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# How to Create and Manage Budgets in COUNT

Budgets help you plan and track expected financial performance over a specific period. In COUNT, you can create an overall budget, define the start period, choose how actuals are calculated, and enter budget amounts by account before publishing the budget.
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To access the Budgets module:

**Planning → Budgets**
The Budgets page displays all existing budgets, including their status, start period, end period, and last updated date.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/capturejpg_av32po.jpg)

| ProTip: Use the Search Budget field to quickly locate an existing budget.

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# Create a New Budget

On the **Budgets** page, click **+ Create Budget** in the top-right corner.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg2_1txvrpe.png =970xauto)
The **Add Budget** window will open.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg3_1ubakm9.png)
**Budget Setup Fields**

* **Start** – Defines the starting year and month for the budget.
* **Actuals** – Select how many months of historical actual results (None, 3, 6, or 12 months) are displayed for comparison.
* **Period** – Select the budget duration (3, 6, 12, or 24 months). The selected period determines the number of monthly columns included in the budget.

Complete the required fields, then click **Add**.

| ProTip: Use a descriptive Budget Name to make it easier to identify later.

**Enter Budget Amounts**

After creating a budget, you will be taken to the **Budget Overview** page.
Newly created budgets are assigned a **Draft** status by default.
In the budget grid, enter planned amounts for each account and month.
Accounts are grouped by category, such as **Income**, and each month is displayed in a separate column.

To add budget values:

1. Locate the account you want to budget.
2. Find the corresponding month column.
3. Enter the amount directly into the available input field.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg-overview_3fhj58.png)


| ProTip: You can scroll horizontally through the monthly columns to enter values across the entire budget period.

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# Save the Budget as a Draft

After entering your budget amounts, click **Save as Draft** at the bottom of the page.
Saving as a draft allows you to continue reviewing and updating the budget before making it active.

**Important:** Draft budgets are not finalized. Review all values carefully before publishing.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg7_1mxzu2o.png)
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# Publish the Budget
When your budget is complete, click **Publish**.
Publishing makes the budget available for future reporting and budget-to-actual comparisons.

**Important:** Before publishing, verify that all budget amounts and periods are correct.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg8_1fu2ks8.png)
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# Editing a Budget

To edit an existing budget:

1. Navigate to **Accounting → Budgets**.
2. Select the budget from the list.
3. Click **Edit Budget** in the top-right corner of the **Budget Overview** page.
4. Make the necessary changes.
5. Click **Save as Draft** or **Publish**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg5_1ah1wkz.png)
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# Creating Budget Versions

COUNT allows you to maintain multiple versions of a budget.
To create a new version:

1. Open the budget.
2. Click **Add Version** at the bottom of the page.
3. Select the version from the **Version** dropdown to review or update it.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg9_1b9xh83.png)

| **ProTip:** Budget versions are useful when creating multiple forecasting scenarios while preserving previous budget assumptions.

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# Duplicating a Budget

If you want to reuse an existing budget structure:

1. Open the budget.
2. Click **Duplicate**.
3. Update the copied budget as needed.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/4/c/b/1/4cb158bef87e0400/bg10_7saye0.png)

Duplicating a budget saves time when creating similar budgets for future periods.

| **ProTip:** Use duplication when creating annual budgets that share a similar account structure.