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Project budget

Know what you planned to spend before you spend it.

Updated October 15, 2026

A budget is your cost plan for the job, line by line. As purchase orders, bills, expenses and time are coded to the project, each line shows budget, committed and actual cost together. Over-budget lines stand out before they become a problem.

  1. Open the project and click the Budget tab.
  1. Click Add budget item to add a line with its cost type (Material, Labor, Subcontractor, Equipment, Other) and budgeted amount.
  2. As you record expenses, bills and time against the project, each line shows budget, committed and actual cost side by side.

Budget, committed, actual

  • Budget is what you planned.
  • Committed is what you have promised to pay: open purchase orders.
  • Actual is what you have spent: expenses, bills and logged labor.

Budget FAQ

Does the budget change the contract?

No. The budget is internal. The contract and schedule of values are what the customer sees.

Can I copy the estimate into the budget?

Start the project from an itemized estimate and the lines carry over as budget lines too.