US Business Budget Template
A free US business budget template with budget-versus-actual columns and automatic totals.
- Accounting standard
- US GAAP
- Financial year
- Any 12-month period; the calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31) is most common
- Currency
- USD ($)
- Filed with
- SEC (public companies) — no general registry for private firms
| Budget | Actual | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales revenue | $900,000 | $900,000 |
| Other income | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Total income | $920,000 | $920,000 |
| Salaries and wages | $320,000 | $320,000 |
| Rent and utilities | $60,000 | $60,000 |
| Marketing and advertising | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Other operating costs | $130,000 | $130,000 |
| Net surplus / (deficit) | $370,000 | $370,000 |
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How to Fill In a US Business Budget Template
A business budget sets out expected income and costs for the year ahead so a US business can plan spending, monitor performance and catch problems early by comparing budget to actual results. Unlike the income statement or balance sheet, a budget isn’t required by US GAAP or any regulator — it’s an internal planning tool, but a disciplined one that lenders and investors increasingly expect to see.
This template uses side-by-side Budget and Actual columns so you can track variance throughout the year rather than only finding out how you did after it’s over.
What is a business budget?
A business budget is a forward-looking plan of expected income and expenses for a future period, typically a fiscal year, broken down by category. Comparing budgeted figures to actual results as the period unfolds — a "budget vs actual" analysis — highlights where the business is over- or under-performing so management can act.
What to include
- Sales revenue — expected income from your core products or services.
- Other income — any additional expected income outside core sales.
- Total income — the sum of sales revenue and other income.
- Salaries and wages — expected payroll costs for the period.
- Rent and utilities — expected occupancy and utility costs.
- Marketing and advertising — expected spend on promotion and customer acquisition.
- Other operating costs — all remaining expected operating expenses.
- Net surplus / (deficit) — total income less all budgeted or actual costs.
Step-by-step guide
- Estimate sales revenue and other income for the period ahead, using last year’s actuals plus known growth or contract changes as a starting point, and enter these in the Budget column.
- Estimate salaries and wages based on current headcount plus any planned hires or raises.
- Estimate rent, utilities and other fixed occupancy costs, which are usually the most predictable line to budget.
- Estimate marketing and advertising spend based on planned campaigns for the period.
- Estimate remaining operating costs — insurance, subscriptions, professional fees and similar recurring costs.
- Let the template calculate the budgeted net surplus or deficit; if it shows a deficit, revisit costs or revenue assumptions before finalizing the plan.
- As the period progresses, fill in the Actual column with real income and costs from your accounting records.
- Review the variance between Budget and Actual regularly — monthly or quarterly — to catch overspending or revenue shortfalls early and adjust course.
US-specific rules
There is no US GAAP requirement or filing obligation for an internal budget — it never appears in a 10-K or any public filing. It is purely a management tool, though banks and SBA lenders will often ask to see a budget or financial projection alongside historical statements when evaluating a loan application.
Because a budget isn’t a formal GAAP statement, you have flexibility in how you categorize costs; this template groups them by common function (payroll, occupancy, marketing, other) to match how most US small businesses track spending internally.