narrow by asset class (ETF, Fund, Sukuk, Stock, REIT, Platform). Use the search bar to find by name or ticker symbol. Tap the bookmark icon to save favourites.

Each investment card displays an AAOIFI compliance badge, refreshed monthly:

• AAOIFI — screened and compliant per AAOIFI standards
• Doubtful — borderline or under review
• Non-compliant — does not meet AAOIFI screens
• Unscreened — not yet covered by Halal Terminal data

Investment Detail

Tap any investment card to open its detail screen. This shows:

• Overview — description, provider, asset class, region, and risk level.
• Suitable Profiles — which investment profiles this investment is appropriate for.
• Shariah Compliance — the certifying Shariah board, review frequency, and the specific screens applied (e.g. "Interest-bearing debt < 33% of market cap", "Haram revenue < 5% of total revenue").
• Methodology — a description of the Shariah screening methodology used.
• Last Reviewed — the date the compliance information was last reviewed, with a View source link to the fund's official documentation.
• Expense Ratio — the fund's annual cost.
• Where to Buy — brokerages or platforms where the investment is available.
• IRA Eligible — whether the investment can be held in an IRA account.

Knowledge Center

The Knowledge Center (tap the book icon in the catalog header, or the link at the bottom of any goal's Investments tab) organizes its educational content into structured learning paths rather than a flat article list:

• What Is Halal Investing?
• What Is Sukuk?
• What Makes a Stock Shariah-Compliant?
• Understanding Purification
• Halal vs Conventional ETFs
• Islamic Retirement Planning

Tap a learning path to see its roadmap — a sequence of short lessons you work through in order. Each lesson unlocks once you finish the one before it, and a progress bar at the top of every lesson shows how far you are through the current path.

Halal Investing Certificate

Complete every lesson in a learning path to unlock that path's certificate. A teaser card at the bottom of the path's roadmap shows your remaining lesson count until then; once unlocked, tap it to view your certificate.

Goal Health Score

The Goal Health Score gives you a single at-a-glance number — from 0 to 100 — that tells you how well a savings goal is performing across four dimensions. Open any savings goal, then tap the Investments tab to see the score.

Free users will see a locked teaser card. Upgrade to Pro or Family+ to unlock the full score and recommendations.

Score Statuses

The score maps to one of four status labels:

• Excellent — score 80–100. Your goal is in great shape across all components.
• Healthy — score 65–79. Generally on track; minor improvements possible.
• Needs Attention — score 45–64. One or more components are lagging and should be reviewed.
• At Risk — score below 45. Significant course correction is recommended to hit your target.

Score Components

The overall score is broken down into four components, each contributing a weighted portion to the total:

• Progress — how much of your target amount you have already saved.
• Pace — whether your average monthly contributions are keeping up with what's needed to reach the target on time.
• Timeline — how much time remains relative to the goal's duration; goals with very little time left and a large gap score lower here.
• Suitability — how well your current investment profile matches the goal's risk horizon (see Halal Investing Guidance).

Personalised Recommendations

Below the score breakdown, Amanah shows a short list of personalised recommendations tailored to the goal's weakest components. Examples include:

• "Increase monthly savings by $47 to get back on pace."
• "Extend your target date by 8 months to make the goal achievable at your current savings rate."
• "Switch to a Conservative portfolio — your target date is under 3 years away."

Tap any recommendation to jump to the relevant setting (contribution amount, target date, or investment profile).

Inflation-Aware Goals

Money saved today buys less in the future. The Inflation-Aware Goals feature — found in the Investments tab of any savings goal — shows you how inflation erodes your purchasing power over the goal's timeline and what you can do about it.

This feature is entirely educational. All figures are hypothetical projections based on the assumptions shown and do not constitute financial or investment advice.

Inflation Impact Card

The card shows two figures side by side:

• Today's Target — the amount you entered as your savings goal.
• Future Cost — the inflation-adjusted equivalent at your target date, calculated using a 3% annual inflation rate by default applied over the goal's full timeline.

Below these figures, the card shows the extra monthly contribution you would need to add to preserve your purchasing power — i.e. to hit the future cost figure rather than just the nominal target.

Growth Scenario Comparison

Below the Inflation Impact card, a scenario table compares four hypothetical outcomes from your current balance and monthly contribution to your target date:

• Save Only — no investment growth; pure cash saving.
• 4% annual growth — a conservative investment return scenario.
• 7% annual growth — a moderate/base investment return scenario.
• 10% annual growth — an optimistic investment return scenario.

Each scenario shows the projected final balance and whether it meets your inflation-adjusted future cost. All figures are clearly labelled as educational/hypothetical and assume consistent monthly contributions with no withdrawals.

Zakat Calculator

The Zakat Calculator helps you determine whether zakat is obligatory on your wealth and calculates the amount due at the 2.5% rate.

Opening the Calculator

Access via Settings → Islamic Finance → Zakat calculator, or via the Zakat quick action button on the Dashboard.

Live Metal Prices

The calculator fetches live gold (XAU) and silver (XAG) spot prices to compute the nisab threshold accurately. Prices refresh daily. Tap the refresh icon to force an update.

Nisab Threshold

The nisab is the minimum wealth threshold above which zakat becomes obligatory. Amanah calculates this based on your chosen madhab (school of thought):

• Hanafi school — uses the silver nisab (612.36g silver). This is the lower threshold, which means more people are obligated to pay zakat.
• Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools — use the gold nisab (87.48g gold). This is the higher threshold.

The summary card displays both thresholds in USD simultaneously — Silver Nisab and Gold Nisab — so you can see where your wealth stands relative to each, regardless of your madhab setting. Your madhab determines which one is used for the Zakat Due calculation.

To change your madhab, tap "Zakat method incorrect? Change it in settings" or go to Settings → Preferences → Zakat method.

Entering Your Assets

The calculator covers fourteen zakatable asset types:

• Cash on hand
• Checking accounts
• Savings accounts
• Other cash & digital wallets — PayPal balance, Venmo, CashApp, and similar digital wallet balances
• Investments (stocks) — publicly traded stock holdings
• Mutual funds — halal mutual fund balances
• Bonds / Sukuk — bond and sukuk holdings
• Retirement & HSA accounts — 401(k), IRA, HSA, and similar tax-advantaged accounts (scholars differ on zakatable portion; consult your scholar)
• Gold — entered as weight (grams) and purity (24K, 22K, 18K, 14K, or 10K); Amanah calculates the USD value using live gold spot price and purity factor. Multiple weight entries are supported — tap + Add entry to log separate gold items (e.g. jewellery pieces with different purity levels).
• Silver — entered as weight and purity with the same multi-entry system as gold.
• Cryptocurrency
• Business cash — cash held for business purposes
• Business inventory
• Money owed to you (receivables)

Enter the current USD value (or weight for metals) for each applicable asset. Tap an asset row to expand it and set a hawl start date.

Liabilities (Deductions)

You may deduct short-term liabilities due within the lunar year from your zakatable total. The calculator includes three liability categories:

• Credit card & bills due — credit card balances and bills due now
• Student loans (monthly payment) — the monthly payment amount due (not the full balance), per scholarly opinion
• Car loan (monthly payment) — the monthly payment amount due
• Medical bills — outstanding medical debt due
• Other debt due now — any other short-term liabilities

Total liabilities are subtracted from your gross zakatable assets before the 2.5% calculation. A note reminds you that scholars differ on which liabilities may be deducted — consult your scholar for a ruling specific to your situation.

Hawl Tracking

Hawl is the requirement that an asset must be owned continuously for one full lunar year (approximately 354 days) before zakat becomes due on it. Tap the ℹ Hawl tracking button to read a full explanation.

To set a hawl date for an asset:

1. Tap the asset row to expand it.

2. Tap Set date under "Hawl start date".

3. Enter the date you first acquired that asset in YYYY-MM-DD format.

4. Tap Save.

Assets with an incomplete hawl are automatically excluded from the zakatable total and a notice is shown. A "Hawl complete" badge (green) or "N days remaining" badge (gold) appears on each asset.

Nisab & Hawl Status Screen

Tap the Nisab & Hawl Status button in the Zakat Calculator header to open a dedicated status screen. This screen gives you a live, detailed view of two things:

• Current Nisab Threshold — your nisab in USD, calculated in real time from live metal prices using the metal appropriate to your madhab (silver for Hanafi; gold for Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali). Shows the metal used, grams required, price per gram, and how recently the price was fetched. A link lets you change your madhab directly from this screen if needed.
• Hawl Status by Asset — for every asset you have saved with a hawl start date, a card shows the asset name, saved value, days elapsed, days remaining in the 354-day lunar year, and a progress bar. Assets whose hawl is complete are highlighted in gold with a "Due" badge.

Summary & Zakat Due

The summary card shows:

• Total entered (all assets before hawl exclusions and liability deductions).
• Zakatable assets (after excluding incomplete hawl assets and deducting liabilities).
• Silver Nisab and Gold Nisab thresholds (both shown in USD).
• Whether you are above nisab (if yes, zakat is due).
• A highlighted Zakat due (2.5%) figure.

Saving Your Assets

Tap Save assets to persist your asset values to your account. Your assets are stored securely and can be updated each year.

Zakat Payment History

Tap Payment history (or the history icon in the calculator header) to open the Zakat Payment History modal. This screen shows a chronological log of all zakat payments you have recorded in the app. Each entry shows:

• Payment date
• Amount paid
• Notes (e.g. recipient organisation)

Tap + Log payment to record a new payment. This is purely a personal log — Amanah does not process or transfer any funds.

Joint Account Share %

If you share a bank account with a spouse or family member, you can tell Amanah to count only your portion of that account toward your Zakat. Each Cash & Savings asset row (Checking accounts, Savings accounts, Other cash & digital wallets) includes a "My share of this account" field when you expand the row.

Tap the quick-select chips to choose 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%, or type a custom percentage in the text field. The Zakatable value for that row is automatically adjusted to reflect your share. For example, a joint savings account with a balance of $10,000 at 50% contributes $5,000 to your zakatable total.

Retirement Account Methodology

Scholars differ on how to treat locked retirement accounts such as 401(k), 403(b), Traditional IRA, and similar plans — because withdrawing early incurs taxes and penalties. When you expand a Retirement & HSA account row, a toggle lets you choose between two scholarly approaches:

• Conservative (AMJA) — default. Applies a 30% reduction to the account balance to approximate the taxes you would owe on withdrawal. The remaining 70% is treated as zakatable. This follows the position of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA) and accounts for the fact that the full balance is not freely accessible.
• Lenient. Treats the full current account value as zakatable. This reflects the view of scholars who hold that Zakat is due on wealth you have constructive access to, regardless of withdrawal restrictions.

Your chosen method is saved to your profile and applied automatically each time you return to the calculator. If you are unsure which to use, consult your scholar — both are recognized scholarly positions.

Stock Calculation Method

When you enter a holding under Investments (stocks) or Mutual funds, a toggle lets you choose how Zakat is calculated on that position:

• Market Value. Zakat is calculated on the full current market value of the holding. This is the simpler and more commonly used approach.
• Pro-Rata / Zakatable %. You enter a custom zakatable percentage for the holding — for example, the percentage derived from a purification report, or the zakatable asset ratio published by the fund. Only that percentage of the market value is counted toward your zakatable total.

The zakatable percentage is saved per holding, so each investment position can use a different percentage if needed. This is useful when investing in mixed funds where only a portion of the underlying assets qualify for Zakat.

PDF Export

Tap Export Zakat Report (PDF) at the bottom of the calculator to generate a full Zakat report as a PDF file. The report includes:

• A full breakdown of all entered assets and their values
• Gold and silver entries with weight, purity, and calculated USD value
• Hawl status for each asset (complete or days remaining)
• Total liabilities deducted
• Both silver and gold nisab thresholds in USD
• Your zakatable total and the 2.5% Zakat Due amount
• Any recorded Zakat payments with dates and notes
• The export date and a scholarly disclaimer

The PDF is generated on your device and shared via the standard iOS share sheet — you can save it to Files, AirDrop it, or email it to yourself or your scholar.

Ramadan Planner

The Ramadan Planner helps you budget for the holy month, track your actual spending against your plan, and manage Zakat al-Fitr obligations.

Opening the Planner

Go to Settings → Islamic Finance → Ramadan planner.

Year Selector

The year defaults to the next upcoming Ramadan year. Use the left/right arrows to navigate to a previous or future year. The Hijri year equivalent is shown below the Gregorian year.

Setting Ramadan Dates

Tap Start date to open a date picker and set when Ramadan begins. Setting the start date automatically sets the end date to 30 days later (one full Ramadan month). You can override the end date separately.

A status badge below the dates shows:

• In Ramadan — Day N of 30 (teal, during Ramadan)
• Ramadan starts in N days (gold, before Ramadan)
• Ramadan has ended — Eid Mubarak! (neutral, after Ramadan)

Budget Planning

Set a spending budget for each Ramadan-specific category:

• Iftar & Suhoor — groceries, meal prep, dining out, and community iftars.
• Charity & Sadaqah — voluntary giving including local donations, international relief, mosque fundraising, and sponsorships.
• Zakat — annual Zakat on wealth. Many Muslims calculate and pay their Zakat during Ramadan; keeping it separate from Zakat al-Fitr gives it the visibility it deserves. Tap the Tap to calculate your Zakat → link to open the Zakat Calculator. Any Zakat payments you record there will automatically appear in your actual spending for this category.
• Zakat al-Fitr — obligatory charity paid before Eid prayer. Tap this row to set the number of people and the local rate per person (see Zakat al-Fitr Calculator below).
• Fidya / Kaffarah — expiatory payments for missed fasts due to illness or inability.
• Mosque & Community — community iftar tickets, mosque memberships, Ramadan programs, youth events, and transportation to mosque activities.
• Islamic Learning & Worship — Qur'ans, prayer rugs, Islamic books, children's Ramadan activities, and courses or subscriptions for Islamic education.
• Eid Expenses — clothing, gifts, Eidi, party supplies, and family gathering costs.
• Ramadan & Eid Decorations — home decorations for Ramadan and Eid celebrations.
• Other — any Ramadan-related expenses that don't fit the above categories.

Zakat al-Fitr Calculator

The Zakat al-Fitr row is expandable. Tap it to set:

• Number of people — how many family members you are paying for. If you have a Family plan, this is auto-populated with your family member count.
• Amount per person — defaults to $15. Update this to the local rate in your area.

The total Zakat al-Fitr amount is calculated automatically and included in your overall Ramadan budget total.

Saving Your Plan

The total Ramadan budget is shown at the bottom of the planning section. Tap Save plan to save. The button only becomes active when you have made changes.

Actual vs Planned (During/After Ramadan)

Once Ramadan has started, the planner fetches all transactions within your Ramadan date range and automatically assigns them to categories based on their spending type — for example, Dining and Groceries map to Iftar & Suhoor, and Charitable and Islamic Finance map to Charity & Sadaqah. Transactions that don't match a known type are placed in Other. Zakat payments recorded in the Zakat Calculator are automatically counted as actual spending in the Zakat category. You can reassign any transaction manually (see Transaction Reassignment below).

The "Actual vs planned" section shows a bullet graph for each category, comparing your real spending against your budget in real time. Categories over budget appear in red.

Transaction Reassignment

Below the actual vs planned charts, all Ramadan-period transactions are listed with their auto-assigned category. Tap any transaction to reassign it to a different Ramadan category using a bottom sheet picker.

Mindful Spending (Muhasabah)

The Mindful Spending screen is one of the four sub-screens within the Recurring Intelligence hub. It provides a uniquely Islamic lens on your spending through the Maqasid al-Shari'ah framework.

Access it via Transactions → Recurring & Subscriptions → Mindful tab.

The Three Tiers of Islamic Spending

Your spending is classified into three tiers based on Maqasid al-Shari'ah (the objectives of Islamic law):

A bar chart and percentage breakdown show how your monthly spending is distributed across these three tiers. Tap any tier to see the categories and transactions within it.

Charitable Giving Highlight

Your charitable giving (sadaqah, donations, zakat payments) is highlighted separately as a fourth section, emphasising its spiritual importance.

Islamic Spending Insights

Personalised insights are generated based on your spending pattern, such as noting when discretionary spending is disproportionately high, or acknowledging consistent charitable giving.

Recurring Intelligence

Amanah automatically detects recurring charges in your transaction history and organises them into a dedicated hub with four sub-screens: Upcoming, Subscriptions, Mindful, and Review Queue.

Access via Transactions tab → "Recurring & Subscriptions" banner, or via Settings → Account → Recurring & Subscriptions.

Tab 1 — Upcoming Expenses

A 30-day cash-flow forecast that includes both Plaid-detected recurring streams (confirmed) and any recurring bills you have added manually. Upcoming charges are grouped into three buckets:

• This week — due in the current Sunday-to-Saturday week.
• Next week — due in the following week.
• Later this month — due after next week but within 30 days.

Each entry shows the merchant or bill name, next expected date, and amount. This helps you anticipate cash flow before bills hit.

Tab 2 — Subscriptions Dashboard

All confirmed recurring streams are organised into three sections:

• Monthly Commitments — essential recurring charges (budget_relevance = required), sorted by next expected date.
• Optional — discretionary recurring charges, sorted by amount descending.
• Income — recurring income streams detected by Plaid.

Each subscription card shows: merchant name, frequency (Weekly / Every 2 weeks / Twice a month / Monthly / Yearly), amount (prefixed with ~ for variable amounts), next expected date, and an Islamic charity badge for charitable giving streams.

Tab 3 — Mindful (Muhasabah)

See the full description in the Mindful Spending section above.

Tab 4 — Review Queue

Amanah's AI continuously analyses your transactions for recurring patterns. When something interesting is detected, it is added to the Review Queue for you to confirm or dismiss. Queue item types include:

For each queue item, three actions are available:

• Confirm — acknowledge the item and add/update it in your subscriptions list.
• Dismiss — remove it from the queue without adding it.
• Snooze — temporarily remove it from the queue. It will return after your configured snooze duration (default 7 days; configurable in Settings → Preferences → Review snooze duration).

Confidence Levels

Each queue item is assigned a confidence level shown as a badge:

• High — seen consistently over several months.
• Medium — detected a few times, not yet conclusive.
• Low — seen once or twice; may or may not be recurring.

Tap the confidence badge to see a tooltip explaining what it means.

Adding a Manual Entry

If a recurring bill isn't detected automatically (for example, a cash payment or a bill from an unlinked account), you can add it manually. Tap Add manual entry at the top of the Review Queue screen, fill in the name, amount, frequency, and due day, then tap Save. The entry will appear immediately in the Upcoming Expenses forecast and the Subscriptions list.

Linked Bank Accounts

Amanah uses Plaid to securely connect to thousands of US financial institutions and automatically import your transactions. Bank credentials are never stored by Amanah — they go directly to Plaid's encrypted infrastructure.

Connecting a Bank Account

1. Go to Settings → Account → Linked bank accounts, or tap the Bank quick action on the Dashboard.

2. Tap Connect a bank.

3. The Plaid Link interface opens. Search for your bank, log in with your bank credentials, and select the accounts to link.

4. Plaid returns an access token to Amanah and begins the initial transaction import.

Viewing Linked Accounts

Each linked institution is shown as a card with the bank name, connection status, and the accounts linked (checking, savings, credit card, etc.). Each account shows its name, mask (last 4 digits), and type.

Syncing

Transactions are synced automatically when you pull to refresh on the Transactions tab. You can also trigger a manual sync by tapping the refresh icon on a linked account card.

Connection Statuses

• Active — normal, transactions importing.
• Connection error — something went wrong (shown in red). Try re-linking.
• Needs re-connection — your bank session has expired (shown in amber). Tap Re-link to restore access.

Re-linking

If a bank connection shows "Needs re-connection", tap the Re-link button on the account card. The Plaid Link interface will reopen in update mode to restore your credentials without creating a duplicate connection.

Unlinking a Bank

Tap the trash icon on a bank account card and confirm deletion. This removes the Plaid connection and deletes all Plaid-imported transactions for that institution from Amanah. This action cannot be undone.

Halal Classification of Imported Transactions

Plaid-imported transactions are automatically analysed for halal status using Amanah's merchant rules engine. Transactions with known-halal merchants or categories are marked automatically. Others enter the Halal Review Queue for your confirmation.

Settings

The Settings tab is your control center for profile management, Islamic finance tools, account configuration, and app preferences.

Edit Profile

Tap the profile card at the top of Settings to open the Edit Profile screen. You can update:

• Profile photo — tap the avatar to select a photo from your library. Photos are cropped to a 1:1 square at 70% quality.
• First and last name.
• Birthdate.
• Email address — note: email changes are limited to once every 15 days. A confirmation email is sent to your new address.

A "Security settings" link on the Edit Profile screen opens the dedicated Security screen — see the Security section below for password changes and account deletion.

Income Sources

Go to Settings → Account → Income sources to manage your income entries. Each income source has:

• Name — e.g., "Salary", "Freelance", "Rental income".
• Amount — the pay amount per period.
• Frequency — Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, or Custom.

Income sources power the "Per paycheck" view in the Budget tab. The monthly equivalent of each source is calculated automatically (weekly × 52÷12, bi-weekly × 26÷12, monthly × 1).

Manage Categories

Go to Settings → Account → Manage categories (or via the Categories link on the Transactions filter bar) to customise your expense and income categories.

Islamic & Halal categories are pinned to the top of the list for quick access. Other categories follow in their standard groups below.

• Toggle any category on/off with the switch. Disabled categories are hidden throughout the app.
• Edit any category — tap the pencil icon to change its name, icon, and color. For custom categories you can change all three; for system categories you can update the name only.
• Delete custom categories (tap the trash icon). System default categories cannot be deleted.
• Add custom categories — tap the + button at the top right. Set a name, choose an icon from 24 presets, choose a color, select the category group, and specify whether it is an income or expense category. Free plan is limited to 5 custom categories; Pro/Family plans have unlimited custom categories.

Security

Go to Settings → Security (or tap "Security settings" on the Edit Profile screen) to open the dedicated Security screen. It brings together app lock, two-factor authentication, password, sign-in alerts, and account deletion in one place.

Biometric Lock

On the Security screen, toggle Face ID lock (or Fingerprint, depending on your device) to require biometric authentication. When turned on, the app locks itself whenever it is backgrounded and requires Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode to resume. This protects your financial data if your phone is left unlocked. The "Lock after" timing is currently fixed and not user-configurable.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

On the Security screen, tap Manage two-factor authentication to set up an authenticator app (e.g. Google Authenticator, Authy) as a second login factor. You can defer 2FA setup up to 3 times — after that, setup is required before you can continue using the app. Once enabled, a 6-digit TOTP code is required at each login in addition to your password. You can also manage or remove your 2FA method at any time from the Security screen.

Lost access to your authenticator? On the two-factor verification screen, tap Lost access to authenticator? An 8-digit one-time code will be sent to your account email address. Enter the code to reset your authenticator, then immediately re-enroll a new one. The code expires after 1 hour and can only be used once.

Changing Your Password

On the Security screen, tap Change password to expand the password form. Enter your current password, then your new password twice. The new password must meet the same strength requirements as signup. For your security, changing your password automatically signs you out of all other devices and active sessions — only the device you just changed the password on stays signed in. You'll also get a confirmation email noting the approximate location of the change.

Sign-in Alerts

On the Security screen, the Sign-in alerts toggle controls whether you see this preference locally; it does not yet change whether new-sign-in notifications are sent.

Deleting Your Account

At the bottom of the Security screen, a "Delete account" option is available. You must type "DELETE" and enter your current password to confirm. This permanently deletes all your data and cannot be undone.

Zakat Method

Go to Settings → Preferences → Zakat method to choose your school of thought: Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, or Hanbali. This setting determines whether the silver nisab or gold nisab is used for your Zakat calculation.

Hijri Calendar

Go to Settings → Preferences → Hijri calendar to toggle the Islamic lunar calendar display. When enabled, Hijri dates appear alongside Gregorian dates throughout the app — particularly in the Ramadan planner and zakat hawl tracking.

Review Snooze Duration

Go to Settings → Preferences → Review snooze duration to set how many days a snoozed item in the Review Queue stays hidden before returning. Options: 3, 7 (default), 14, or 30 days.

Dark Mode & Appearance

Go to Settings → Appearance. Three theme options are available via pill chips:

• Light — always use the light theme.
• System — follow the device's system light/dark setting (default).
• Dark — always use the dark theme.

The dark theme uses deeper teal and neutral tones optimised for reading in low-light conditions.

Notifications

Amanah Budget has two notification channels: in-app notifications (delivered to the Notification Center inside the app) and email notifications (sent to your registered email address).

Bell Icon & Badge

A bell icon in the top-right corner of the Home screen shows a red badge with the count of unread notifications. Tap it to open the Notification Center.

Home Screen Widget

A notification summary widget is available on the Home screen — it shows a preview of your most recent unread notification and the total unread count. Tap it to jump directly to the Notification Center.

Notification Center

The Notification Center lists all your in-app notifications in reverse-chronological order. Each notification shows:

• A category icon (budget, goal, investment, Islamic finance, or transaction).
• A title and body message.
• A timestamp.
• An unread indicator dot for new notifications.

Tap a notification to mark it as read and (where applicable) navigate to the relevant screen. Swipe left on a notification to dismiss it.

In-App Notification Preferences

Go to Settings → In-app notifications to control which categories of notifications you receive. Five category toggles are available:

• Budget — budget threshold alerts (80%, 90%, exceeded), mid-month check-ins, and monthly budget success messages.
• Transactions — large transaction alerts and unusual spending patterns.
• Goals — savings goal milestones, progress nudges, and goal completion.
• Investments — investment catalog updates and new halal investment opportunities.
• Islamic Finance — Zakat reminders, Ramadan alerts, Eid al-Fitr reminders, and Islamic calendar events.

Each toggle is independent — disable only the categories you don't want without affecting the others.

Email Notifications

Go to Settings → Preferences → Email notifications. Toggle the switch to enable or disable email digest notifications. When enabled, Amanah sends a periodic digest to your registered email address covering budget alerts, upcoming recurring payments, and zakat reminders.

For a complete breakdown of every notification type, its delivery channel, frequency, and how to control it, see the Notification Channels Reference →

Usage Analytics

Go to Settings → Preferences → Usage analytics to opt in or out of anonymous usage data collection. When enabled, aggregate interaction data (no personal or financial information) is shared to help improve the app. This toggle is off by default.

Data Export

Go to Settings → Account → Export data to receive a complete CSV export of all your transactions sent to your registered email address. The export includes all transaction data including dates, amounts, categories, descriptions, and halal status. Free plan users see an upgrade prompt.

Subscription & Billing

Go to Settings → Account → Subscription & billing to open the subscription management sheet. The sheet shows your current plan (Pro or Family) with an Active status, and gives you four direct actions:

• Switch to annual — switch from a monthly to an annual plan and save ~17%; unused days on your current period are prorated automatically.
• Update payment method — update your card or bank details via the Stripe billing portal.
• View invoice history — view and download past invoices via the Stripe billing portal.
• Cancel subscription — cancel at the end of your current billing period; your budgets, transactions, and history are preserved and only deleted when you explicitly request account deletion.

All billing actions open a Stripe-hosted web view within the app. Amanah does not process or store payment card details directly.

Legal Documents

Go to Settings → Legal to read the full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service in a scrollable sheet within the app.

Sign Out

Tap Sign out at the bottom of Settings. A confirmation dialog appears before you are signed out. Signing out removes the active session from your device only; your data remains in your account.

Family Sharing

Family Sharing lets you create a shared financial space for your household — up to 5 family members on a single Family subscription.

Creating a Family Account

Upgrade to the Family plan at amanahfund.com/pricing, then go to Settings → Account → Family sharing → Manage family. Sending invites requires an active Family subscription — if your Family plan lapses (e.g. a payment fails and isn't resolved), you can no longer send new invites until you resubscribe, though existing members keep their access until your plan's tier actually changes. As the account owner you can:

• Name your family account.
• Invite family members by entering their name and email. They're emailed a link that lets them join your family account — if the email already belongs to an existing Amanah account, that person also gets an in-app notification with the same invite. The name you enter is shown as a placeholder until they accept the invite — once they create their account, their own profile name takes over. While an invite is still pending, you can edit the placeholder name from the member's Profile tab. You'll be notified by email and in-app once they accept.
• Set each member's permission level: Full access (can view and edit all financial data) or Partial access (limited view).
• Remove members at any time.

Joining a Family Account

When you receive an invite link, tap it on your iOS device. The Amanah app opens a join-family screen showing the family name and who invited you. Tap Join to accept. You must have an Amanah account to join.

If you sign up for a new Amanah account using the same email address the invite was sent to — without tapping the link — the app automatically detects the pending invite the first time you sign in, before onboarding, and shows the same join-family screen so you can accept or decline.

Family Member Roles

• Owner — full control over the family account, billing, and member management.
• Member (Full access) — can view and add transactions, view budgets and goals.
• Member (Partial access) — limited view determined by the owner's settings.

Shared Features

Family members with appropriate permissions can:

• View shared transaction history.
• Access shared budget categories and spending data.
• Contribute to shared savings goals.
• See family members' Ramadan Zakat al-Fitr headcount in the Ramadan Planner (the family member count is automatically populated).

Locked Sections

If your role does not grant access to a particular area (e.g., budget editing or goals), a "Locked" placeholder is shown instead, explaining the permission level needed.

Subscription Plans

Amanah Budget offers three subscription tiers.

Upgrading

Free plan users see an upgrade card in Settings with the message "Unlock Amanah Pro & Family". Tapping it opens amanahfund.com/pricing in your browser where you can subscribe with a credit/debit card via Stripe.

Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually. After payment, your tier upgrades automatically within minutes. A one-time welcome modal appears the first time you open the app after upgrading, confirming which features you now have access to.

Founding Member

Users who joined during the founding period are awarded a permanent Founding Member gold badge displayed on their profile card in Settings. This badge is purely honorary and does not affect features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my bank data secure?

Yes. Amanah uses Plaid to connect to your bank. Your bank credentials are entered directly into Plaid's secure interface and are never seen or stored by Amanah. Plaid is used by thousands of financial apps and is bank-level secure.

How does halal detection work?

Amanah uses a rules engine that classifies merchants and categories. Known-halal categories (Groceries, Housing, Healthcare, Education, Charitable giving, Islamic Finance, Transportation, etc.) automatically mark all transactions in those categories as halal. For other merchants, pattern matching on merchant names is applied. Transactions that cannot be automatically classified are added to the Halal Review Queue for your personal confirmation. Your decisions are remembered and applied to future similar transactions.

What is the difference between Hanafi and other madhabs in Zakat?

The main difference is the nisab standard used. The Hanafi school uses the silver nisab (~612g silver), which is currently a lower monetary threshold — this means more people will be liable for zakat. The Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools use the gold nisab (~87.48g gold), which is a higher threshold. Amanah applies the correct nisab automatically based on your selected madhab.

What happens if I cancel my Pro/Family subscription?

You keep full access until the end of your current billing period — cancellation doesn't take effect immediately. The Subscription & billing sheet shows the date access ends. After that date, you return to the Free plan: your data is preserved, but Pro-only features (bank sync, export, unlimited goals) become inaccessible until you re-subscribe. Existing transactions remain visible. Changed your mind? Tap Reactivate subscription in the same sheet any time before that date to keep your plan without interruption.

Can I use Amanah Budget without linking a bank?

Yes. Manual transaction entry is available on all plans including Free. You can add, edit, and delete transactions manually without connecting a bank account. Bank sync is an optional convenience feature.

How do I update my Zakat every year?

Return to the Zakat Calculator (Settings → Islamic Finance → Zakat calculator) and update your asset values. Tap "Save assets" to persist them. Your hawl start dates are saved so the system can track which assets have completed the one-year requirement.

Is the Ramadan Planner only for the current year?

No. You can create plans for past and future years using the year selector arrows at the top of the Ramadan Planner. Each year's plan is saved independently.

Why do I see a "Locked" placeholder in some sections?

This means your current account role or subscription plan does not include access to that feature. Family plan members may see this for sections where the account owner has restricted permissions. Free plan users see it for Pro-only features.

How do I change my email address?

Go to Settings → (tap your profile card) → Edit Profile. Note that email changes are limited to once every 15 days. A confirmation link is sent to the new address before it takes effect.

What categories are considered "Islamic Finance"?

The Islamic Finance category group includes zakat payments, sadaqah contributions, and any other spending classified under Islamic financial principles. This group appears at the top of the Budget screen alongside Charitable giving and Savings, reflecting their Islamic priority.

What is the review snooze duration?

When you snooze an item in the Recurring Intelligence review queue, it disappears from the queue for a set number of days before returning for your attention. You can configure this duration (3, 7, 14, or 30 days) in Settings → Preferences → Review snooze duration. The default is 7 days.

Can I export my data?

Yes, on Pro and Family plans. Go to Settings → Account → Export data. A CSV file containing all your transactions will be sent to your registered email address. The export includes transaction IDs, dates, amounts, descriptions, merchant names, categories, tags, and halal status.