Skip to main content
Open Budgets > Create New Budget to prepare a budget for one company. To change an existing Draft or Pending Approval budget, select its linked Budget Title or its Edit action in the Budgets list. Audience: MSP staff and Company users whose MSP has granted budget editing access. Company users with read access should use Read a budget overview and ask their MSP to make changes.

​
Before you start

  • Select the correct company in the top company selector. A budget belongs to one company.
  • Your role needs budget write or management permission. Management permission is also needed to approve a budget or delete saved items.
  • Use a Draft or Pending Approval budget. Approved and Archived budgets are locked; duplicate an approved budget when preparing a replacement plan.
  • Check the fiscal year and currency before adding costs. Selecting a currency does not convert prices using exchange rates.

​
Create a budget

1

Choose the company and open the builder

Select the company, open Budgets, and choose Create New Budget. If you see Select a Company, use the top company selector first. Check the company before entering any costs.
2

Enter Budget Details

Enter a descriptive Budget Title, such as Annual technology plan. Complete Author, check Fiscal Year, Period Type, and Currency, and keep Status as Draft while building the plan. Add Notes that readers should see.On an existing budget, expand Budget Details to expose these fields. Notes are visible in the budget reader and included in PDF and Excel exports; do not use them for private staff-only information.
3

Add and review the planned costs

Choose Add Item for a manual cost. Enter its description, quantity, unit price, category and billing schedule. See Add and edit budget line items for the complete steps.The builder also offers Planner, goal, product and Import controls. Review imported descriptions, quantities, prices and recurrence before saving.
4

Save the budget

Choose the header Save and wait for the saved confirmation. A successful new-budget save returns you to the Budgets list. Reload the saved budget to check its current details and line items.Entering a title, adding a row, or selecting the row’s checkmark does not save the budget. Save before navigating away.
5

Review the monthly plan before approval

Open the budget’s View action and review Monthly Breakdown. Recurrence and start month control planned monthly charges; the builder’s Line Total is quantity multiplied by unit price, not the full recurring annual cost.Use the separate approval guide when the plan is ready to be locked.
MSP editor with unsaved example values. Select the image to enlarge the fields.

​
Edit a saved budget

Open an editable budget from the list. Expand Budget Details for header fields, or use a line’s pencil menu and Edit for its costs. Make changes, choose Save, wait for confirmation, and reload the budget to verify the result. The edit page normally remains open after saving. If another person changed the budget while you were editing, the save can be rejected. Keep a note of your intended changes, reload the current budget, compare the latest values, and reapply only the changes still needed.

​
What saves when?

​
Troubleshooting

​
Bring existing costs into the budget

Use the import guides for Excel workbooks, earlier-year recurring services, Planner items, goals and products, or Microsoft 365 licensing. Each path adds proposed rows; review the costs and choose Save.

​
Frequently asked questions

Select one company, open Budgets, and choose Create New Budget. Your role needs budget editing access.
Only when the MSP has granted the necessary budget permissions and company access. Being a Company administrator alone does not grant those permissions. Otherwise, ask the MSP to make changes.
A budget belongs to one company. Select the company before creating it; use separate budgets for other companies.
No. Notes are shown in the budget reader and included in PDF and Excel exports. Write them for everyone who can access the budget.
No. Annual, Quarterly and Monthly describe the budget period. Each line has its own Recurrence and Start month. Monthly Breakdown still displays January through December, and approval captures the selected fiscal year’s January–December baseline.
No exchange-rate conversion is performed. Choose currency before adding costs and review existing or imported line prices and currencies when changing a plan.
No. It is an editable budget status. An authorized manager must follow the separate approval-and-Save workflow to lock the budget.
The Approval selector on an existing saved line persists immediately. Header and ordinary cost edits still require Save.
No. An approved baseline stays locked. Duplicate it to prepare a new Draft, then review every copied line before approving the replacement.
No. Save first, then export the saved budget. Export is not a substitute for Save.
Related: Find budgets, Edit line items, Monthly Breakdown, Approve a budget. For document contents, saved-data rules and print limitations, see Download or print a budget. For a one-month exception to a saved line’s schedule, see Adjust a budget amount for one month. Monthly overrides save separately from the budget editor. For the full copy and cleanup workflows, see Duplicate a budget and Delete unwanted draft budgets. Approved and Archived budgets cannot be deleted.