You bought something in 6 or 12 instalments. In Kesef you log the purchase once, with the total and the number of instalments, and each month gets the instalment that falls in it. So the month shows what you'll actually pay, not the whole purchase, and the months ahead already show what's committed.
One purchase, one entry, every month covered
Pick the card as the payment method, enter the total and the number of instalments: 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 or whatever your plan says. When you save, Kesef creates every instalment right then, one per month, and tells you how many it created.
The first falls on the purchase date and the rest on the same day of each following month. Buy on the 31st and February's falls on the 28th while March's goes back to the 31st: the short month doesn't shift the dates after it.
The amount is split to the cent. 100 in 3 instalments is 33.34, 33.33 and 33.33: exactly 100, with no stray cent that no month accounts for.
No need to remember to log instalment 4 of 12: it's been there since the day you bought.
The month shows what's already committed
Because the instalments already exist, a month that hasn't started yet isn't empty: it shows what's already spoken for. That's what lets you answer the question that matters: how much of March's pay has gone on instalments before March even arrives?
And each instalment counts towards the budget of the month it falls in. A fridge in 12 instalments doesn't put this month's budget in the red: it adds this month's instalment, and to each of the next eleven, theirs.
You know which instalment you're on
Each instalment shows where it sits in the plan — 3 of 12 — and in Activity, "See upcoming transactions" shows what's coming, instalments and fixed expenses together.
On top of that, the day before each one is due you get a reminder at 10 a.m., with the amount and the instalment number. It's on by default, and you can turn it off in notifications.
Fixed costs and instalments, in the same summary
Rent, bills and subscriptions go in as recurring: they repeat every month until you stop them. A purchase in instalments is the same thing with an end date: it finishes when the plan does. Both live in the same recurring list and add up in the same month.
- Recurring: Netflix, rent, the gym. No end.
- Instalments: the laptop, the flight, the fridge. Ends with the last instalment.
In any currency, or with a group
If the purchase was in another currency — a flight, an annual subscription, something from abroad — the instalments stay in that currency: there are more than 150. The conversion uses the rate on the day you log the purchase and stays fixed for every instalment; it isn't recalculated month by month.
A purchase in instalments can also be split with a group: one expense goes in per month, each split the same way as the original. The debt shows up as it's paid, not all at once on day one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to log each instalment by hand?
No. You log the purchase once, with the total and the number of instalments, and Kesef creates every instalment right then, one per month.
Can I see how many instalments I have left?
Yes. Each instalment shows where it sits in the plan — 3 of 12 — and the remaining ones are already in their months: you see them by going to that month, or in Activity with "See upcoming transactions".
Do instalments count towards the monthly budget?
Yes: each month adds the instalment that falls in it, not the purchase total.
I can't see the instalments option. Why?
Because instalments are tied to credit cards: the selector appears when the expense's payment method is a card. If yours isn't set up as one, edit the payment method and mark it as a credit card.
Does it work for interest-free instalments?
Yes, and that's where it helps most: the problem with interest-free instalments isn't the rate, it's that today's purchase shows up on the statements of the months ahead. Spread out, each month shows what you'll actually pay.
Which exchange rate does it use if I paid in another currency?
The rate on the day you log the purchase, and it stays fixed for every instalment. It isn't recalculated month by month, so a closed month doesn't change size.
Are Mercado Pago purchases in instalments spread out automatically?
No. Mercado Pago reports a purchase in instalments as a single movement for the total, and that's how it comes into Kesef. Spreading by month is for purchases you log yourself on the card.
Do I need Kesef Pro?
No. Logging purchases in instalments, seeing them month by month and getting a reminder before each one is due are on the free plan. Importing movements from Mercado Pago is part of Kesef Pro.