Budget manager
Acting Office provides a seamless way to manage forecasted financial records for you and your clients. The budget section plays a crucial role in financial management by enabling organisations to plan, monitor, and control their finances effectively.
Budget dashboard
The dashboard displays a list of all budgets created in the system, offering a quick overview of key information such budget name, start month, frequency, duration.
Quick actions
Delete: Permanently removes a budget.
Archive: Temporarily removes a budget from view. Archived budgets can be restored at any time.
Clone: Creates a copy of an existing budget with the same structure and figures, allowing for easy modifications.
This centralised view makes it simple to manage and track all budgeting activities in one place.
Adding a budget
Click on the ‘Add’ button and fill in the following details:
Name
Input the title of the budget.
Start date
Select the period you want to begin budgeting.
Frequency
Choose how often the budget should repeat – monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annually.
Actual
Select the period you wish to use as a reference for actuals.
Duration
Define the total time span for the budget.
Observe-
Hover over the ‘i’ icons for helpful tooltips throughout the process.
Once you click ‘Save’, you’ll be directed to the budgeting platform where you can edit details using the edit icon if needed.
You will now see two sections
Profit & loss – For budgeting income and expense accounts.
Balance sheet – For budgeting asset, liability, and equity accounts.
Creating a budget: Methods
You can populate the budget in two ways:
Import
Click the Import (arrow) icon → Download the provided template → Fill in your budget figures → Upload it back.
Manual entry
Input figures directly in the system for each account and period.
Adding a code
You can manage adding codes from-
Profit & loss section
Balance sheet section
Profit & loss section
By default, commonly used codes are pre-selected. To add more:
Click the concerned icon to open your Chart of accounts.
Tick the checkboxes to enable specific accounts for budgeting.
The system displays only profit & loss related accounts for convenience.
Actual financial figures from the selected period are auto-fetched and displayed next to each line, helping you base your budget on real, up-to-date data.
Balance sheet section
Certain balance sheet codes are pre-selected. To add more:
Click the concerned icon to open the Chart of accounts.
Select the checkboxes to enable additional accounts.
The system displays only balance sheet related accounts for convenience. Actual figures from the selected period are fetched and shown next to budget inputs, supporting more accurate forecasting.
Auto-fill options
Click the arrow icon beside any account to access quick fill tools that simplify budget entry:
Apply fixed amount
Enter a consistent amount to be applied across all periods.
Adjustment amount
First period's amount: Specify the first period value; the system adjusts following periods accordingly.
Each period’s existing amount: Applies the adjustment to current values in all periods.
Adjustment percentage
First period's amount: System adjusts subsequent periods based on a percentage.
Each period’s existing amount: Applies percentage change to existing period values.
Enter total amount
Enter a single total, and the system auto-distributes it evenly across all periods.
Once all values are entered, Acting Office automatically calculates the overall profit or loss for the budgeted period.
Saving options
Save: Save the current budget and stay on the same screen.
Save & Close: Save and return to the Budget Dashboard.
Export the completed budget in Excel or PDF format for sharing or record-keeping.
Actual vs. Budget report
This report provides a detailed side-by-side comparison between budgeted and actual financials, helping you monitor performance, track progress, and identify variances.
Two separate tabs are available:
Profit & loss
Balance sheet
More options (Customisation settings)
Period
Choose the desired time period.
Customise report
Click the settings icon to adjust the layout.
Show decimals- Toggle to display values with or without decimals.
None: Shows full numbers.
In thousands: Divides figures by 1,000.
In millions: Divides by 1,000,000.
Show zero as:
0
– (dash)
Show negative numbers as:
-500
(500)
Show accounts
All accounts
Actual accounts
Budget accounts
Actual and Budget accounts
Show accounting code: Enable this to include account codes.
Notes: Add relevant notes to your report for context or internal reference.
Export options
Download the report in PDF or Excel format for sharing or offline analysis.
Budget overview report
The Budget overview report gives a comprehensive summary of all budgets created within Acting Office, offering high-level insights into your planned financial activity across different periods.
It includes both:
Profit & loss tab
Balance sheet tab
Additional options
Period selector: Choose the reporting time range.
Customise option: Same flexibility as in the Actual vs. Budget report to personalise the layout and values.
Download: Export in PDF or Excel format.
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