Budget vs Actual Variance Calculator

Compare budgeted amounts to actual spending across categories.

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Budget Analysis

Enter budgeted and actual amounts for each category.

Total variance
$0
Budget: $0 · Actual: $0
Total budgeted
$0
Total actual
$0
Variance
$0
Variance %
0%
Categories over budget
0
Categories under budget
0

Worked example

With the default inputs shown below, this calculator returns the following results:

InputValue
Housing β€” budgeted ($)$1,500
Housing β€” actual ($)$1,500
Food β€” budgeted ($)$600
Food β€” actual ($)$750
Transport β€” budgeted ($)$400
Transport β€” actual ($)$350
Utilities β€” budgeted ($)$300
Utilities β€” actual ($)$320
ResultValue
Total variance$170
Total budgeted$3,500
Total actual$3,670
Variance$170
Variance %-4.9%
Categories over budget3

Values shown are produced by this page in your browser; change any input to update them.

How to use the Budget Analysis

  1. Housing β€” budgeted ($) β€” default $1,500
  2. Housing β€” actual ($) β€” default $1,500
  3. Food β€” budgeted ($) β€” default $600
  4. Food β€” actual ($) β€” default $750
  5. Transport β€” budgeted ($) β€” default $400
  6. Transport β€” actual ($) β€” default $350
  7. Utilities β€” budgeted ($) β€” default $300
  8. Utilities β€” actual ($) β€” default $320
  9. Entertainment β€” budgeted ($) β€” default $400
  10. Entertainment β€” actual ($) β€” default $500
  11. Other β€” budgeted ($) β€” default $300
  12. Other β€” actual ($) β€” default $250
  13. Press Calculate to update the results instantly.

Frequently asked questions

Variance = actual βˆ’ budget. Divide by the budget to get the percentage, which is more useful when categories differ in size.
The ones with the largest absolute variance, not the largest percentage. A 50% overspend on a tiny category rarely matters.
Either the budget was unrealistic or spending is drifting. Rebasing the budget to a realistic figure beats abandoning it entirely.

Sources & references