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.

Budget dashboard

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.

Adding a budget

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.

Import a budget

Manual entry

Input figures directly in the system for each account and period.

Manual entry

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.

Adding codes from profit and loss section

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.

Adding codes from balance sheet

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.

Auto fill options

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.

Miscellaneous options

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

Profit & loss tab

• Balance sheet

Balance sheet tab

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.

1. None: Shows full numbers.

2. In thousands: Divides figures by 1,000.

3. In millions: Divides by 1,000,000.

• Show zero as:

1. 0

2. – (dash)

• Show negative numbers as:

1. -500

2. (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.

Customise report

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

Budget overview tab- Profit & loss tab

• Balance sheet tab

Budget overview 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.