Cake Budget
how-to beginner 2 minutes

How to Use Date Range Filtering

Filter your transactions and financial data by specific time periods to analyze spending patterns and trends

Last updated: November 10, 2025

Cake Budget’s date range filtering allows you to view your financial data across different time periods. Whether you want to analyze your spending over the last week, review a specific month, or compare year-over-year trends, the date range selector gives you flexible control over what data you see.

What You’ll Accomplish

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to use date range filtering across Cake Budget to analyze spending patterns, find specific transactions, and review financial trends over custom time periods.

Prerequisites

  • ✅ A Cake Budget account
  • ✅ At least one bank account connected
  • ✅ Some transaction history (the more, the better for filtering)

Where to Find Date Range Filtering

The date range selector is available in multiple locations throughout Cake Budget:

Overview Page

Located near the top of the dashboard. Changes to the date range will update:

  • Spending breakdown charts (by category and merchant)
  • Income vs. Expenses chart
  • Recent transactions list
  • All financial insights and analytics

Transactions Page

Located in the table toolbar alongside other filters (Account, Slice, Category, Merchant). Changes to the date range will filter the transaction table to show only transactions within the selected period.

Slice Details Pages

Located in the transaction table toolbar on individual slice pages. Filter transactions for that specific slice by date range to see spending patterns over time.

Available Time Ranges

All Time

All Time: View all your transaction history without any date filtering. This is the default selection on the Transactions page, showing every transaction since you connected your accounts.

Quick Ranges

Perfect for analyzing recent spending patterns:

  • Last 7 days: Weekly spending snapshot
  • Last 14 days: Two-week overview
  • Last 30 days: Monthly trends
  • Last 60 days: Two-month comparison
  • Last 90 days: Quarterly analysis

Week

View spending by calendar week (Sunday to Saturday):

  • This Week: Current week’s activity
  • Last Week: Previous week’s complete data

Month

Analyze monthly spending patterns:

  • This Month: Current month-to-date
  • Last Month: Previous month’s complete data
  • Recent Months: Quick access to the last 6 months (dynamically generated)

Year

Review annual financial trends:

  • This Year: Current year-to-date
  • 2025, 2024, 2023: Full year views for recent years

Custom Range

Need a specific date range? Select Custom Range to:

  • Choose any start and end date
  • View data for specific time periods (e.g., a vacation week, tax quarter)
  • Compare non-standard date ranges

Step-by-Step: Using Date Range Filtering

Selecting a Preset Range

  1. Click on the date range selector dropdown
  2. Browse through the organized sections (Quick Ranges, Week, Month, Year, Custom)
  3. Click on your desired time range
  4. The dashboard will automatically update to show data for that period

Using Custom Ranges

  1. Click on the date range selector dropdown
  2. Select “Custom Range” at the bottom
  3. A calendar picker will appear
  4. Click your start date, then your end date
  5. The dashboard updates immediately with your custom range

Understanding Section Headers

Section headers (QUICK RANGES, WEEK, MONTH, etc.) are displayed in small, uppercase, muted text to help you navigate the options. They’re not selectable - they just organize the choices.

Default Date Ranges by Page

Different pages have different default date ranges optimized for their use case:

  • Overview Page: Defaults to Last 14 days - gives you a focused snapshot of recent spending and trends
  • Transactions Page: Defaults to All Time - shows all your transactions without filtering, making it easy to browse and search your complete history
  • Slice Details Pages: Defaults to All Time - displays all transactions for that specific slice

Common Use Cases

Budget Review

Goal: Review last month’s spending against your budget

Steps:

  1. Select Last Month from the Month section
  2. Review category breakdown to see where money went
  3. Compare against your slice allocations

Tax Preparation

Goal: Gather financial data for a specific quarter

Steps:

  1. Use Custom Range to select January 1 - March 31
  2. Export or review transactions for that period
  3. Switch to different quarters as needed

Goal: Identify spending patterns over time

Steps:

  1. Start with Last 30 days for a monthly baseline
  2. Compare to Last 60 days to see if spending is increasing/decreasing
  3. Review Last 90 days for quarterly trends

Year-End Analysis

Goal: Review full year financial performance

Steps:

  1. Select 2025 (or current year) from the Year section
  2. Review total income vs. expenses for the year
  3. Identify highest spending categories

Vacation Spending

Goal: Track how much you spent during a trip

Steps:

  1. Select Custom Range
  2. Choose your trip dates (e.g., July 15 - July 22)
  3. Review total spending and category breakdown

Finding Specific Transactions

Goal: Search for transactions within a specific time period

Steps:

  1. Go to the Transactions page
  2. Use date range filter along with other filters (Account, Slice, Category, Merchant)
  3. Example: Find all grocery purchases from last month
    • Select Last Month from date range
    • Select your grocery category from Category filter
    • Review the filtered transaction list

Best Practices

Compare Time Periods

Use consistent time ranges to compare spending:

  • Compare Last Month to This Month for monthly progress
  • Use Last 30 days for rolling 30-day comparisons
  • Select specific years (2025 vs 2024) for year-over-year trends

Week Boundaries

Weeks in Cake Budget run from Sunday to Saturday to match standard calendar weeks. This ensures consistency with bank statements and other financial tools.

Recent Months

The monthly dropdown dynamically shows the last 6 months, so you always have quick access to recent historical data without scrolling through years of options.

Mobile-Friendly

The date range selector is fully responsive and works seamlessly on mobile devices. On smaller screens, the dropdown adjusts to fit your screen while maintaining all functionality.

Understanding Your Data

Date Range Display

The selected date range is shown in the selector button. For example:

  • “Last 7 days”
  • “September 2025”
  • “Custom Range” (with the calendar showing your selected dates)

Automatic Updates

When you change the date range, all charts and data on the Overview page update automatically. There’s no need to refresh or click additional buttons.

Transaction Filtering

The Recent Transactions list also respects your selected date range, showing only transactions that fall within the chosen period.

Data Availability

You can only view data from when you connected your bank accounts. If you select a date range that predates your account connections, you’ll see limited or no data for those periods.

Limitations

  • Date ranges cannot extend into the future
  • Historical data is limited to when you first connected your accounts (typically up to 180 days from connection date)
  • Very large date ranges (multiple years) may take a moment to load
  • Custom ranges must have a start date before the end date

Troubleshooting

Q: What’s the default date range for each page?

A: Different pages have different defaults:

  • Overview: “Last 14 days” - focused snapshot of recent trends
  • Transactions: “All Time” - complete transaction history for easy browsing
  • Slice Details: “All Time” - all transactions for that specific slice

Q: Why do weeks start on Sunday instead of Monday?

A: Cake Budget uses Sunday-Saturday weeks to match standard US calendar conventions and most bank statements.

Q: Can I save my preferred date range?

A: Currently, the date range resets to the default when you navigate away and return. Your preference is maintained during your current session.

Q: How far back can I view my data?

A: You can view data from the date you connected your bank accounts. Plaid typically provides up to 180 days of historical transactions on initial connection.

Q: What happens if I select a month I don’t have data for?

A: The page will load normally but show empty or zero values for that time period since there are no transactions to display.

Q: Do date ranges affect my budget slices?

A: No, your slice balances and allocations are always current. Date ranges only affect the data displayed in charts and transaction lists, not your actual budget structure.

Q: Can I view multiple date ranges at once?

A: Currently, you can only view one date range at a time. To compare periods, you’ll need to switch between them or export data for external comparison.

Pro Tips

💡 Use Quick Ranges for Recurring Reviews: Set up a weekly habit of reviewing “Last 7 days” or monthly reviews with “Last Month” for consistent financial check-ins.

💡 Custom Ranges for Life Events: Track spending around major life events (moving, vacations, medical procedures) by creating custom ranges around those dates.

💡 Combine with Other Filters: Date ranges work alongside Account, Slice, Category, and Merchant filters for powerful transaction searches.

💡 Year-Over-Year Comparisons: Use full year ranges (2024 vs 2025) to spot annual spending patterns and seasonal trends.

💡 Export Filtered Data: After filtering by date range, export the visible transactions for external analysis, tax preparation, or record-keeping.

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