You'll get the most out of Monarch when you connect all your financial accounts, letting everything sync in one easy-to-access place. This gives you a clear, up-to-date picture of your finances — making it easier to set realistic budgets, track your goals, and plan for the future.
A financial institution is any bank, credit card company, loan provider, or investment platform. Within each institution, you may have multiple accounts — like a checking and savings account at the same bank, or several credit cards from the same provider, such as American Express. Once you connect an institution, you can choose which accounts to add to Monarch.
Table of Contents
- Our data providers
- Adding your accounts
- Updating login settings
- Troubleshooting
- More helpful articles
Our data providers
| Tip! Use our connection status dashboard to see how well your bank connects with each data provider before you start. |
Monarch uses three main data providers to securely connect financial institutions to your account: Plaid, Mastercard Data Connect (Formerly Finicity), and MX. We default to the provider that should offer the best connection for your institution, but you can also choose a different provider, if needed.
For more information on how data providers work with your bank and with Monarch, see: Understanding data providers and connections.
Some account types use a specific direct connection instead — for example, homes connect through Zillow and vehicles through Vinaudit.
Adding your accounts
- On web or mobile, go to Accounts and tap + Add Account.
- Search for your financial institution by name or website (e.g. chase.com).
- Select your institution and follow the prompts to log in and authorize the connection.
- Choose which accounts to add to Monarch.
A few things to know:
- Historical data varies by institution. Some banks provide a few months of history; others may provide several years. You can manually import additional balance and transaction history if you want a more complete picture.
- Review your imported transactions. Once connected, it's worth checking that categories are set correctly — this helps ensure your budgets and reports are accurate.
- Manage your accounts anytime from the Institution Settings page.
| Some institutions or accounts — such as store credit cards, mortgages, car loans, and certain Canadian banks — may be difficult to connect or keep synced due to limited support for third-party data aggregators. In those cases, we recommend using manual accounts instead. |
Updating login settings
Some institutions periodically require you to update your re-verify your login credentials — this might be every few months, or more frequently depending on your bank's security settings.
To update your login settings:
- Go to Settings → Institutions.
- Find your institution and click the ... menu.
- Select Update login settings and follow the prompts.
This process refreshes your connection and can also pull in newly opened accounts or accounts that haven't synced yet.
Troubleshooting
Before diving into specific issues, the most common fix for connection problems is updating your login settings. If you haven't already, try this first:
| Start here: Settings → Institutions → ... → Update login settings |
If that doesn't resolve the issue, find your specific scenario below.
Table of Contents
Connection issues
Adding an account fails
- Make sure you're selecting the correct institution. Try searching by website URL (e.g. chase.com) to confirm.
- Ensure you can log in to your bank's website directly — their login page may have changed or be temporarily down.
- Try a different browser, or switch between web and mobile.
- Check the connection status dashboard to see if there's a known issue with your institution.
My credentials are wrong
- Sign in to your bank in a separate tab to confirm your credentials are working, then try again in Monarch.
- If your credentials are correct but still failing, wait 24 hours and try again — institutions sometimes have temporary errors.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
| Plaid users: If your bank username has changed, you'll need to add the institution as a new connection — Plaid does not support updating usernames on an existing connection. This will create duplicate accounts; use the Transfer Tool to move history from the old connection to the new one. |
I received an error
- Confirm you can log in to your bank's website directly.
- Wait 24 hours and try reconnecting.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
- Try connecting through a different data provider. See: Choosing Your Data Provider.
- Check the Connection Status Messaging article for error-specific guidance.
I have to reconnect frequently
Some institutions require frequent re-authorization due to their own security settings. This is a bank-level decision and not something Monarch can control — it may also reflect the institution actively limiting third-party access.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
- If this happens consistently, consider whether a manual account might be a more stable option for that institution.
I'm not receiving security codes
- Log in to your bank's website directly to confirm you receive codes there. If not, you may need to update your contact information with your bank.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
- Try connecting through a different data provider. See: Choosing Your Data Provider.
My bank uses multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Some institutions require you to explicitly grant access to third-party apps like Monarch. This setting is usually found in the same section of your bank's website where you manage MFA. We recommend enabling third-party access.
I need to add a second Plaid connection for the same institution
If you have a second set of login credentials for the same bank, you can add it as a second Plaid connection:
- Go to Add Account and search for the institution.
- When prompted with "Are you sure you want to connect [Institution] again?", click Continue.
- On the Plaid screen, confirm your phone number (or click "Not you?" to skip).
- On the next screen, you'll see your existing connections listed. Do not click any of them — scroll to the bottom and click Add new account.
- Search for and log in to the institution again to create the second connection.
Transaction issues
Transactions are missing
- New account? The amount of history provided varies by institution — some send a few months, others several years. You can manually import transactions to fill in any gaps.
- Allow 24–48 hours for transactions to appear. Many institutions only share transactions once they've posted, not while pending.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
- For one or two missing transactions, consider adding them manually.
- Try connecting through a different data provider. See: Choosing Your Data Provider.
- If no connection option works, you can import a CSV of your transactions.
- Still stuck? Contact support with the specific account affected and an example of a missing transaction (a screenshot from your bank works great).
Transaction values are wrong
- Check that the transaction has posted to your bank — pending amounts can change before they finalize.
- Verify the amount is correct on your bank's website.
- Try connecting through a different data provider. See: Choosing Your Data Provider.
I see duplicate transactions
- Check that the account is only connected once on your Accounts page. If it's connected more than once, you may need to delete the duplicate connection.
- Use the Transfer Tool to merge accounts if needed.
- Delete duplicate transactions using the Edit multiple option.
- Try connecting through a different data provider. See: Choosing Your Data Provider.
- See also: Troubleshooting Duplicate Transactions.
Transaction categories are wrong
You can recategorize any transaction at any time. You can also create a rule to automatically apply a specific category to a merchant going forward.
My CSV import didn't work as expected
Make sure your file is formatted correctly — see the CSV formatting guide for requirements. If your file is too large, try splitting it into smaller files.
Account issues
My account balance is wrong
- If the account was recently connected, confirm that your balance matches your posted transactions (excluding any pending).
- Click Refresh all at the top of the Accounts page.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
- If the balance appears inverted, see: Fixing Inverted Balances.
- Still wrong? Contact support with the specific account affected and a screenshot of the correct balance from your bank.
Transactions no longer sync
- Wait 24–48 hours, then click Refresh all at the top of the Accounts page.
- Re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings.
- Try connecting through a different data provider. See: Choosing Your Data Provider.
- If that doesn't work, import a CSV to keep your account up to date.
- Still not syncing? Contact support with the affected account and an example of a missing transaction.
I'm missing an account
- Go to Settings → Institutions.
- Click ... next to the institution and go through Update login settings.
- Log in again and select the missing account to add it.
If this creates duplicate accounts, you can delete the duplicates.
I see duplicate accounts
- Use the Transfer Tool to combine balance and transaction history.
- Delete the duplicate account once history has been transferred.
- Chase users: There's a known issue where multiple Chase credentials can clash, causing duplicates or persistent disconnects. Please contact support with any issues.
The account type is wrong
Sometimes banks send incorrect account-type information. You can update the type and invert the balance if needed. See: Fixing Inverted Balances.
If you continue to have trouble, you can create a manual account as an alternative.
I have a new or replacement card
- First, re-add your login information, select Settings > find the account > select the three dots > Update Login Settings — this often pulls in the new card automatically.
- If not, add the institution as a new connection. The new card should appear during that flow.
- Use the Transfer Tool on any duplicate accounts to move history from the old card to the new one.