> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.msportal.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Duplicate a budget
> Start from an existing plan, review copied costs and statuses, and save changes to the new Draft.
**Audience:** MSP staff and Company users with budget creation access granted by their MSP. The screenshot shows the staff row menu; available actions depend on permissions.
**Duplicate creates a saved Draft immediately.** It does not open an unsaved preview. Use it to start a replacement or a similar plan for the same company, then review the copy before approving it.
## Create the copy
1. Open **Budgets** and [find the source plan](/user-guides/budgets/find-budgets).
2. Check its company, title, fiscal year and status.
3. Open that row's **... > Duplicate** once.
4. Wait for **Budget duplicated successfully** and the new budget editor.
5. Expand **Budget Details** if needed. The title begins **Copy of** and the overall status is **Draft**.
6. Change the title to identify the new plan and review the copied fiscal year. The year does not advance automatically.
7. Review every line and the monthly schedule, then choose **Save** for your edits.
If you decide not to use the copy, [delete the unwanted Draft](/user-guides/budgets/delete-budgets) when authorized. Leaving the editor without saving your later edits does not undo the original Duplicate action.
## Review what was copied
| Information | What to check |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Company | The copy belongs to the same company. Duplicate does not move a plan to another company. |
| Fiscal year, period type and currency | These retain the source values. Set the intended year and review the planning period. |
| Budget notes and Author | These carry over. Update them if they describe the old plan; notes are visible to readers and can appear in documents. |
| Descriptions, quantities, unit prices and line notes | These carry over. Compare the line count and amounts with the source. |
| Recurrence, start month, custom interval and term | These carry over. Check whether they still suit the new plan. |
| Monthly overrides | These carry over too. Review one-off exceptions in Monthly Breakdown; copying does not reset them. |
| Categories and section order | The copy retains category assignments and section ordering. Check any category that has since been renamed or removed. |
| Linked Planner items or products | Existing links can carry over; Duplicate does not create new Planner items or catalog products. Confirm the links still describe the intended work. |
| Overall and line statuses | The new budget is Draft. Every copied line starts Pending, including previously approved or rejected lines. |
The copy is a separate budget. Editing it does not revise the source, and later source changes do not keep the copy synchronized. For another company, [create a new budget in that company's scope](/user-guides/budgets/create-and-edit-budgets).
## Replace a locked plan
An Approved or Archived budget cannot be unlocked for editing. Prepare and review a Draft copy, then follow the [approval and archive workflow](/user-guides/budgets/approving-and-locking-budgets) when the replacement is ready.
Do not treat the copy as already approved or as carrying the original Actuals history. It needs its own review and approval. Check copied rejected lines carefully: they are Pending in the replacement and must be classified again before approval.
## Troubleshooting
If Duplicate is missing, ask the MSP to check your budget creation permission. If duplication reports an error, return to the list and check whether a copy exists before retrying. Confirm that any copy contains all expected lines. If it is incomplete, keep it in Draft and resolve the discrepancy before approval.
See [Edit line items](/user-guides/budgets/edit-line-items), [Adjust monthly overrides](/user-guides/budgets/edit-monthly-overrides) and [Arrange sections](/user-guides/budgets/arrange-budget-sections) for changes to the copied plan.
## FAQs
Open Budgets and use the source row's three-dot menu, then Duplicate. The new Draft opens in the editor.
Yes. Duplicate creates it immediately. Save is required for your subsequent edits; closing the editor does not remove the copy.
No. It creates a separate budget. Edits to the copy do not revise the original, and the two do not stay synchronized.
No. It retains the source fiscal year. Set the intended year and review all dates and billing assumptions in the copy.
Every copied line starts Pending. Review previously approved and rejected lines again before approving the replacement.
No. Saved overrides carry over with recurrence, start month, interval and term. Review one-off exceptions in Monthly Breakdown.
Duplicate creates the copy in the same company. Create a new budget in the other company's scope when a separate plan is required.
No. Existing links can carry over, but it does not create those linked records. Verify that the copied links still refer to the intended work.
Use a Draft copy for the replacement; the original remains locked. Review and approve the replacement through the documented approval workflow.
Check the list for a created copy before retrying. Compare its line count and contents with the source, and keep it in Draft until discrepancies are resolved.