The Advanced Budget vs Actual template helps you track planned versus actual performance in your business. It allows you to enter forecast and budget data directly into the spreadsheet, collect real transactions through a form, and analyze the results in automated dashboards.

How the Workflow is Structured

The workflow has:

Record income & expense form – A form to record actual income and expense transactions.
Budget input tab – Where you enter planned (budgeted) expenses and allocations.
Forecast input tab – Where you enter forecasted income values by category.
Income & Expenses tab – A response sheet that stores all the submissions from the form.
Parameters tab – Define the fiscal year, income categories, and expense categories. The year is used across all reports, and the categories are used in the form, forecast input, and budget input tabs.
Reports tabs – Automated analysis sheets (Income Analysis, Expense Analysis, Forecast vs. Actual, Budget vs. Actual, Dashboard) that visualize your financial performance.

Steps to use the template

Step 1: Install the Template

Install the template from this link: Advanced Budget vs Actual
Once installed, the workflow will open in your Sheetgo workspace at app.sheetgo.com
You’ll see helpful notes in the right-side panel of your workflow.

👉 Before starting, delete the sample data in the spreadsheets (but keep the headers and formulas).

Step 2: Share Files and Forms with Your Colleagues

Share the Record income & expense form with team members responsible for submitting transactions.
Do not share the Budget input, Forecast input, or Parameters tab — these are for finance/admin use only.
Share the Dashboard or report tabs with managers and stakeholders so they can review performance.

Refer to the following articles to share workflows, forms and files:

Step 3: Define Parameters

Go to the Parameters tab.
Enter the year that will be applied across all reports.
Define income categories and expense categories.
These categories will be available as dropdowns in the form, forecast input, and budget input tabs.

Step 4: Input Budget Data

Go to the Budget input tab.
Enter your planned monthly expenses for each category.

Step 5: Input Forecast Data

Go to the Forecast input tab.
Enter forecasted income amounts for each category and month.

Step 6: Record Actual Income and Expenses

Open the Record income & expense form.
Fill in details such as type (income or expense), reference, amount, date, and category.
Submissions will automatically appear in the Income & Expenses tab.

Step 7: View Your Reports

The template provides automated reports:

Income Analysis tab – Breakdown of forecast vs actual income per category.
Expense Analysis tab – Breakdown of budget vs actual expenses per category.
Forecast vs Actual tab – Consolidated comparison of forecasted income against actuals.
Budget vs Actual tab – Consolidated comparison of budgeted expenses against actuals.
Dashboard – Interactive visual overview of financial performance, including variances, profit trends, and summaries.