Skip to main content
The Budgets module helps MSPs create and manage IT budgets for their clients. Build budgets by importing items from Planner, linking strategic goals, and adding products from your PSA. Track approval status and export professional budget documents. Budget View

​
Overview

When you navigate to Budgets from the sidebar, you will see the budgets list for the selected company which includes:
  • Search Bar - Filter budgets by title
  • Create New Budget - Start building a new budget
  • Budgets Table - View all budgets with status, totals, and approval breakdown
  • Bulk Actions - Select multiple budgets for batch operations
Budgets List

​
Budgets Menu

The Budgets Menu provides quick navigation between different budget-related areas: Budgets Menu Click the Budgets Menu button in the top-right of any budgets page to navigate between these areas.

​
Budgets Table

The budgets table displays key information for each budget:
The Pending, Rejected, and Approved columns show the monetary totals of line items grouped by their individual status. This helps you quickly see how much of the budget has been approved versus what’s still pending review.

​
Creating a Budget

1

Navigate to Budgets

Select a company from the company selector, then click Budgets in the sidebar.
2

Click Create New Budget

Click the + Create New Budget button in the top right corner.
3

Configure Budget Details

Fill in the budget header information:
  • Budget Title - A descriptive name (e.g., “IT Infrastructure 2026”)
  • Author - The person responsible for the budget
  • Status - Set initial status (typically Draft)
  • Fiscal Year - Select the target year
  • Period Type - Choose Annual, Quarterly, or Monthly
  • Currency - Select the currency (USD, EUR, etc.)
  • Notes - Add internal notes (not shown on exports)
4

Add Line Items

Build your budget by adding items from three sources:
  • Planner Items - Import tasks from your Planner
  • Products and Services - Add products from your PSA
  • Strategic Goals - Link goals to budget items
5

Save the Budget

Click Save to save your budget. You will see a confirmation message.
Create Budget Form

​
Adding Budget Line Items

The budget builder provides three panels for importing items into your budget:

​
Planner Items

Import items directly from your company Planner. Each planner item shows:
  • Task name and icon
  • Due date and status
  • Estimated cost (if set)
Click the + button next to any planner item to add it as a budget line item.

​
Products and Services

Add products from your PSA or manually created products. Products display:
  • Product name
  • SKU (if available)
  • Vendor
  • Category
  • Unit price
Toggle the all checkbox to see products from all tenants or just the current company.

​
Strategic Goals

Link strategic goals to your budget for alignment with company objectives. Goals show:
  • Goal title
  • Priority badge (High, Medium, Low)
  • Target date and status
Linking goals to budget items helps demonstrate how IT spending supports strategic business objectives during budget reviews.

​
Budget Line Items Table

Once items are added, they appear in the Budget Line Items table:

​
Line Item Fields

Each line item supports the following fields:

​
Linked Items

Line items can be linked to other entities for traceability: Linked items display a badge showing the source, and clicking the link navigates to the original item.

​
Budget Totals

The totals section shows spending breakdown by type:
  • Software - Total software costs
  • Hardware - Total hardware costs
  • Labour - Total labour costs
  • Other - Other expenses
  • Grand Total - Sum of all line items

​
Viewing a Budget

To view a budget in read-only presentation mode:
  1. Click the Actions button on any budget row
  2. Select View
  3. The Budget View page displays a clean summary with:
    • Budget title and status
    • Company, fiscal year, period, and currency
    • Summary cards showing Total, Approved, and Pending amounts
    • Line items table with status indicators
Budget View

​
Export Options

From the Budget View, you can:
  • Print - Print the budget directly
  • Export PDF - Download a professional PDF document

​
Budget Statuses

Budgets progress through these status stages:

​
Budget Lock (Approval)

When you change a budget’s status to Approved, a confirmation dialog appears warning that this action is permanent.
Approval permanently locks the budget. Once approved:
  • All budget header fields become read-only (title, fiscal year, currency, notes, etc.)
  • Line items cannot be added, edited, deleted, or reordered
  • Line item statuses cannot be changed
  • This action cannot be undone

​
What Happens When You Lock a Budget

The lock affects the entire budget:

​
Making Changes After Approval

If you need to make changes to an approved budget:
1

Duplicate the Budget

Click Actions > Duplicate on the approved budget.
2

Edit the Copy

The duplicate is created in Draft status with “(Copy)” appended to the title.
3

Make Your Changes

Edit the duplicate as needed.
4

Mark Original as Obsolete

Optionally change the original budget to Obsolete status to indicate it has been superseded.
Keep approved budgets as historical records. Use the Obsolete status to archive superseded budgets while maintaining an audit trail.

​
Line Item Statuses

Individual line items have their own approval statuses, separate from the overall budget status:

​
Changing Line Item Status

To change the status of individual line items:
1

Open the Budget

Click on the budget to open it in edit mode.
2

Find the Status Column

In the line items table, locate the Status column.
3

Click the Status Badge

Click the colored status badge to open the status dropdown.
4

Select New Status

Choose the new status from the dropdown. The change saves automatically.
Line item statuses can only be changed when the budget is in Draft or Pending Approval status. Once a budget is Approved, all line item statuses are locked.

​
Bulk Status Updates

To update multiple line item statuses at once:
  1. Click Actions on the budget row in the list view
  2. Select Update Statuses
  3. Select the items you want to update
  4. Choose the new status to apply

​
Managing Budgets

​
Editing a Budget

  1. Click on the budget title in the table, or
  2. Click Actions then Edit
  3. Make your changes
  4. Click Save

​
Duplicating a Budget

To create a copy of an existing budget:
  1. Click Actions then Duplicate
  2. A new budget is created with “(Copy)” appended to the title
  3. Edit as needed

​
Deleting a Budget

  1. Click Actions then Delete
  2. Confirm the deletion
Deleting a budget is permanent and cannot be undone.

​
Budget Actions Menu

Click the Actions button on any budget to access:
  • View - Open read-only presentation mode
  • Edit - Open the budget editor
  • Update Statuses - Change approval status of line items
  • Duplicate - Create a copy of the budget
  • Export - Export to PDF or other formats
  • Delete - Remove the budget

​
Products Catalog

The Products area allows you to manage a centralized product catalog for use across all budgets. Access it via Budgets Menu > Products. Products Catalog

​
Products Table

The products table displays your catalog with filterable columns:

​
Filtering Products

Use the filter controls in each column header to quickly find products:
  • Text filters - Type to search by Name or SKU
  • Dropdown filters - Select Category, Vendor, Product Group, or Created By
  • Price range - Set minimum and maximum unit price

​
Adding Products

1

Click New Product

Click the + New Product button in the top-right corner.
2

Enter Product Details

Fill in the product information:
  • Name (required)
  • SKU
  • Category
  • Unit Price
  • Vendor
  • Product Group
3

Save the Product

Click Save to add the product to your catalog.

​
Importing from Integrations

Click Import from Integrations to pull products from connected PSA systems:
  • ConnectWise Manage
  • Autotask PSA
  • HaloPSA
Imported products include accurate pricing, SKUs, and vendor information.
Products are available tenant-wide by default, making them accessible across all company budgets. Toggle the visibility option to show tenant-wide or company-specific products.

​
Budget Forecast

The Forecast feature helps you project future budget trends based on historical data and growth assumptions. Access it via Budgets Menu > Forecast. Budget Forecast

​
Forecast Settings

Configure global parameters that apply to all categories:

​
Forecast Categories

The forecast table breaks down projections by spending category:
  • Backup & DR - Backup and disaster recovery services
  • Cloud Services - Cloud infrastructure and hosting
  • Hardware - Physical equipment and devices
  • Managed Services - Ongoing IT management services
  • Other - Miscellaneous expenses
  • Projects - One-time project costs
  • Renewals - Software and service renewals
  • Security Services - Cybersecurity tools and services
  • Software - Software licenses and subscriptions
  • Training & Adoption - Training and change management

​
Forecast Table Columns

​
Syncing Forecast Data

1

Sync from Budget

Click Sync from Budget to populate base year values from approved budgets. This pulls actual budget line items into the forecast categories.
2

Sync from Planner

Click Sync from Planner to import planned items as forecast data. Useful for projecting costs of planned initiatives.
3

Adjust Category Values

Fine-tune individual category amounts and growth percentages as needed.
4

Save Forecast

Click Save to store your forecast configuration.

​
Understanding Projections

Each forecast year shows:
  • Projected Amount - The calculated value based on base year and growth rate
  • Year-over-Year Change - The dollar amount increase from the previous year
  • Percentage Change - The growth rate expressed as a percentage
Use different growth rates for different categories to model realistic scenarios. For example, Security Services might grow at 10% while Hardware remains flat.
The Export feature is coming soon and will allow you to download forecast reports for client presentations and planning meetings.

​
Best Practices

  • Create budgets well before the fiscal year begins
  • Link budgets to strategic goals for alignment visibility
  • Use categories to organize line items by type
  • Update line item statuses as approvals are received
  • Export PDF versions for client presentations
  • Use Obsolete status for superseded budgets rather than deleting them
  • Review all line items before approving a budget (approval is permanent)
  • Use recurring items with term months for subscriptions to calculate annualized costs
Avoid these common pitfalls:
  • Approving too early - Once approved, budgets cannot be edited; ensure all items are finalized
  • Creating budgets without linking to planner items or goals
  • Leaving budgets in Draft status indefinitely
  • Not updating line item statuses after approval decisions
  • Deleting budgets instead of marking them Obsolete for audit trails
  • Forgetting to set recurrence and term for subscription items

​
Integrations

​
Planner Integration

Budgets integrate with the Planner module to:
  • Import planner items as budget line items
  • Maintain links between budget items and tasks
  • Show estimated costs from planner items

​
Goals Integration

Link strategic goals to demonstrate:
  • How IT spending supports business objectives
  • Alignment between budgets and company strategy
  • Progress on goal-related expenditures

​
PSA Integration

Products from connected PSAs (ConnectWise, Autotask, HaloPSA) are available:
  • Import products with accurate pricing
  • Maintain product SKUs and categories
  • Access vendor information

​
Need Help?

For assistance with the Budgets module, contact support@msportal.ai.