Create and publish a budget

A budget is your church’s plan for a fiscal year. It uses the income and expense categories in your chart of accounts, keeping the plan connected to recorded activity.

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Before you begin

Check your chart of accounts and fiscal-year dates. You need permission to create or contribute to the budget; publishing requires its own authority.

Build the plan

1. Open Budgets and create a budget.
2. Enter a recognizable name and the fiscal-year dates.
3. Choose a blank start or an available prior budget/version. Check the selected source before copying.
4. Add the income and expense categories you intend to plan for, and enter their annual amounts.
5. Review planned income, planned expenses, and the expected surplus or shortfall.
6. Use More options when you need monthly adjustments or detailed tools.
7. Wait for all changes to save, then choose Publish Budget when the plan is ready.

Seasonal activity

Annual amounts are spread across months by default. Adjust monthly amounts when an event, campaign, or expense occurs unevenly through the year.

A spending target is a goal

An optional total spending target helps compare planned expenses with the target. It does not move money or create a fund allocation.

After publishing

The published plan is protected. Use a revision for later changes, then check Budget vs. Actual with the intended published version.