What it is
A budget set in January is wrong by March. A rolling forecast keeps actuals for closed months and your best view for the rest, and shows how the year is likely to land against the original budget.
Enter the budget by line and month, then actuals as months close. Enter reforecast overrides only where the budget no longer holds. The Forecast tab uses actuals through the last closed month, then the override or the budget. Variance compares the full-year forecast with budget and year-to-date actual with budget, marking favorable and unfavorable.
When to use it
- Budget season and monthly reforecasts.
- Board and lender reporting.
- Cash planning when results run off budget.
What’s inside
- Budget, Actuals and Reforecast tabs with 4 revenue and 12 expense lines
- Forecast tab with lock-in by last closed month
- Variance tab with favorable and unfavorable flags
- Net income tie-out
Standard cited
This template follows Firm practice. It is written in our own words, except for phrases the standard requires the document to contain, with [bracketed placeholders] for client details, amounts in USD and dates as MM/DD/YYYY. Check it against the current standard and your firm’s methodology before use.
Questions
What is the last closed month?
The number of months you have closed, from 1 to 12. Months up to that number use actuals.
Can I add lines?
Edit the line names. To add rows, insert them in all tabs in the same position.
How are favorable and unfavorable decided?
Revenue above budget and expenses below budget are favorable.
Related templates
- Budget vs Actual Variance Template
- 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast Template
- Flux Analysis Template (AU-C 520)
- Financial Ratio Analysis Workbook
Last updated 11/05/2026. All free templates.