Budget vs. actual

How the comparison is built

Monthly actuals are mapped to the same chart of accounts as the budget, so the numbers line up from month one rather than needing a reconciliation of their own. Variance is shown by line item in both amount and percentage terms, with a written explanation for anything past an agreed threshold and a rolling forecast update where the business re-forecasts through year end.

Cash timing matters as much as the number

A Canadian budget that ignores GST/HST remittance timing tends to look wrong in the exact months it should not. A business filing quarterly (annual revenue over C$1,500,000 up to C$6,000,000) or monthly (above C$6,000,000) carries a different cash rhythm than one filing annually at C$1,500,000 or less, and the budget-versus-actual view accounts for that rather than treating every business the same way.

Who builds the original budget

You build the original budget, with our help structuring it against the same chart of accounts we use for the monthly actuals. That structural agreement up front is what makes the comparison mean something in month two rather than only in month twelve.

Bad news gets flagged too

A variance report that only shows good news is not useful, so an unfavourable gap is stated in the same plain terms as a favourable one, with a note on what is being done about it.

The pod that builds the close builds the comparison

The same named pod that runs your monthly close builds the budget-versus-actual view, so there is no separate hand-off and no second version of the numbers to reconcile against the financials you already trust. Every file, including the variance workbook, goes through a senior review before it reaches you, and the underlying QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50 file stays yours throughout.

Rebasing the budget partway through the year

A Canadian business that adds a product line, opens in a new province, or takes on debt mid-year often finds the original budget stops being a useful yardstick well before the fiscal year ends. Where that happens, we rework the comparison against a rebased budget for the remaining months while keeping the original numbers visible for the record, so the report still shows what was promised as well as what changed.

Delivered on a schedule you can plan around

The comparison lands on the same fixed date each month as the rest of your close, priced on the pricing page with billing terms set out in your engagement letter. A question about a specific variance line gets a written reply.