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Forecast template

Budget and Forecast Template

Plan versus actuals, with a rolling re-forecast column that keeps your view current.

Excel & Google Sheets Free download 4 tabs
BudgetActualsRe-forecastVariance

Illustrative preview · Budget · Actuals · Re-forecast · Variance

01 — What's inside

What's in the template

Built by FP&A professionals, for companies. Every tab has a job.

  • Three columns that matter

    Budget, actual, and current forecast, side by side for every line.

  • Rolling re-forecast

    As months close, the forecast rolls forward instead of expiring.

  • Driver inputs

    Forecast five to ten drivers, not two hundred ledger lines.

  • Variance and commentary

    A column for the number, and a column for why.

02 — How to use it

How to use it

Four steps, in order. The first one matters most.

  • Lock the budget

    Once approved, the budget column never changes. It is the promise.

  • Post actuals as they close

    The forecast is only as good as the actuals feeding it.

  • Re-forecast the drivers

    Update assumptions that changed. Leave the rest alone.

  • End with a decision

    Every refresh should end in hire, hold, or cut.

Download the Budget and Forecast Template

Free, in Excel, with instructions and a worked example. We ask for an email, and that's the whole price.

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FAQ

Common questions

A projection that always extends a fixed period ahead, typically 12 months, adding a month as each one closes.
Usually yes, for targets and accountability. The forecast complements it rather than replacing it.
Monthly. Quarterly updates lose the early-warning value that justifies the work.

Templates go stale. Reportly doesn't.

Every template is a manual snapshot. Reportly builds the same outputs automatically from live QuickBooks data, and keeps them current.