How Transaction Syncing Works

Once your bank account is connected via Plaid, transactions flow into Wired Church automatically. This guide explains the sync schedule, what data comes in, how transactions move through different states, and what to do when something goes wrong.

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Automatic Daily Sync

Wired Church syncs transactions from each connected bank account once every 24 hours, typically during the early morning hours (between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM Central Time).

During each automatic sync:

1. Wired Church requests new and updated transactions from Plaid.
2. Plaid queries your bank for any transactions that have posted or changed since the last sync.
3. New transactions are added to your bank feed with a status of New.
4. Previously synced pending transactions are updated if their status or amount has changed.

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Manual Sync

You can pull the latest transactions on demand at any time:

1. Navigate to Finance > Bank Feeds.
2. Locate the account card for the bank account you want to sync.
3. Click the Sync Now button on the account card.
4. A loading indicator appears while Wired Church contacts Plaid.
5. New transactions appear in the list within a few seconds.

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What Data Comes In

Each synced transaction includes the following fields from your bank:

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Pending vs. Posted Transactions

Banks report transactions in two phases, and Wired Church handles both:

Pending Transactions

• Appear when a charge or deposit is initiated but not yet finalized by the bank.
• Marked with a Pending badge (amber) in the transaction list.
• The amount may change between pending and posted status (common with gas station holds or hotel authorizations).
• Pending transactions are not included in reconciliation totals until they post.

Posted Transactions

• Finalized by the bank — the amount is confirmed and will not change.
• Marked with a Posted badge (green) in the transaction list.
• Included in reconciliation totals and available for categorization and matching.

When a pending transaction posts, Wired Church automatically updates the record:

• If the amount changed, the new amount replaces the old one and a note is added to the transaction history.
• If the transaction was already categorized while pending, the categorization is preserved.
• If a pending transaction disappears (e.g., a hold was released without posting), it is marked as Removed and excluded from all totals.

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Transaction States

Every transaction in the bank feed moves through a lifecycle of states. Understanding these states helps you manage your workflow:

New

• The default state when a transaction first syncs.
• Displayed with a blue status badge.
• The transaction has not been reviewed, categorized, or matched.
• New transactions appear in the "Needs Review" count on the Bank Feeds dashboard.

Categorized

• The transaction has been assigned to an account in your chart of accounts, either by AI suggestion or manual selection.
• Displayed with a teal status badge.
• Categorized transactions are ready for reconciliation but have not been matched to an existing internal record.

Matched

• The transaction has been linked to a corresponding record in Wired Church — typically a contribution batch, a payroll entry, or another internal transaction.
• Displayed with a green status badge.
• Matched transactions are considered reconciled.

Excluded

• The transaction has been explicitly marked to be ignored — it will not appear in reconciliation totals or reports.
• Displayed with a gray status badge.
• Common reasons to exclude: bank fee reversals, duplicate entries, internal transfers between your own accounts.

To change a transaction's state:

1. Click on the transaction in the list to open its detail panel.
2. Use the Status dropdown or action buttons to categorize, match, or exclude.
3. Changes save immediately — no separate save button required.

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Deposits and Withdrawals

Both sides of your account activity sync through the bank feed:

Deposits (Credits)

• Online giving payouts from Stripe
• Cash and check deposits
• Transfer-in from other accounts
• Interest income
• Insurance reimbursements

Withdrawals (Debits)

• Utility payments
• Payroll
• Vendor payments
• Subscription charges
• Bank fees
• Transfer-out to other accounts

The transaction list can be filtered to show only deposits, only withdrawals, or both. This is useful when you are specifically reviewing income or expenses.

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Filtering and Searching Transactions

The bank feed transaction list includes several filtering options to help you find specific transactions:

1. Date Range — Set a start and end date to narrow the list. Preset options include This Week, This Month, Last Month, This Quarter, and Custom Range.
2. Amount Range — Filter by minimum and/or maximum amount. Useful for finding a specific deposit or isolating large expenses.
3. Status — Show only New, Categorized, Matched, or Excluded transactions. Multi-select is supported.
4. Account — If you have multiple connected accounts, filter to a single account or view all.
5. Search — Free-text search across the transaction description field. Type "Stripe" to find all Stripe payouts, or "Alabama Power" to find utility payments.

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Duplicate Detection

Wired Church includes automatic duplicate detection to prevent the same transaction from being counted twice:

• When a sync pulls in a transaction that closely matches an existing record (same date, similar amount, similar description), the system flags it as a Potential Duplicate.
• A warning badge appears on the flagged transaction.
• Click the transaction to see the suspected duplicate side by side.
• You can then choose to Keep Both (if they are genuinely separate transactions) or Exclude One (if it is a true duplicate).

Common scenarios that trigger duplicate detection:

• A transaction syncs as pending and then again as posted (handled automatically in most cases, but occasionally both records persist).
• A manual contribution entry matches a bank deposit for the same amount and date.
• Two very similar vendor charges on the same day (e.g., two Amazon purchases).

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Sync History

You can review the history of all sync events for each connected account:

1. Navigate to Finance > Bank Feeds.
2. Click on the account card to open the account detail view.
3. Click the Sync History tab.
4. The sync log shows:
   • Timestamp — When the sync occurred (automatic syncs show "Scheduled," manual syncs show "Manual").
   • Transactions Pulled — How many new or updated transactions were retrieved.
   • Status — Success, Partial (some data retrieved but with warnings), or Failed.
   • Duration — How long the sync took.

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Troubleshooting Sync Issues

Sync Stopped Updating

If your bank feed has not received new transactions in more than 48 hours:

1. Check the Sync History tab for recent failures.
2. Look for a Connection Error badge on the account card — this means Plaid can no longer authenticate with your bank.
3. Click Re-authenticate to go through the Plaid Link flow again. You will not lose any existing transaction data.
4. After re-authentication, click Sync Now to pull the latest transactions immediately.

Transactions Missing

If you know a transaction has posted at your bank but it does not appear in Wired Church:

1. Confirm the transaction shows as "Posted" (not just "Pending") in your bank's online portal.
2. Click Sync Now to trigger an immediate sync.
3. Wait 2-3 minutes and refresh the page.
4. If the transaction still does not appear, check whether it falls within the date range of your current filter view.
5. If the issue persists after 24 hours, the transaction may be in a category that Plaid does not report (rare). Contact support at help@wiredchurch.com with the transaction details.

Incorrect Transaction Amounts

In rare cases, a transaction amount may differ between your bank statement and the bank feed:

• This most commonly happens with pending transactions that changed amounts before posting.
• Wait for the transaction to show as "Posted" — the amount should update automatically on the next sync.
• If a posted transaction shows the wrong amount, contact support — this may indicate a Plaid data issue that needs to be reported to your bank.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How far back does the initial sync go? Typically 30 to 90 days, depending on your bank. Some banks provide up to 24 months of history. After the initial sync, all future transactions are captured daily.

Does syncing cost extra? No. Transaction syncing is included with your Pro or Enterprise subscription at no additional cost.

Can I sync transactions from a closed account? No. Once a bank account is closed, the Plaid connection will fail. However, all previously synced transactions remain in the system and are fully accessible.

What if my bank has an outage? If your bank is temporarily unavailable, the scheduled sync will fail and retry on the next cycle. Plaid handles temporary bank outages gracefully — no action is needed on your part.

Are weekend transactions synced? Yes. Automatic syncs run every day, including weekends and holidays. However, some banks do not post transactions on weekends, so you may see a batch of new transactions appear on Monday morning.

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Related Articles

• Connecting Your Bank Account via Plaid
• AI Auto-Categorization
• Matching Bank Transactions to Contributions
• Disconnecting or Reconnecting a Bank Feed