Overview
Budget reports help management compare what the business planned against what actually happened. They are useful for annual planning, monthly review meetings, branch review, and project budget follow-up.
Where to find them: Open Reports > Budgets & Forecasts, then choose the budget report that matches the review.
Related guides: Use this guide together with Financial Statements Guide, Cash Flow Reports Guide, and Job / Project Profitability Reports Guide.
Where to find it
Path: Reports > Budgets & Forecasts.
Use this path from the main QBM window. If the command is not visible, confirm that the user has access to the related module and permission for that screen.
Reports Covered
| Report | Use It For |
|---|---|
| Assets Budget Report | Review planned asset balances and compare them with actual movement where budgets are maintained. |
| Cash Budgets Report | Review expected cash inflow and outflow for planning and funding decisions. |
| Current Assets Budget Report | Review short-term asset budgeting such as receivables, inventory, and other current assets. |
| Current Liability Budget Report | Review short-term liability planning, including payables and other current obligations. |
| Expenses Budgets Report | Review expense budgets and compare budgeted cost against actual cost. |
| Income Budget Report | Review budgeted income levels and compare performance against target revenue. |
| Liability Budget Report | Review non-current and overall liability budgeting. |
| Profit Loss Budgets Report | Review monthly profit-and-loss performance against budget, including variance and variance percentage. |
| Job Budget Performance Summary Report | Review planned versus actual job performance when budgets are maintained at project or job level. |
Common Filters
| Field Or Option | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Year | Select the financial year to review. Budget reports are usually reviewed one year at a time. |
| Budget | Select the budget version or budget file you want to compare against actuals. |
| Store / Location | Focus the review on one branch or compare branches separately where supported. |
| Display Type | Some reports let you switch between list and graph view for easier review. |
| Graph Type | Where graph view is available, choose the visual style that is easiest for management review. |
| Job | Used by job budget reports to focus on one project or review all jobs. |
Suggested Workflow
- Start with the year and budget version that management approved.
- Review Profit Loss Budgets first when the goal is overall operating performance.
- Move into income, expense, asset, liability, or cash budgets when you need more detail.
- Use branch or store filters if management reviews performance by location.
- Use Job Budget Performance when the question is about project delivery rather than the company overall.
Best Practice
- Keep the same year and budget version across related reports when comparing results.
- Use variance and variance percentage together. A small amount may look large in percentage terms, and the reverse is also true.
- Use graph view for presentation, but use list view when you need exact figures.
- Review unusual variances against the underlying financial statements before making decisions.
Important: Budget reports are only as reliable as the budget file and account mapping behind them. If a result looks unusual, confirm the budget version and the reporting period first.