Resources · Make integration

YNAB Make integrationAutomate YNAB with Make.

Tired of typing the same expenses into YNAB by hand? The YNAB Make integration gives you 4 modules to create transactions, adjust a category budget and read your transactions. This page walks you through the connection and a first working scenario.

Try the YNAB integration on MakeSee the 4 modules

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What you can automate

What can the YNAB Make integration do for you?

The YNAB Make integration links your YNAB budget to Make, a tool where you build a scenario (an automation made of connected steps) without writing code. Each step is a module, one brick of the scenario. YNAB brings three action modules and one search, so Make can write into your budget and read it back.

Expenses that record themselves. When a purchase shows up in another tool your household or business already uses, Create Transactions adds it to YNAB, several at once if needed. No more copying amounts at the end of the week.

A category budget that follows your plan. Freelancers who set money aside for taxes can let Budget to a Category set the amount assigned to that category for a given month, straight from a figure calculated elsewhere.

Your transactions, shared where you need them. List Transactions pulls the transactions of a budget so a later module can copy them into a sheet or a report for your accountant.

A few limits to know. YNAB has no trigger in Make, so a scenario starts on a schedule or on another app's event. Create Transactions cannot create scheduled transactions. For the rest, Make an API Call can reach any part of the YNAB API with the same connection. If you are still choosing a platform, read our Make review and the n8n vs Make comparison; to get your scenarios right from the start, the Make training covers the editor step by step.

Connect

How do you connect YNAB to Make?

  1. 01

    Generate a token in YNAB

    In YNAB, open Account Settings, then Developer Settings. Under Personal Access Tokens, click New Token, type your password if YNAB asks, click Generate and copy the token shown on screen.

  2. 02

    Add a YNAB module in Make

    In your scenario, add any YNAB module and click Create a connection. A connection is your YNAB account linked to Make once, then reused by every YNAB module. You can fill Connection name to recognize it later.

  3. 03

    Paste the token and save

    Paste the token you copied, or follow the instructions Make shows on screen if you go the OAuth route. Once saved, Make can read your budgets and the module fields become available to fill.

First scenario

Build your first scenario with YNAB

GoalWhen an expense is recorded in another app, Make creates the matching transactions in YNAB.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    From the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the + to place the first module. Since YNAB has no trigger, pick the trigger of the app where your expenses first appear.

  2. 02

    Add Create Transactions

    Click the + on the right of that first module, search for YNAB and choose Create Transactions. Select your connection, or click Create a connection if this is your first YNAB module.

  3. 03

    Map the expense data

    Fill the module fields: Make lists the budgets it can read through your connection. Map the expense data from the first module into the fields Make shows, so each bundle (one item passed between modules) becomes a transaction.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once and trigger one expense in the source app. Read the bundles each module received, then check that the transaction landed in the right YNAB account.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch on

    Set the schedule on the first module; a new scenario checks every 15 minutes by default. Switch the scenario on. Every module run counts as an operation on your Make plan.

Modules

What each YNAB module does

YNAB gives you 4 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

YNAB1

Budget to a Category

Action

In Make“Updates the budget of a category for a specific month.”

Sets how much money a YNAB category receives for a specific month, so your plan follows the numbers you already calculate in another tool. The category budget changes without you opening YNAB.

When to use it
a freelancer who assigns part of every payment to a tax category can update that category whenever a new invoice is paid.
Watch out
the module targets one category for one month, so check that both are mapped to the right values before you switch the scenario on.
YNAB2

Create Transactions

Action

In Make“Creates multiple transactions. Scheduled transactions cannot be created with this module.”

Adds transactions to your budget, several in one pass, so purchases recorded elsewhere reach YNAB without manual entry. It is the module most first scenarios revolve around.

When to use it
expenses already live in another app, such as a shared spending sheet or an invoicing tool, and you want YNAB to mirror them.
Watch out
scheduled transactions cannot be created with this module; set those up in YNAB, or check whether the YNAB API offers it before trying Make an API Call.
YNAB3

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Opens the rest of the YNAB API to your scenario with the same connection, for whatever the three other modules do not cover. You pick the endpoint and Make sends the authorized request for you.

When to use it
you need a YNAB operation that has no dedicated module, and the YNAB API documentation shows the endpoint for it.
Watch out
you choose the endpoint yourself, so keep the YNAB API documentation open while you set it up.
YNAB4

List Transactions

Search

In Make“Lists budget's transactions.”

Retrieves the transactions of a budget, each one returned as its own bundle, so the following modules can copy, sort or report on them. Your spending data leaves YNAB and goes where your team works.

When to use it
you want to hand transactions to a spreadsheet or a report that your accountant or partner reads.
Watch out
as a search, it can return zero, one or many bundles, and each module after it runs once per bundle, which multiplies operations.
Need help

Need help automating YNAB with Make?

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FAQ

YNAB and Make: frequent questions

01Is the YNAB Make integration free?
Yes, YNAB is a standard app in Make, so it works from the Free plan. That plan allows 2 active scenarios, a minimum of 15 minutes between two scheduled runs, 5 minutes of execution per run, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise) lower the interval to 1 minute, remove the cap on active scenarios and count usage in credits each month. You still need your own YNAB subscription, which Make does not include.
02What do you need to connect YNAB to Make?
You need an active YNAB account and an access token, either a personal access token or an OAuth token. To get a personal token, go to Account Settings, then Developer Settings, click New Token under Personal Access Tokens, confirm your password if asked, click Generate and copy the token. In Make, add a YNAB module, click Create a connection, give it a name if you like and paste the token. The same connection then serves every YNAB module.
03Does YNAB trigger Make scenarios in real time?
No, YNAB has no trigger module in Make, neither scheduled nor instant. A scenario that works with YNAB starts in one of two ways. Either it opens on a trigger from another app, such as the tool where an expense is first recorded, or it runs on its own schedule, every 15 minutes by default, with List Transactions as the first step. On the Free plan, 15 minutes is also the shortest interval between two scheduled runs.
04What if a YNAB module is missing in Make?
It depends on what you need, but the YNAB app includes Make an API Call. This module calls any endpoint of the YNAB API with the same connection, which covers what the four listed modules leave out. Scheduled transactions are the first place to look, because Create Transactions cannot create them; check in the YNAB API documentation that an endpoint exists for it. Keep in mind that the YNAB documentation on Make's side is flagged as AI-generated, so check important details against YNAB's own docs.
05Should you use Make or n8n for YNAB?
It depends on the tool your team already knows. Make offers four YNAB modules, including Make an API Call for the rest of the API with a single connection. The same app often has an n8n node too, so check its coverage before you decide. Pick the platform where your other automations already live, since keeping scenarios in one place makes them easier to maintain. On Make, the Free plan is enough to test the four modules on a first scenario before you commit.
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