Overview
The Project Budget is your go-to spot for all of your project financials. This article walks you through setting up your budget structure (categories, cost codes, and phases) so you can prepare your Original Budget.
Prerequisites
Cost Code Template: If your budget will use a Project Cost Codes template, the template must be configured by your workspace Administrators first.
Owner's Rep workspace only: Confirm you are on the correct budget. In the top right of the Project Budget, click the budget tab and select either Owner Budget or Your Budget. Most users will use the Owner Budget. See Owner Budget vs Your Budget for the difference.
Process
You can build your project budget from a template or by adding categories and cost codes individually. You can also rename items directly on the budget at any time.
1. Open the Project Budget module
From within the project, navigate to Project Budget. If no budget has been created yet, you'll see options to create one.
2. Choose how to build your budget
Option A — Use a Cost Code Template (recommended)
a. Click Create Single Master Budget. (For a comparison with the Feasibility Study option, see Creating Budget Option Feasibility Studies.)
b. Click Apply Template. A pop-up window opens displaying the templates available in your workspace.
c. Select the template you want to use. To preview a template before applying, click Preview.
d. Click Apply.
e. Confirm your base currency, then click Proceed.
The budget populates with the categories and cost codes from the template. You can modify the structure from there.
Note: The template includes the budget structure only — categories and cost codes. Budget Item Line amounts still need to be added separately, either from another template or manually.
Option B — Add categories and cost codes individually
a. Click + Add Budget Item at the top of the budget and select Category & Cost Code from the dropdown.
b. Use inline editing to enter the Category Name and the Cost Code. Click out of the field or press Enter to save.
c. Repeat for additional categories and cost codes.
Note: We strongly recommend starting from a template to save time. Your company may require you to use a template to ensure consistency across the organization. Check with your workspace Administrators if you're unsure.
3. Edit existing categories and cost codes
Once a category or cost code is on the budget, you can update it in two ways:
Click the 3 dots to the right of the row, then select Edit to update or Remove to delete.
Click directly on the Category or Cost Code name to edit it inline.
4. Add phases (optional, for multi-phase projects)
If your project is multi-phase, you can include multiple Phases in your budget. For example, you may have one Phase called "Building A" and another called "Building B."
a. Click + Add Budget Item at the top of the budget and select Phase from the dropdown.
b. Enter the phase name.
Any cost codes added before the phase was created are automatically nested under the first Phase. You can apply the same cost code template across multiple phases or apply a different template per phase.
5. Rearrange categories and cost codes (optional)
To reorder items on the budget, click and hold the row, drag it to its new position, and release. This works for both cost codes and categories.
6. Bulk remove categories and cost codes (optional)
To delete multiple items at once:
a. Select the checkbox next to each category or cost code you want to remove. An action bar appears above the table showing the number of items selected.
b. Click Remove in the action bar. To deselect everything, click Clear selection.
7. Share the budget (optional)
You can share the project budget with your client so they can view it from their workspace. Budgets cannot be shared with vendors.
Prerequisite: The client must be on-system and added to the Project Directory. The Share Financials button will not appear until this is done.
To share the budget, click Share Financials in the top right of the Project Budget page. Once shared, a Shared with [Client Name] pill appears at the top of the page.
8. Additional features
Budget snapshots — to capture the current state of the budget, click the 3 dots (kebab) menu to the left of the Approve Budget button, then select Take Snapshot. You can view all snapshots in the Snapshots and Approval Phases tab.
Column views — use the Standard View drop-down at the top right of the budget to switch column layouts. Default options include Standard View, ACR Only, Executive ACR + Billing, Executive Overview, Budget Only, Simplified View, and Simple Budget. Your workspace may have additional custom views. For more on layouts, see Budget Layout Views.
Budget dashboard — click the chart icon at the far right of the toolbar (next to the Standard View drop-down) to toggle the budget dashboard view.
View Settings and Manage Columns — adjust which columns are visible and how data is displayed using the View Settings and Manage Columns buttons in the top toolbar.
Default — resets the view to your workspace's default layout.
Full Screen — click Full Screen to expand the budget for easier viewing with less scrolling.
Once your budget structure is in place, you can prepare your Original Budget by adding Budget Item Line amounts.
See Also