Planned expenses allow your team to record committed costs before they post to your accounting system. By capturing expected expenses in advance, Spenddown provides mid-month visibility into remaining grant funds and helps prevent overspending. When used correctly, planned expenses enhance forecasting accuracy and improve proactive financial management throughout the grant lifecycle.
How to add a planned expense
Step 1: Create a new expense
Open the opportunity in awarded active status and go to the Financials tab
Scroll to the Budget & Expenses section and click + Add Expenses
Click + Add an expense
Step 2: Select expense status
When prompted to select “Expense Status,” choose:
Actual — For posted or synced expenses
Planned — For commitments not yet posted
Select Planned.
Step 3: Enter expense details
Complete the required fields:
Expense date
Amount
Budget category
Description (recommended for context)
2. Click Save at the bottom.
The planned expense will appear in your Budgets vs. Actuals view under the assigned budget category with a Planned label.
Planned expenses also appear in the progress bar as a lighter shade to show that the expense is committed.
Important: Avoid double counting
Instrumentl does not automatically reconcile planned and actual expenses.
If a planned expense later posts to your accounting system and syncs as an actual expense, you must manually remove or update the planned entry.
If not removed:
The expense may appear twice
The Remaining balance may be incorrectly reduced
Regular review prevents reporting discrepancies.
Best practice: Monthly planned expense review
To maintain accurate forecasting:
Review planned expenses during monthly reconciliation
Remove planned entries once actual expenses sync
Update amounts if invoices change
Clear outdated commitments
Consistent cleanup ensures your Remaining balance reflects true available funds.
Planned expenses enhance forecasting—but require ongoing maintenance. Establish a monthly review rhythm to keep your Budget vs. Actuals reporting accurate and reliable.
Contact Us
If you have questions about planned expenses or need assistance reviewing your Budget vs. Actuals view, message our friendly support team via the chat bubble when logged into your account, or email us at hello@instrumentl.com.
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