How to Enter Amounts: Split or Monthly
The budget spreadsheet has two sections - Revenue and Expense - each listing custom groups first, then GL account-group headers, then account-subtype headers, each with its own subtotal, and a Net...
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The budget spreadsheet has two sections - Revenue and Expense - each listing custom groups first, then GL account-group headers, then account-subtype headers, each with its own subtotal, and a Net row at the bottom showing revenue minus expenses. This article explains how to enter amounts in each row.
You need Manage or Full Access permission and must be in the full-page budget editor.
The grid layout
The spreadsheet shows:
Reading left to right:
- A frozen Account / group column on the left.
- A Baseline column, showing the figure this year's number is being measured against. It is filled in only when the budget was started from last year; otherwise it shows a dash.
- A Mode toggle on each row (Split or Manual), with the Split amount field beside it, used to enter the annual total when a row is in Split mode.
- One column per month across the fiscal year (the first month depends on your property's fiscal year start, which may not be January).
- An Annual column showing the full-year total. It is always read-only, a live display of the total rather than an entry field.
- A % Change column, showing how far this year's figure has moved from the baseline. A line with no baseline shows new instead.
- A Share of Total column, showing what proportion of its section the line accounts for. This is the quickest way to see which lines are worth arguing about.
- A subtotal row for each section and header level (custom groups, GL account groups, account subtypes).
- A Net row at the bottom (revenue minus expenses). Net appears green when it is zero or positive, red when negative.
Category rows carry no baseline and no percent change, and show a dash in both columns.
Split mode: enter one annual amount
Split mode is the fastest way to enter a budget when spending is roughly even throughout the year.
- On the row you want to enter, make sure the Split button is selected in the Mode toggle.
- Type the total amount for the year in the field right next to the Split/Monthly toggle.
- The system divides the amount equally across all 12 months automatically. The monthly cells are read-only while in Split mode, and the Annual column at the far right updates to show the same total as a read-only display.
Manual mode: enter each month individually
Use Manual mode when spending varies by month - for example, higher utility costs in winter.
- On the row you want to enter, click Manual in the Mode toggle.
- Click each monthly cell and type the amount for that month.
- The Annual cell updates automatically to show the sum of all 12 months. It is read-only in Manual mode.
A month budgeted at zero, and an empty month
These are two different things and the grid keeps them apart.
- 0.00 means somebody deliberately budgeted nothing for that month. It is a real figure and it counts as a figure everywhere else in URBI.
- An empty cell means no amount has been entered for that month at all.
A line budgeted at zero is perfectly valid and will not stop you activating the budget.
Credits and contra lines
You can type a negative amount, and the minus sign stays put as you move around the grid and come back to edit it. A line carrying a negative amount is treated as a line with a budget, so if you try to delete it you are asked to confirm first, the same as any other budgeted line.
Switching modes
You can switch a row's mode at any time using the Split / Manual toggle. Switching from Manual to Split will overwrite your per-month entries with an even spread of the current annual total - so switch modes before entering amounts if possible.