> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.finluency.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Transaction States: How Finluency Models Your Cash Flow
> Learn how Finluency's five transaction states — Posted, Pending, Recurring, Budget, and Forecasted — power your forward balance projection.
Every number Finluency shows you about your future cash position is built on a foundation of five transaction states. Understanding these states is the key to trusting your forward balance: each state represents a different degree of certainty about money moving in or out of your accounts, and together they give you a complete, time-aware picture of where your cash and credit actually stand — not just today, but weeks ahead.
**Posted vs. Pending:** A Posted transaction has fully cleared your account and is reflected in your current bank balance. A Pending transaction has been initiated — the charge or transfer is visible — but has not yet settled. Pending transactions are on their way; Posted transactions have already arrived.
## The Five Transaction States
**Definition:** A transaction that has fully cleared and settled in your account.
**Example:** Your payroll deposit of \$4,500 lands on Friday and appears as cleared in your bank — that is a Posted transaction.
**How Finluency uses it:** Posted transactions form the baseline of your current balance. They are confirmed facts, not projections, so Finluency uses them as the starting point for all forward balance calculations.
**Definition:** A transaction that has been initiated but has not yet cleared or settled.
**Example:** You pay a vendor \$850 online on Monday. The charge appears in your account but hasn't fully processed — it sits as Pending until it settles, typically within one to three business days.
**How Finluency uses it:** Pending transactions are factored into your near-term forward balance immediately. Finluency treats them as highly likely to clear, so your projected balance already accounts for them before they officially post.
**Definition:** A scheduled, repeating transaction that occurs on a predictable cadence — weekly, monthly, annually, or on any fixed schedule.
**Example:** A $1,200 rent payment that posts on the 1st of every month is a Recurring transaction. So is a $49/month SaaS subscription or weekly payroll you run every Friday.
**How Finluency uses it:** Recurring transactions are the engine of your forward model. Finluency automatically projects them across your chosen time horizon so you can see upcoming obligations — rent, subscriptions, loan payments, payroll — without entering them manually each time.
**Definition:** A planned spending allocation you define, representing intended future spending without a fixed transaction date.
**Example:** You set a \$500 budget for contractor expenses this month. You know you'll spend it, but you haven't scheduled a specific payment yet.
**How Finluency uses it:** Budget entries allow you to model spending intentions that don't yet have a confirmed date or payee. They reduce your projected forward balance to reflect money you plan to spend, giving you a more conservative — and realistic — view of available cash.
**Definition:** An expected future transaction — income or expense — that Finluency or you project based on known patterns or manual input.
**Example:** You expect a \$3,000 client invoice to be paid around the 15th of next month. You add it as a Forecasted income transaction so your forward balance reflects that expected inflow.
**How Finluency uses it:** Forecasted transactions extend your visibility beyond confirmed data. Whether Finluency detects a likely pattern or you add one manually, these entries let you model "what I expect to happen" alongside what is already scheduled.
## How the Five States Work Together
No single state tells the whole story. Your bank balance only reflects what has Posted — it is blind to everything else. Finluency combines all five states across a forward time horizon to answer the question your bank account never can: **"Am I actually going to be okay?"**
Here is how they layer together:
| State | Certainty Level | Time Orientation | Impact on Forward Balance |
| -------------- | --------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Posted** | Confirmed | Past → Now | Sets your starting balance |
| **Pending** | Very high | Now → \~3 days | Adjusts near-term balance immediately |
| **Recurring** | High | Now → Future | Projects known obligations forward |
| **Budget** | Medium | Now → Future | Reserves cash for planned spending |
| **Forecasted** | Estimated | Now → Future | Models expected inflows and outflows |
When all five are in place, your forward balance reflects the most complete picture of cash and credit availability Finluency can give you. Remove any one layer and you are flying with less information.
Setting up your Recurring transactions is the single highest-impact action you can take for forecast accuracy. Rent, subscriptions, loan repayments, and payroll are predictable by nature — once Finluency knows about them, they automatically populate your forward timeline every period without any additional input from you.
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Ready to see how these states combine into a single projected number? Learn how Finluency calculates your [forward balance](/concepts/forward-balance).