Resetting a reserve to zero

Reset is a deliberate, two-step move: the balance leaves the reserve (you choose where), and the reserve's running balance returns to $0 with the floor of your choice. The historical ledger isn't deleted — every prior deposit, allocation, and draw remains visible in reports. From the next allocation event forward, the reserve behaves like new.

Reset is for changes of purpose, not balance. If you just want the dollars elsewhere without changing what the reserve represents, do a manual transfer instead. See Drawing from a reserve safely.

When to reset

• You finished a goal that was funded through a reserve (renovation, vehicle, course) and the tier is being repurposed for a different goal.
• You've reorganized your business and the old reserve's role no longer matches your spending — the labels and floors don't reflect reality anymore.
• You started ReservWise mid-year with imported balances and want to restart the reserve cleanly from the start of the next year/quarter.
• You're consolidating: merging two reserves into one and zeroing the redundant tier.

When NOT to reset

• You just want the money out. Use a manual transfer — reset is heavier and changes the tier's accounting.
• The reserve is over-funded but still doing its job. Lower the floor or use surplus rules.
• You're frustrated with how the system behaved. Don't reset in anger. Walk the math first — see The math behind allocation. The right adjustment is usually a floor change, not a reset.

The reset flow

1. Open Settings → Reserves and click the reserve you want to reset.
2. Click Reset reserve. A modal explains exactly what will happen and asks for confirmation.
3. Pick a destination for the current balance. Options:
   • Move to another reserve. Pick the receiving tier. The reset reserve's balance moves there in a single transfer event.
   • Distribute across multiple reserves. Set percentages or amounts.
   • Send to draws. The balance becomes an owner draw or expense entry — useful when the reserve was funding spend that's already happened.
4. Optional: set a new floor. Default is to keep the existing floor; many operators use the reset moment to recalibrate.
5. Optional: rename the reserve. If the new purpose is materially different, rename it now. See Renaming or restructuring reserves.
6. Confirm. ReservWise creates two ledger entries: a balance-out event from the reset reserve, and matching balance-in events on the destinations.

What stays preserved

• The full historical ledger of allocations, draws, and transfers tied to the reserve.
• The reserve's ID — it doesn't become a "new" reserve, just a freshly-zeroed one.
• Sub-reserves and their structure (you can choose to reset them as well or keep them separate).
• Any rules referencing the reserve (surplus rules, allocation rules, draw rules) continue working with the new $0 balance.

What changes

• Running balance: $0.
• "Distance to floor" recomputes against the new (or unchanged) floor.
• The reserve's at-a-glance chart starts a fresh series from the reset date.
• If the reserve had been over floor for surplus-rule purposes, it's now under floor — next allocation event will start refilling it.

Special case: merging two reserves

If you're consolidating, the cleanest order is:

1. Reset the reserve being absorbed, sending its balance to the receiving reserve.
2. If you don't intend to use the absorbed reserve again, set its floor to $0 and pause it. (You can't delete a tier — the priority order is fixed at six.)
3. Rename the absorbed reserve to something like "Archive — [old name]" so it's clearly inactive in reports.

What to do next

• Don't reset in your first three months. Almost every "I need to reset" instinct in the early period turns out to be "I need to adjust the floor."
• Re-read Adjusting reserve targets before resetting — most resets can be replaced with a target change.
• If you're consolidating, plan the merge before clicking reset. Knowing the destination ahead of time avoids a half-finished move.

Reset is a clean break. Use it when the reserve's purpose is genuinely changing — not because the balance is the wrong size.