Budget vs Actuals analysis in Google Sheets (step by step)
Reading time: 8 min
Updated: July 18, 2026
Guide contents
1. Data structure
You need three blocks: budget by account and month, actuals by account and month, and the deviation calculation. The budget can come from your annual plan; the actuals, from your accounting.
2. Calculate deviations
For each account: variance = actual − budget. Divide by the budget for the percentage and flag with a traffic light the ones above a threshold (for example 10%).
3. From variance to forecast
The natural next step is projecting the year-end by extrapolating the actuals trend. This turns the budget into a living forecast you update every month.
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