See where the budget went over before the month closes. The Budget vs Actual Dashboard in Excel turns a list of budget lines into five clickable pages: Overview, Departments, Accounts, Trend and Locations. Add your budget lines, click Refresh All, and every card and chart updates. It uses no macros and no add-ins.
Watch the Budget vs Actual Dashboard in Excel walkthrough
Good to know: this is an add-data-and-refresh workbook, not a live connector to your accounting or ERP software. It is built for desktop Excel on Windows (Excel 2016 or later, or Microsoft 365). The sample data is fictional. Variance = budget minus actual, so a negative number means overspend.
What You Get
- Five dashboard pages: Overview, Departments, Accounts, Trend and Locations
- KPI cards for Total Budget, Total Actual, Net Variance, Total Forecast and Over Budget Lines, plus Budget Used %
- Three slicers (Year, Month and Department) that filter all five pages
- A Data tab with 504 sample budget lines and formula columns for variance, variance status, over-budget count, month, year and quarter
- A Support tab that holds the pivot tables, plus a user manual PDF
Key Features
Overview Page
Five KPI cards sit across the top: Total Budget, Total Actual, Net Variance, Total Forecast and Over Budget Lines, plus Budget Used %. Below them you get budget vs actual by department, net variance by account category and budget used % by location.
Departments Page
The top 10 cost centers, variance % by department, over-budget lines by department and actual vs forecast by budget owner.
Accounts Page
Budget vs actual by account category, net variance by GL account, actual by expense type (fixed vs variable) and budget used % by category.
Trend Page
Net variance by month, forecast vs actual by month, budget used % by quarter and prior year vs actual by month.
Locations Page
Budget vs actual by office, variance % by location, actual by business unit and budget lines by variance status.
Who Is It For?
Finance managers, FP&A analysts, controllers, department heads and business owners who run a budget and want a clear view of where spending is over or under plan. It also suits accountants who report budget variance for clients.
How to Use
- Download the ZIP and open the Excel file.
- Go to the Data tab and replace the sample budget lines with your own.
- Click Refresh All.
- Use the Year, Month and Department slicers to filter every page.
- Move through the pages from the navigation bar.
Comparison
| Feature | This dashboard | Plain budget sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Variance and variance status per line | Automatic | Manual formulas |
| Budget used % by location and category | Charts and slicers | Build yourself |
| Forecast vs actual by month | On the Trend page | Build yourself |
| Macros required | No | No |
| Live link to accounting software | No | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it connect to my accounting or ERP software?
No. It is an add-data-and-refresh workbook. Type or paste your budget lines on the Data tab, click Refresh All, and every card, chart and slicer updates. There is no live link to QuickBooks, Xero, SAP or any other system.
Does it need macros or add-ins?
No. It uses formulas, pivot tables, charts and slicers only, so there is nothing to enable beyond opening the file.
Which Excel version do I need?
Desktop Excel for Windows, Excel 2016 or later, or Microsoft 365. The slicers and pivot tables do not work fully in Excel for the web.
How is variance calculated?
Variance = budget minus actual, so a negative number means you overspent. A line is marked On Budget when actual is within 2% of the plan; otherwise it is Over Budget or Under Budget.
What does Budget Used % show?
It is actual spend divided by budget for whatever is in view. It reacts to the Year, Month and Department slicers, so you can see it for one department or one range of months.
Is the sample data real?
No. The 504 budget lines on the Data tab are fictional. Replace them with your own and refresh.
Can I keep real financial data in it?
Yes, but an Excel file is only as private as where you store it. Keep your copy somewhere access-controlled and share it with named people only.
Get the Dashboard
Download the Budget vs Actual Dashboard in Excel and see budget, actual, forecast and variance on one screen. For another finance view, see the Credit Recovery Agencies KPI Dashboard in Excel, or browse all Excel templates.
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