What ReadyCents syncs
Bank sync pulls the latest account snapshots ReadyCents can get from your connected provider. That includes bank balances, account metadata, posted transactions, and pending transactions when the provider and bank make pending activity available.
Once ReadyCents receives the data, it matches it to linked ReadyCents accounts, updates the latest bank balance shown during reconciliation, and places new or matched transactions into the account register for review.
Plaid, SimpleFIN, and Lunch Flow timing
Plaid, SimpleFIN, and Lunch Flow can show different timing for the same bank. Plaid may receive some pending or posted transactions sooner. ReadyCents asks SimpleFIN for pending activity on every sync, but each SimpleFIN bridge and its bank connection decide whether pending rows are available. Bring-your-own providers follow the refresh schedule and bank coverage offered by that provider.
If one connection sees a transaction before another, that does not automatically mean ReadyCents missed it. It can mean the slower provider has not received the bank's newest snapshot yet.
Lunch Flow keeps pending sync off by default because a bank may change the transaction id, amount, date, or description when the purchase posts. ReadyCents requests pending rows from the Lunch Flow API, then matches the pending and posted versions when Lunch Flow supplies them. Read Lunch Flow's pending transaction guidance.
Review imports and repair a connection
New or matched bank activity can wait in review so you can approve the payee, envelope, and match. A connection that needs attention shows a repair or reconnect action in Bank Connections. Repair the existing connection instead of creating another copy of the same institution.
If a repair returns accounts ReadyCents already knows, use the account-matching review to connect them to the existing accounts. Check the proposed matches before saving so balances and history do not split across duplicate shells.
Where to manually sync
Open a linked account and use Sync bank from the account actions. That checks your active bank connections without making you dig through Settings.
Bank Connections still has Sync now as a fallback management action, but day-to-day refreshes belong inside the account you are reviewing.
Pending, posted, and slow import
Pending transactions are visible when the bank and provider share them before they fully clear. A provider-only pending row appears in Processing, but it does not change the cleared balance, uncleared balance, working balance, Ready to Budget, envelope availability, or reports until it posts. If the pending bank activity matches a transaction you entered, ReadyCents keeps the effect of your entry because you already recorded it.
Posted transactions are finalized by the bank and can be approved, matched, assigned to an envelope, or rejected in ReadyCents. When a pending row posts, ReadyCents updates the existing row when the provider gives enough identity or content information to match it.
A slow import warning means ReadyCents is still waiting on the bank/provider side. Weekends, holidays, bank posting schedules, and pending holds can all delay activity even when the purchase already appears in the bank's own app.
Reconciling a linked account
Reconcile compares your ReadyCents cleared balance to the most recent bank balance ReadyCents received from SimpleFIN or Plaid. If they match, the account is in good shape. If they do not, ReadyCents shows the difference so you can inspect missing transactions or enter the correct balance.
If the provider balance is old, sync first. If the provider still returns an old balance after syncing, wait for the provider/bank refresh before treating the bank-side number as final.
Server diagnostics
If a linked account says sync succeeded but no transactions appeared, open /api/bank-connections/diagnostics while signed in. ReadyCents will ask SimpleFIN from the server and show a safe summary of what came back: account names, provider account ids, balances, transaction counts, and newest returned transaction dates.
The diagnostic never shows SimpleFIN access URLs, Plaid tokens, or transaction descriptions. Because it performs a live provider fetch, SimpleFIN may still email you that transaction data was accessed from a new ReadyCents server IP.
