A breakdown is a part of one budget item. The item keeps the budget the board approved, and its breakdowns show where inside it the money went.
Use them when the board votes one amount but people spend it in pieces: $10,000 for classroom supplies with each teacher getting about $500, or $20,000 for marching band split across buses, instruments and lessons.
Adding Breakdowns
Open the budget item and select Add breakdown for each part.
- Name: what the part is called, like “Room 5” or “Postage”.
- Target (optional): a guide for that part, not a limit.
The form adds up the targets and notes when they exceed the item’s budget.
A breakdown with charges can be renamed but not removed.
Charging a Breakdown
Once an item has breakdowns, requests, deposits and journal entries pick a breakdown rather than the item itself. One request can split its line items across several breakdowns.
Anything charged to the item before it had breakdowns stays on the item and is listed as Unassigned.
Seeing Where the Money Went
- Budget item page: each breakdown’s spending against its target, plus a chart of each one’s share.
- Breakdown page: select a breakdown for its own spending and history.
- Budget Report: choose Breakdowns under Filters to list them under their items, on screen and in downloads.
- Register: entries name their breakdown, and the account filter can narrow to one.
Spending past a target shows as a warning. Only the item’s budget can be over.
Next Year
Copying your budget forward brings each item’s breakdowns and targets with it. A budget proposal lists them under each item, where you can change them before the board votes.