diff --git a/.planning/STATE.md b/.planning/STATE.md
index e04f382..1d00d2d 100644
--- a/.planning/STATE.md
+++ b/.planning/STATE.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ milestone: v1.0
milestone_name: milestone
status: planning
stopped_at: Completed 04-02-PLAN.md
-last_updated: "2026-03-12T08:28:10.884Z"
+last_updated: "2026-03-12T08:30:44.989Z"
last_activity: 2026-03-11 — Roadmap created from requirements and research
progress:
total_phases: 4
diff --git a/.planning/phases/04-chart-polish-and-bug-fixes/04-VERIFICATION.md b/.planning/phases/04-chart-polish-and-bug-fixes/04-VERIFICATION.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6b44f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.planning/phases/04-chart-polish-and-bug-fixes/04-VERIFICATION.md
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+---
+phase: 04-chart-polish-and-bug-fixes
+verified: 2026-03-12T09:30:00Z
+status: passed
+score: 10/10 must-haves verified
+re_verification: false
+---
+
+# Phase 4: Chart Polish and Bug Fixes — Verification Report
+
+**Phase Goal:** Charts look polished and informative with semantic category colors, correctly formatted currency tooltips, and the currency locale bug fixed so values display in the user's preferred locale
+**Verified:** 2026-03-12T09:30:00Z
+**Status:** PASSED
+**Re-verification:** No — initial verification
+
+---
+
+## Goal Achievement
+
+### Observable Truths
+
+| # | Truth | Status | Evidence |
+|---|-------|--------|----------|
+| 1 | `formatCurrency` no longer hardcodes `'de-DE'` — default locale is `'en'` | VERIFIED | `format.ts` line 4: `locale: string = 'en'`; grep for `de-DE` returns no matches |
+| 2 | `formatCurrency` accepts an optional third `locale` parameter | VERIFIED | Function signature: `(amount: number, currency: string = 'EUR', locale: string = 'en')` |
+| 3 | Calling `formatCurrency(1234.56, 'EUR', 'de')` produces German-formatted output | VERIFIED | `format.test.ts` line 15–18: test passes (`1.234,56`) |
+| 4 | Calling `formatCurrency(1234.56, 'USD', 'en')` produces English-formatted output | VERIFIED | `format.test.ts` line 20–24: test passes (`$` + `1,234.56`) |
+| 5 | Calling `formatCurrency(1234.56, 'EUR')` without locale uses `'en'` default, not `'de-DE'` | VERIFIED | `format.test.ts` lines 5–8 and 41–45: default test passes; "does NOT produce German formatting" test passes |
+| 6 | Hovering over an `ExpenseBreakdown` pie slice shows a tooltip with the category name and currency-formatted value | VERIFIED | `ExpenseBreakdown.tsx` lines 46–59: custom `Tooltip` `content` renderer renders `item.name` and `formatCurrency(Number(item.value), budget.currency, locale)` |
+| 7 | Hovering over an `AvailableBalance` donut slice shows a tooltip with the segment name and currency-formatted value | VERIFIED | `AvailableBalance.tsx` lines 52–65: custom `Tooltip` `content` renderer renders `item.name` and `formatCurrency(Number(item.value), budget.currency, locale)` |
+| 8 | Chart tooltip values use the budget's currency code (not hardcoded EUR) | VERIFIED | Both chart components pass `budget.currency` as the second arg to `formatCurrency` — sourced from the `BudgetDetail` prop |
+| 9 | Chart tooltip values use the user's `preferred_locale` for number formatting | VERIFIED | `DashboardPage.tsx` line 24: `const userLocale = user?.preferred_locale \|\| 'en'`; passed as `locale={userLocale}` to both charts |
+| 10 | `AvailableBalance` center text also receives the user's locale for formatting | VERIFIED | `AvailableBalance.tsx` line 70: `formatCurrency(available, budget.currency, locale)` — center text uses the `locale` prop |
+
+**Score:** 10/10 truths verified
+
+---
+
+### Required Artifacts
+
+| Artifact | Expected | Status | Details |
+|----------|----------|--------|---------|
+| `frontend/src/lib/format.ts` | Locale-aware `formatCurrency` function | VERIFIED | 10 lines; 3-parameter signature; `Intl.NumberFormat(locale \|\| 'en', ...)` with defensive guard; no `de-DE` |
+| `frontend/src/lib/format.test.ts` | Unit tests for formatCurrency locale behavior | VERIFIED | 47 lines; 8 tests covering English default, explicit locales, USD, zero, negative, empty-string edge case |
+| `frontend/src/components/ExpenseBreakdown.tsx` | Custom Recharts Tooltip with formatted currency | VERIFIED | Imports `formatCurrency`; `locale?: string` prop; custom `Tooltip` `content` renderer with `formatCurrency` call |
+| `frontend/src/components/AvailableBalance.tsx` | Custom Recharts Tooltip + locale-aware center text | VERIFIED | Imports `Tooltip` from recharts; `locale?: string` prop; custom `Tooltip` renderer + center text uses `locale` |
+| `frontend/src/pages/DashboardPage.tsx` | Locale threading from `useAuth` to chart components | VERIFIED | Imports `useAuth`; derives `userLocale`; passes `locale={userLocale}` to `AvailableBalance` (line 117) and `ExpenseBreakdown` (line 124) |
+
+---
+
+### Key Link Verification
+
+| From | To | Via | Status | Details |
+|------|----|-----|--------|---------|
+| `DashboardPage.tsx` | `useAuth.ts` | `useAuth()` call to get `user.preferred_locale` | WIRED | Line 15: `import { useAuth }` ; line 23: `const { user } = useAuth()` |
+| `DashboardPage.tsx` | `AvailableBalance.tsx` | `locale` prop passed as `locale={userLocale}` | WIRED | Line 117: `` |
+| `DashboardPage.tsx` | `ExpenseBreakdown.tsx` | `locale` prop passed as `locale={userLocale}` | WIRED | Line 124: `` |
+| `ExpenseBreakdown.tsx` | `format.ts` | `formatCurrency` inside Tooltip content renderer with locale | WIRED | Line 54: `formatCurrency(Number(item.value), budget.currency, locale)` |
+| `AvailableBalance.tsx` | `format.ts` | `formatCurrency` inside Tooltip renderer and center text | WIRED | Line 60 (tooltip): `formatCurrency(Number(item.value), budget.currency, locale)`; line 70 (center): `formatCurrency(available, budget.currency, locale)` |
+
+---
+
+### Requirements Coverage
+
+| Requirement | Source Plan | Description | Status | Evidence |
+|-------------|-------------|-------------|--------|----------|
+| FIX-01 | 04-01-PLAN.md | `formatCurrency` uses the user's locale preference instead of hardcoded `de-DE` | SATISFIED | `format.ts` has `locale: string = 'en'` default; `Intl.NumberFormat(locale \|\| 'en', ...)`; 8 passing unit tests; no `de-DE` anywhere in format.ts |
+| IXTN-04 | 04-02-PLAN.md | Chart tooltips display values formatted with the budget's currency | SATISFIED | Both `ExpenseBreakdown` and `AvailableBalance` have custom `Tooltip` content renderers calling `formatCurrency(value, budget.currency, locale)`; `DashboardPage` threads `user.preferred_locale` through |
+
+No orphaned requirements found — both IDs explicitly claimed in plan frontmatter are satisfied with implementation evidence.
+
+---
+
+### Anti-Patterns Found
+
+| File | Line | Pattern | Severity | Impact |
+|------|------|---------|----------|--------|
+| `DashboardPage.tsx` | 92 | `placeholder=` attribute | Info | Radix UI `SelectValue` placeholder prop — expected UI pattern, not an implementation stub |
+
+No blockers or warnings found.
+
+---
+
+### Test Suite Results
+
+- **`format.test.ts`:** 8/8 tests pass
+- **Full suite:** 51/51 tests pass (11 skipped, pre-existing `act(...)` warnings in `InlineEditCell.test.tsx` and `CategoriesPage.test.tsx` — pre-existing, out of scope)
+- **Production build:** Succeeds with no TypeScript errors (`built in 2.53s`)
+
+### Commit Verification
+
+All four commits documented in SUMMARYs exist in git history:
+
+| Commit | Message |
+|--------|---------|
+| `6ffce76` | `test(04-01): add failing tests for locale-aware formatCurrency` |
+| `eb1bb8a` | `feat(04-01): add locale parameter to formatCurrency, default 'en'` |
+| `f141c4f` | `feat(04-02): add locale prop and custom currency tooltips to chart components` |
+| `5a70899` | `feat(04-02): thread user locale from useAuth through DashboardPage to chart components` |
+
+---
+
+### Human Verification Required
+
+The following items cannot be verified programmatically:
+
+#### 1. ExpenseBreakdown tooltip visual appearance on hover
+
+**Test:** Load the dashboard with a budget that has variable expenses. Hover over a pie slice in the Expense Breakdown chart.
+**Expected:** A tooltip appears showing the category name (bold) and the amount formatted as currency (monospace, muted) with the user's locale grouping convention.
+**Why human:** Visual rendering, hover interaction, and Recharts tooltip positioning cannot be verified by grep or unit tests.
+
+#### 2. AvailableBalance tooltip visual appearance on hover
+
+**Test:** Load the dashboard. Hover over a segment in the Available Balance donut chart.
+**Expected:** A tooltip appears showing the segment name (e.g., "Bills", "Remaining") and the formatted currency amount. The center text should also display in the user's locale format.
+**Why human:** Visual rendering and hover interaction cannot be automated without E2E tests.
+
+#### 3. Locale preference end-to-end
+
+**Test:** Log in as a user with `preferred_locale = 'de'`. Load the dashboard.
+**Expected:** Chart tooltips and center text show German number formatting (e.g., `1.234,56` instead of `1,234.56`).
+**Why human:** Requires a test user with German locale in the database; cannot verify locale threading from DB to render via static analysis alone.
+
+---
+
+## Gaps Summary
+
+No gaps. All must-haves are verified at all three levels (exists, substantive, wired). Both requirements (FIX-01, IXTN-04) are satisfied with concrete implementation evidence. The full test suite passes and the production build completes without errors.
+
+---
+
+_Verified: 2026-03-12T09:30:00Z_
+_Verifier: Claude (gsd-verifier)_