Target rules

What are target rules?

Target rules are automation rules that fill an account up to a specific target amount. When money arrives in your Cash account, a target rule transfers just enough to reach your goal - no more, no less.

• Goal-focused: Transfers stop automatically when your target is met

• Sequential processing: Rules run in order, so you can prioritise which accounts get funded first

• Flexible targets: Adjust your target amount anytime to match your changing goals

Target rules are ideal for accounts with clear savings goals, such as building an emergency fund or maximising your annual tax-free contribution.

Which accounts support target rules?

Target rules are available for accounts that have a target amount feature:

Note: Investment accounts do not support target rules. Use percentage or amount rules for these accounts instead.

How target rules work

When you deposit money to Cash, your automation rules run from top to bottom. For each target rule:

1. The system checks the account's current balance against its target

2. If the balance is below the target, it transfers enough to reach the target (or all remaining funds if less is available)

3. If the target is already met, the rule is skipped and funds pass to the next rule

4. Any remaining money after all rules have run goes to your default account (Emergency Savings)

Example: You have R50,000 in Emergency Savings with a target of R60,000, and R15,000 arrives in Cash.

• The target rule calculates: R60,000 - R50,000 = R10,000 needed

• R10,000 transfers to Emergency Savings

• R5,000 remains for the next rule in your list

Creating a target rule

Before creating a target rule, make sure your account has a target set:

• Emergency Savings: Set your target in Emergency Savings settings

• TFSA: The annual limit (R36,000) is used automatically

• Savings pots: Set your goal when creating or editing the pot

To create a target rule:

1. Navigate to Automation rules from your home screen

2. Tap Add rule

3. Select Reach a target as the rule type

4. Choose the account you want to fill

5. Tap Confirm

Your new rule appears in your rules list. Drag to reorder if needed.

Reordering target rules

The order of your rules matters. Rules at the top run first and receive funds before rules below them.

To reorder your rules:

1. Navigate to Automation rules

2. Tap and hold the rule you want to move

3. Drag it to the new position

4. Release to save the new order

Your changes save automatically.

Example scenarios

Building an emergency fund first

You want to fully fund your emergency savings before investing:

1. Rule 1 (Target): Emergency Savings - target R90,000

2. Rule 2 (Percentage): Tax-Free Savings - 100%

Result: All deposits fill Emergency Savings until R90,000 is reached, then everything goes to TFSA.

Balancing multiple goals

You want to save for a holiday while building your emergency fund:

1. Rule 1 (Target): Emergency Savings - target R60,000

2. Rule 2 (Target): Holiday Fund (Savings Pot) - target R15,000

3. Rule 3 (Percentage): Tax-Free Savings - 100%

Result: Emergency Savings fills first, then Holiday Fund, then remaining funds invest in TFSA.

Maximising your TFSA each year

You want to use your full annual tax-free allowance:

1. Rule 1 (Target): Tax-Free Savings - annual limit (R36,000)

2. Rule 2 (Percentage): Emergency Savings - 100%

Result: Contributions go to TFSA until you hit R36,000 for the tax year, then to Emergency Savings.

When target rules are blocked

A target rule may be blocked and shown with a warning if:

• No target set: The account does not have a target amount configured

• Duplicate rule: You already have a target rule for the same account

• Account not set up: For TFSA, you need to complete the setup process first

• Account locked: The account is temporarily unavailable

To fix a blocked rule, tap the warning message to complete the required setup.