The Budget vs. Actuals report provides structured, grant-level financial visibility aligned to your funder-approved budget. Once expenses are syncing, you can generate a report that reflects your current budget and actuals. With just a few clicks, Spenddown transforms synced accounting data into a clean, export-ready file delivered directly to your email.
Why use the Budget vs. Actuals report?
The Budget vs. Actuals report simplifies grant-level financial reporting.
Using this feature allows you to:
Compare approved budget amounts to actual expenses
Include planned (committed) expenses in totals
Optionally exclude ignored expenses from calculations
Monitor over- or under-spend risk
Generate funder-facing financial reports quickly
Reduce manual spreadsheet rebuilding
Instead of reconciling multiple systems, you can generate a structured export directly from Instrumentl.
Getting started
Before you generate a Budget vs Actuals report, confirm the following:
Your accounting system is connected (learn how to connect Sage Intacct or QuickBooks Online to Instrumentl)
Grant identifiers are mapped
GL (general ledger) accounts are mapped
Expenses are syncing successfully
Navigate to the appropriate award to begin.
Step 1: Navigate to the Financials tab
Open the awarded grant you are looking to report for
Click the Financials tab
You will see your Budget & Expenses table displayed by category
Step 2: Review totals before exporting
Before clicking Download Report, confirm:
Actual expenses reflect posted accounting data
Planned expenses (if included) are accurate and up to date
Ignored expenses are appropriately excluded
Remaining balance aligns directionally with expectations
If totals appear incorrect:
Review phase dates
Confirm GL mappings
Review ignored expenses
Remove outdated planned expenses
Instrumentl reflects your accounting system — discrepancies must be corrected in the source system.
Step 3: Select your expense options
Before exporting, choose which expenses to include in your report:
Planned Expenses (optional): Include committed or anticipated expenses that have not yet been posted in your accounting system
Ignored Expenses (optional): Exclude specific synced expenses that you have marked as ignored
To make your selection:
Under the Financials tab, go the the Overview section
Click Download Report
Click the box to select:
Planned Expenses only
Ignored Expenses only
Both (both boxes checked)
Neither (boxes left unchecked)
Important:
Ignored Expenses are still present in your accounting system but are intentionally excluded in Instrumentl
If an expense is incorrectly impacting your totals, confirm whether it should be marked as ignored.
Step 4: Export the report
When ready, click Download.
The report will be generated and sent to your email as a CSV file.
The export includes:
Budgeted amounts
Actual expenses
Planned and ignored expenses (if selected)
Remaining balance
The exported file may be used for:
Funder reports
Board updates
Internal financial reviews
Audit preparation
Multi-year grants
If your grant includes multiple phases:
Ensure each phase includes both a start and end date
The report will reflect all applicable data across the grant
Common questions
Does this replace my accounting system reports?
No. This report provides grant-level visibility aligned to your funder-approved structure. Your accounting system remains the financial source of truth.
Can I customize the report (date range, grouping, etc.)?
Not at this time. The report exports as a standardized CSV reflecting current financial data. Additional customization options may be available in future releases.
Why does my remaining balance differ from Sage Intacct or QuickBooks Online?
Spenddown may include planned expenses (if selected) and exclude ignored expenses. Your accounting system reflects only posted transactions.
What success looks like
You have successfully generated a Budget vs. Actuals report when:
The report reflects your current financial data
Totals align directionally with your accounting system
Included/excluded expenses match your selections
Remaining funds can be communicated clearly to stakeholders
You may repeat this process regularly as part of your ongoing grant monitoring workflow.
Generating consistent Budget vs. Actuals reports help maintain financial transparency and proactive grant management across your organization.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about generating or interpreting your Budget vs. Actuals report, message our friendly support team via the chat bubble when logged into your account, or email us at hello@instrumentl.com.