· Reviewed by Nimra Khalid
What are budgeting and variance analysis services?
Budgeting services build a month-by-month plan of revenue and costs for the coming year, agreed with the owner and loaded into the accounting software. Variance analysis compares each month's actual results to that plan, quantifies the differences, and explains their causes. Together they turn the P&L from a record of the past into a tool for the next decision.
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Budgeting: what we do and how it runs
Budgeting services build a month-by-month plan of revenue and costs for the coming year, agreed with the owner and loaded into the accounting software. Variance analysis compares each month's actual results to that plan, quantifies the differences, and explains their causes. Together they turn the P&L from a record of the past into a tool for the next decision.
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What it is
Budgeting services build a month-by-month plan of revenue and costs for the coming year, agreed with the owner and loaded into the accounting software. Variance analysis compares each month's actual results to that plan, quantifies the differences, and explains their causes. Together they turn the P&L from a record of the past into a tool for the next decision.
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What you get
Annual budget built from real history and your plans, by department if needed
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How it runs
Loaded into your accounting software so budget versus actual runs monthly
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Discovery call
A 20-minute call about your fiscal year, who owns which costs, what is changing next year, and how the budget will be used: internal targets, lender, or board.
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A named accountant, a backup and a team lead
Inside your own software, on a fixed close calendar, with a reply from a person within 1 business day. Call +1-657-777-0006 or start a quote.
Get a custom quote 06 / 06
Who it is for
Owners who have never had a real budget
You know roughly what you spend, but hiring and pricing decisions are made on instinct. A budget puts numbers on the plan so the P&L can tell you if it is working.
Businesses with department heads
Once a practice manager, ops lead or studio head owns a cost line, they need a target and a monthly variance note. That is how spending gets managed without micromanaging.
Businesses answering to a bank or board
Lenders and investors ask for a budget and then ask why actuals differ. A consistent monthly variance pack answers both without a fire drill.
What's included
- Annual budget build: revenue by line, costs by account, headcount plan
- Monthly phasing that follows your seasonality, not a flat twelfth
- Department, location or project budgets that roll up to one total
- Capital spend and loan schedule folded into a budgeted cash flow
- Budget loaded into QuickBooks Online, Xero, Fathom or Sage Intacct
- Monthly budget versus actual report with variances in dollars and percent
- Variance commentary above an agreed threshold, with root cause
- Year-to-date and full-year outlook updated each month
- Mid-year reforecast when plans change materially
- Budget assumptions sheet kept current so anyone can trace a number
- Monthly 20-minute variance call with your named accountant
- Next-year budget calendar so the cycle starts on time
Deliverables and KPIs
| Deliverable | KPI we report | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Annual budget pack | Delivered before your fiscal year starts, with assumptions documented | Annually |
| Budget versus actual report | Issued with the monthly report pack by business day 7 | Monthly |
| Variance commentary | Every variance above threshold explained with a cause and an owner | Monthly |
| Full-year outlook | Year-to-date actuals plus remaining budget, revised for known changes | Monthly |
| Reforecast | Updated budget within 10 business days of your request | As needed, typically mid-year |
| Budget loaded in software | Budget figures live in your ledger's budget module and tie to the pack | Annually and on reforecast |
KPIs are what we measure and report, agreed per engagement. Service-level commitments are set in your agreement.
How it works
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Discovery call
A 20-minute call about your fiscal year, who owns which costs, what is changing next year, and how the budget will be used: internal targets, lender, or board.
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History and assumptions
We pull three years of reconciled history, list the drivers (headcount, pricing, volume, rent) and draft an assumptions sheet for you to confirm before any numbers are built.
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Budget build and sign-off
A named accountant drafts the budget by month and department, walks it through with you, revises it, and loads the signed-off version into your software.
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Monthly variance cycle
Each month the budget versus actual report is produced with the close, the commentary is reviewed under Two-Tier Review, and a short call covers what needs a decision.
Software we work in
How much does budgeting cost?
The annual budget build is priced as a project based on the number of departments and entities. Monthly variance analysis is a flat fee added to reporting, based on how many budget lines carry commentary and whether you want a review call. Pricing depends on volume and scope, so we send a custom quote within 1 business day.
What moves the quote
- Number of entities, departments or locations with their own budget
- Whether the ledger already has three years of reconciled history
- Commentary threshold and how many lines need monthly explanation
- Reforecast frequency and lender or board formats
Market benchmarks
| Market | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US | Budgeting is usually bundled in review-backed plans at $400 to $800 per month; indinero lists plans from $750 | indinero, RadCity (2026) |
| UK | Bookkeeping with management reporting runs £400 to £1,500 per month at higher volumes | UK provider pricing surveys (2026) |
| Canada | C$400 to C$800 per month for most SMBs, up to C$2,000 with reporting | Outsource Bookkeeping CA, TheAccTaxCo (2026) |
| Australia | A$850 to A$1,800 per month for companies with 1 to 5 staff | Australian bookkeeping fee surveys (2026) |
Third-party ranges for orientation, not our prices.
Get a custom quote No setup fee. Month-to-month.
Budgeting for your industry
Security and compliance
- Budget files live in your drive or software; accountant-role access only
- MFA on every login, per-client access log, no local downloads
- Salary detail kept in a restricted tab visible only to named owners
Full control list on the security page and country rules on the compliance page. Certifications are listed only when held.
Frequently asked questions
How much do budgeting services for small business cost?
Pricing depends on volume and scope, and we send a custom quote within 1 business day. As a market reference, US providers usually include budgeting and variance reporting in review-backed plans of $400 to $800 per month, with indinero listing plans from $750 (indinero, RadCity, 2026). The annual build is quoted separately as a project.
When should we start building next year's budget?
About ten weeks before your fiscal year starts. That leaves time to gather assumptions, draft, review with department heads, revise and load the final version before month one. If your year has already started, we build a budget for the remaining months and a full one for next year.
What information do you need from me?
Three years of reconciled books, your headcount and hiring plan, known price changes, lease and loan schedules, and any capital purchases you expect. If we do your bookkeeping, most of this is already in the ledger. We put the rest in an assumptions sheet for you to confirm.
Do you load the budget into QuickBooks or Xero?
Yes. QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct and NetSuite all have a budget module, and Fathom can hold a budget alongside actuals. Loading it there means budget versus actual runs from the same reconciled data as the statements, and our financial reporting service includes it in the monthly pack.
What counts as a variance worth explaining?
You set the threshold, commonly a dollar amount and a percentage together, such as anything over $2,000 and 10 percent. Lines under the threshold are shown but not written up. This keeps the commentary short enough to read and focused on the numbers that move the result.
How is variance analysis different from a P&L?
A P&L shows what happened. Variance analysis shows what happened compared with what you planned, and why. The why is the useful part: a revenue shortfall from fewer jobs is a different problem from the same shortfall caused by lower prices, and the fix is different too.
Can you reforecast if plans change mid-year?
Yes. A reforecast keeps actual results for the months gone and rebuilds the remaining months on the new plan, while the original budget is kept for comparison. Most clients reforecast once at mid-year; some do it quarterly. It is delivered within 10 business days of your request.
Do you give advice on what to cut or invest in?
We explain the numbers, show scenarios and list options; the decisions stay with you. We give no investment, legal or tax advice. For a senior review of the budget process and controls around spending, see our outsourced controller services. Where a decision needs a licensed opinion, we prepare the figures for your CPA or advisor.
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