The following are the steps to setup a budget for a new year.

Budgets > Years > Click New > Enter the new year and select type Budget

• Normal settings are to uncheck box to disallow entry on specific dates. Check boxes to allow entry and allow change to annual amount.
• Lock down budget entry for selected accounts: If you wish to restrict accounts budgets can be entered into, click the Account Restrictions button and select the accounts budget entry is allowed. If nothing is selected, entry is allowed for all accounts.
• Lock down budget entry for selected users: If you wish to restrict budget entry to selected users, click the User Restrictions button and select the users allowed to do budget entry. If no users are specified, all users have access to budget entry, if their menu permissions allow.
• If you wish to start the new year budget with figures from the current year, check the box to copy budgets and select from the drop-down arrow. You can leave this box unchecked and later use the Global Budget Changes to copy into selected accounts only. It seems the more popular option is to start out with a zero budget (on most accounts) and have the budget format set to prompt the user to copy in the component (details) from last year on this account; and then make appropriate changes. 
• Normal setting is to check the box to copy allocations from the current year to the new year. You will later change (add, edit, delete) allocations as needed for the new year.
• See Budget Years for more information.
• Review Budgets > Formats
• If there are no changes needed for the new budget year, the existing format remains in effect.
• If anything needs changed on a format for the new budget year, do not change the existing format. Instead, click to highlight the format and click Copy. Remove the words “- Copy” from the name (format ID) and set the effective year for the new year. It is important that the name (Format ID) be exactly the same as the format for the prior year so that prior year budget components can be viewed.
• Make any format changes needed for the new year. You may add, edit, delete rows or columns, change formulas, add optional checkboxes or text selections, etc. that are different from last year. Keep in mind that any data you want to copy from the prior year must have the same data slot# assigned, so the system knows what data to copy. 
• To change the default value, such as # pay periods per month, etc., click on the search icon in the Dft Value column. If this is an annual format, click on the Settings button and click on the Distribution button.
• Review the checkboxes for the columns you wish to “Copy to the next year” and uncheck any column you do not want to copy to the new year budget screen.

NOTE: If you are using a default value, you most likely will NOT want to copy this column to the new year so that the new year’s default is presented instead.

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Before beginning budget entry for the new year, double-check that the following are in place:

• Budgets > Years. The new year budget must be set to allow entry.
• Budgets > Allocationsshould be in place for the new year. If they do not yet exist, you may click the Copy button to copy the allocations from a prior year. Be sure to review and edit allocations appropriately for the new year. If allocations are added or rates changed, the allocations can be manually re-computed at any time.
• Optional: Budgets >Global Budget Changes allows several optional formula calculations, such as percent change, average percent change, trend on past years, and spread evenly based on annual. Click the Accounts button to select the accounts to include in this calculation. Select the new year budget. Check the box if you want the system to compute the allocations. Computing the allocations takes some time, so you may prefer to compute the allocations manually later (from the Budgets > Allocations menu).

o   An example of using a global budget formula calc when setting up the budget: If you know you want to budget a % increase over last year for a group of utility accounts, you can use the Global Budget Changes tool and calculate an x percent increase from a prior year, updating the new year budget. The calculation is complete as soon as you click the OK button. Then go to Budgets > Years and lock down that range of accounts in the new budget year. This saves time or errors with any manual calculation by budget directors.

• Budgets > Format Account Ranges.  This controls the budget format names that will be displayed for detail budget component entry for the assigned ranges of accounts. One format name is allowed for each account (or range of accounts). Therefore it is important that the same name exist for current and past years so that prior year budget details can still be seen. The format content may be different (columns, descriptions, etc.) but the Format ID/name must be the same. 

To setup the forecast for the new year, see Forecasting.