Product guide

Set up accounts, banks and cards

Add recognizable accounts with currencies and dated balance statements, and distinguish accounts from physical cards.

An account is where money or debt lives: a bank account, cash wallet, credit-card account or another supported account type. A physical card is a way to use an account. Keep that distinction when organizing your setup.

Add an account

Open Settings → Accounts and use Add account. The dialog is titled Add an account or card.

Enter a name you will recognize when recording money.
Choose the account Type.
Select its Currency. Use the currency in which the account actually settles.
Enter an Opening balance only when you know what you are stating.
Set As of to the date for that balance, then choose Add account.

Helm uses Cairo calendar dates. If you are starting from a balance today, make that date explicit rather than backdating an estimate.

State money and debt accurately

The following examples are fictional:

Everyday account: EGP 2,400 as of 4 October 2026.
Travel wallet: USD 100 as of 4 October 2026.
Credit card: a debt balance is negative, such as EGP -600. The optional Credit limit is a separate limit, not available cash.

A stated balance establishes a starting basis. It does not claim your bank has verified it, and it is not a new salary receipt. A real zero is valid; an unknown balance should remain unknown until you can state it.

If only part of setup saves

An account can be created even if saving its dated balance fails. Use the offered balance recovery for the same account. If you are unsure what saved, inspect your account list and detail before trying again. Creating another account would duplicate the container, not repair its balance.

Banks and physical cards

Use bank or institution names to organize accounts. Add a physical card when you need to identify which card made a purchase. Deactivating a card preserves its recorded history; it does not erase charges or repay its debt.

A foreign purchase may show an original charge currency and a different settled account currency. Record the settled amount against the account and keep the original charge as separate evidence. Read account history next.