Overview
The Update Expense Category endpoint allows you to modify existing custom expense categories. You can update the name, parent category, and visibility settings. Important Limitations:- You can only update custom categories that you created
- System default categories cannot be modified via the API
- Categories that belong to your firm only
Path Parameters
The unique identifier of the expense category to update
Request Body
All parameters are optional - only include the fields you want to update.The new name for the expense category
New parent category ID. Use
0
to make it a root-level category, or specify an existing category ID to move it under that parent.Whether the category should be visible and available for use when creating expenses
Validation Rules
- Name: Must be non-empty if provided
- Parent Category: Must exist and belong to your firm (if specified)
- Hierarchy: Cannot create circular references or exceed 2-level depth
- Self-Reference: A category cannot be its own parent
- System Categories: Cannot update categories with
type: "system"
Hierarchy Constraints
- Maximum Depth: Categories can only be 2 levels deep (category → subcategory)
- Parent Validation: Parent must be a root-level category (parent_id = 0)
- Circular Reference: Prevents categories from referencing themselves or creating loops
Response
The updated expense category object
Success message confirming the category update
Authorizations
Use your API key (sk_live_xxx or sk_test_xxx)
Path Parameters
Category ID