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Triqai uses a comprehensive, hierarchical category system to classify transactions. This taxonomy is designed to be consistent, intuitive, and compatible with industry standards.

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Category Structure

Categories are organized in three levels: Primary → Secondary → Tertiary For example:
  • Primary: Parking
  • Secondary: Vehicle Services
  • Tertiary: Transportation
Not every transaction will have all three levels. Triqai assigns the most specific applicable category while ensuring accuracy.

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Category Response

Each enriched transaction includes a category structure: 
{
  "category": {
    "primary": {
      "name": "Shopping",
      "code": {
        "mcc": 5411,
        "sic": 5411,
        "naics": 445110
      }
    },
    "secondary": {
      "name": "Online Shopping",
      "code": {
        "mcc": 5411,
        "sic": 5411,
        "naics": 445110
      }
    },
    "tertiary": {
      "name": "Marketplace",
      "code": {
        "mcc": 5411,
        "sic": 5411,
        "naics": 445110
      }
    },
    "confidence": 95
  }
}

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Industry Codes

Each category includes standardized industry codes:
CodeNameDescription
MCCMerchant Category Code4-digit code used by payment networks
SICStandard Industrial ClassificationLegacy classification system
NAICSNorth American Industry Classification SystemModern industry classification
These codes enable integration with accounting systems, compliance tools, and analytics platforms that expect standardized industry identifiers.

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Expense Categories

Triqai supports 68 expense categories across these primary groups:
  • General Merchandise
  • Online Shopping
  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Electronics
  • Home & Garden
  • Department Stores
  • Marketplace
  • Restaurants
  • Fast Food
  • Coffee Shops
  • Bars & Nightlife
  • Groceries
  • Food Delivery
  • Gas Stations
  • Parking
  • Public Transit
  • Ride Sharing
  • Tolls
  • Car Rental
  • Airlines
  • Streaming Services
  • Movies & Theater
  • Music
  • Gaming
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Events & Tickets
  • Electricity
  • Gas
  • Water
  • Internet
  • Phone
  • Cable TV
  • Insurance
  • Healthcare
  • Pharmacy
  • Fitness & Gym
  • Personal Care
  • Medical Services
  • Bank Fees
  • Interest
  • Investments
  • Taxes
  • Insurance Premiums
  • Loan Payments
  • Hotels & Lodging
  • Airlines
  • Car Rental
  • Travel Agencies
  • Vacation Rentals
  • Professional Services
  • Subscriptions
  • Software
  • Education
  • Legal Services

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Income Categories

Triqai supports 38 income categories including:
  • Salary & Wages: Regular employment income
  • Freelance: Contract and gig work payments
  • Refunds: Returns and reimbursements
  • Interest: Bank interest, dividends
  • Transfers: P2P and account transfers
  • Government: Benefits, tax refunds
  • Rental Income: Property rental payments
  • Investments: Capital gains, dividends

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Subscription Types

When a transaction is identified as recurring, Triqai also classifies the subscription type:
TypeExamples
streamingNetflix, Spotify, Disney+
softwareAdobe, Microsoft 365, Notion
newsNYT, WSJ, The Athletic
fitnessPeloton, ClassPass, gym memberships
mobilePhone plans, carriers
gamingXbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus
utilitiesInternet, cloud storage
otherOther recurring services

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Category Confidence

Each category assignment includes a confidence score (0-100):
RangeInterpretation
90-100Very high confidence, reliable for automated decisions
70-89High confidence, suitable for most use cases
50-69Moderate confidence, may benefit from manual review
0-49Low confidence, recommend manual verification

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Fetching All Categories

You can retrieve the complete category taxonomy via the API: 
curl https://api.triqai.com/v1/categories \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
The response includes all categories with their hierarchy, descriptions, and industry codes.

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Category Versioning

Triqai’s category taxonomy is versioned. The current version is returned in the meta.categoryVersion field: 
{
  "meta": {
    "categoryVersion": "triqai-2025.11"
  }
}
When the taxonomy is updated, the version changes. This allows you to detect and adapt to changes in the category structure.

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Best Practices

Use primary categories for high-level grouping and secondary/tertiary for detailed analysis. This provides flexibility for different reporting needs.
Industry codes are mapped per category, not per merchant. If you need merchant-specific MCC codes, use the payment processor’s original data.

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Next Steps

Entities

Learn about merchant and location data

List Categories API

Fetch the complete category taxonomy