Update your progress on a goal

How you update a goal depends on whether it's linked. A goal linked to a savings account or a debt follows that record's live balance, so you update the account and the goal moves with it. A goal with no link is tracked by hand.

Before you start

You need a goal. See Create a goal.

Steps

For a linked goal (the simplest way):

1. Go to Assets (opens in a new tab) (for a savings goal) or Debts (opens in a new tab) (for a debt-payoff goal).
2. Edit the account or debt and enter its new balance.
3. Your goal's Current Balance updates to match.

You can also change the balance from the goal itself. Open the goal on Goals (opens in a new tab) and enter the new amount in What's the balance now? This field is marked Updates Linked Account — saving it changes the linked asset or debt too.

To link an existing goal:

1. Open the goal on Goals (opens in a new tab).
2. For a savings goal, pick the account under Which account is this in? For a debt goal, pick the debt under Which debt are you paying off?
3. Save the goal.

For an unlinked goal (manual tracking):

1. On Goals (opens in a new tab) (or the Goals panel on your dashboard), find the goal's card and click Log contribution.
2. Choose Add money or Withdraw, then enter the amount. The dialog shows what your new progress will be.
3. Click Save. The card's Current Balance goes up (or down) by that amount, and the goal is marked complete if it reaches the target.

You can also open the goal and type the new total into What's the balance now? if you'd rather set the number directly.

To see a linked goal's real pace and history:

1. On Goals (opens in a new tab) (or the Goals panel on your dashboard), look under the progress bar of a linked goal. The small trend line shows how the balance has moved (for example "up $1,200 since Mar").
2. Below the plan, At your real pace: around Mar 2027 says when the goal is reached if the balance keeps moving the way it has. If there isn't enough history yet, it says how many past balances to add instead.
3. Click the trend line to open the balance history. The chart shows a dashed Target line and, when it's within two years, a marker on the target date. Add past balances from old statements with + Add a balance or Add several. If you can only view accounts and debts, the history is view-only and the card won't ask you to add balances.

How it works

• Large contribution histories and linked balances load completely. If a required read fails, you see an error instead of a missing goal or an estimate calculated from incomplete records.

• Calendar dates. Start dates anchor the contribution schedule to the day you selected. A goal due today does not become overdue until that day ends in your saved time zone.

• Projection unavailable means the entered rate, payment and target date produce unpaid interest beyond the supported numeric range. Review those values; the goal does not show a projected amount or suggested contribution for that case. Your recorded balance and progress remain visible.

• A savings goal's percent complete is its current balance divided by its target: $500 saved toward $1,000 is 50% complete, including money saved before the goal started. Debt payoff progress measures how much the balance has fallen from Where did you start? A linked goal's journey is the account's or debt's balance history, not a list of contributions. Start, completion and logged-contribution dates use your account time zone; dates entered as calendar days stay on the day you chose.

• The real pace uses the last year of balances, and needs at least 3 of them spread over 3 months or more. It's shown only on active linked goals that haven't reached their target. If a savings balance has been falling, the card says so plainly instead of giving a date.

• A linked goal and its account share one balance. Don't add a deposit to the goal separately after you've updated the account — that would count it twice.

• Where did you start? sets the baseline for contribution pacing and debt payoff progress. A new linked goal starts at the account's or debt's balance on the goal's start date (from its balance history), or its current balance if there's no history that far back. Reset Baseline restarts pacing and debt payoff progress from today's balance. It does not remove existing savings from the savings percent complete.

• The contribution plan under How will you contribute? is for pacing only. It sets the expected pace used for health statuses like On Track or Behind; it doesn't move money or add to your balance.

Good to know

• Each goal can link to only one asset or one debt.
• Log contribution only appears on active goals with no linked asset or debt, and only if you have permission to edit goals.
• If you pick Flexible / Whenever, the goal isn't graded on pace — only whether the target date has passed.

FAQ

Why didn't my goal move after I updated my savings account? Check that the goal is linked to that account under Which account is this in? Only a linked goal follows the account's balance.

Why don't I see Log contribution on my goal? It only shows on active goals that aren't linked to an account or debt. A linked goal follows that record's balance instead.

If I change the balance on a linked goal, what happens to the account? The linked account or debt is updated too. The goal and the account share one balance.

What does "At your real pace" mean on my goal? It's where the linked account's or debt's actual balance history is heading, based on the last year of balances. It needs at least 3 balances spread over 3 months or more. Until then the card says how many past balances to add.