Budget Comparison Template

Budgeting is extremely important in any business. One of the biggest reasons why budgets matter is that they allow you to compare the costs that you expected versus what actually happened and that you can adjust for the future. The budget comparison template enables you to look at your budget and compare it to what happens.

How to Use the Budget Comparison Template

Using the budget comparison template is simple and the template is completely customizable. The template has four different pages that summarize your budget. The first page shows the various categories of spending that your company might have. In one column you enter your budget for that category while in the other you put in the actual amount that your company has spent on that item to date. Then on the far right there are two different columns that show how much cash you have left both as a number and as a percentage of budget left. The next page allows the user to breakdown their budget on a month by month basis in the monthly expenses summary.

The summary has all of the categories from the first page and for each month you can update how much you have spent in each category. This spreadsheet will give you your total for the month and your total for the year so far in each category and for the entire budget. The final two pages are that the itemized expenses and the charities and sponsorships. These are extremely useful both for keeping track of what you have spent and for taking advantage of tax exemptions come tax time. The budget comparison template is easy to use, customizable and completely free to download.

Tips for Using the Budget Comparison Template

• Update your budget on a month by month basis at the very least.
• Refer back to this spreadsheet when you are doing your taxes as you will have your expenses and your charitable donations right there.
• If you get outside of your budget in a category don’t freak out. Sometimes your projected budget will not meet the actual. Emergencies happen even in business.

Download: Budget Comparison Template