> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clearspend.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Spending trend

> Interpret the spending trend chart on your ClearSpend dashboard — Trend and Actual Spend views.

The **Spending Trend** chart sits below the KPI cards and shows bar-chart spend per calendar month. Use it to track budget trajectory and spot anomalies.

## Two view modes

| Tab              | What it shows                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Trend**        | Spend normalized across time: yearly subscriptions are divided equally across 12 months so the chart shows a smooth monthly average. Good for spotting long-term patterns without big one-off spikes. Projected spend for future months is shown in a lighter, hatched style. |
| **Actual Spend** | Spend posted on the exact date the charge occurred. A $120/year subscription appears as a single $120 bar in the month it was charged, not as \$10/month. Use this view to match charges to your actual card statements.                                                      |

<Frame caption="Trend view: yearly subscriptions are split evenly across 12 months, giving a smooth spending curve.">
  <img src="https://assets.clearspend.ai/content/videos/spending_trend.png" alt="Spending trend: Trend tab" />
</Frame>

<Frame caption="Actual Spend view: charges appear on the exact date they were posted, so a $120/year subscription shows as a single $120 bar.">
  <img src="https://assets.clearspend.ai/content/videos/spending_trend_actual.png" alt="Spending trend: Actual Spend tab" />
</Frame>

## Non-SaaS

Each bar stacks **SaaS spend** (purple) with a **grey segment** for **Others** category charges — travel, hardware, and other non-software spend. The grey portion appears automatically when those charges exist.

Non-SaaS amounts are **excluded from KPI cards and SaaS totals**, but still show on the chart. See [SaaS spend vs. Non-SaaS spend](/features/dashboard#saas-spend-vs-non-saas-spend) for how categories affect your totals.

## Date window

The chart respects the date filter in the dashboard top-right. Changing it rescopes all KPIs, the trend chart, and widgets simultaneously.

## Related

* [Dashboard](/features/dashboard)
* [Dashboard KPIs](/features/dashboard-kpis)
* [Widgets](/features/dashboard-widgets)