What is the difference between budget and forecast?

• Budgeting is a planning exercise that takes place prior to the end of one fiscal year (and after a strategic planning/goal setting process) where revenue, expenses, profitability plus balance sheet items and cash flows for the next 12 months (or longer) are calculated. Estimated revenue and expenses are generally projected using a blend of historical data and inputs from key personnel re: new opportunities and changes in the marketplace or industry. The yearly goal is broken out into monthly targets (for revenue, expenses, profitability, etc) and is used as a guide to measure the company's progress over the year. In most companies, the yearly budget is used as the basis for calculating performance bonuses for sales teams and executives. The budget is also informs the company's ability to plan - i.e. was the budget realistic or "pie-in-the-sky"
• Forecasting is an assessment exercise that takes place as the fiscal year is underway. As sales and expenses start coming in, the company needs to understand if the budget goals are being met and if there are unforeseen opportunities or problems on the horizon. It's different in every firm, but it's most common to prepare quarterly forecasts and then monthly forecasts for key quarters. So, in practical terms, as month two of the fiscal year closes, a company may analyze month one and two results vs. budget and layer input from key executives and the sales and business development teams to determine, among other things if: a) sales are coming in faster or slower than anticipated, b) if there are big changes to the industry or in the marketplace, c) if expenses are higher or lower than expected, or d) if a vendor is underperforming re product manufacturing timelines. There are many factors to consider - and these will depend on the type of business you manage
• When reviewing financial results, imagine three columns where Column 1 is theActual sales, expense or profitability value; Column 2 is the Budget value which was the plan for the year; and Column 3 is the Forecast value - a projection calculated as the fiscal year was underway
• The first analysis I would run is what is variation between the Actual vs. the Budget and the Actual vs. Forecast. I would want to see these for different periods - MTD (month-to-date), QTD (quarter to date), and YTD (year-to-date). This is important because, for example, you may have a weak month during a strong quarter. Personally, the most meaningful time period analysis to me is YTD because, depending on your business, one month can be too short a time period to derive meaningful trends or insights.

Thus, the key difference between a budget and a forecast is that the budget is a plan for where a business wants to go, while a forecast is the indication of where it is actually going.

Realistically, the more useful of these tools is the forecast, for it gives a short-term representation of the actual circumstances in which a business finds itself. The information in a forecast can be used to take immediate action. A budget, on the other hand, may contain targets that are simply not achievable, or for which market circumstances have changed so much that it is not wise to attempt to achieve. If a budget is to be used, it should at least be updated more frequently than once a year, so that it bears some relationship to current market realities. The last point is of particular importance in a rapidly-changing market, where the assumptions used to create a budget may be rendered obsolete within a few months.

In short, a business always needs a forecast to reveal its current direction, while the use of a budget is not always necessary.

Budget is a detailed representation of the future results, financial position and cash flows that management wants the business to achieve during certain period of time. A forecast is an estimate of what will actually be achieved, there is no variance analysis that compares the forecast to actual results...,

Budget: is Tkadirlarkam public Allaaradat public expenditure for the upcoming The budget: do not know, with estimates include actual and real figures for the previous period is the year of the budget is mostly accurately describe what actually happened in the previous year.

The budget is a detailed representation of the future results, financial position, and cash flows that management wants the business to achieve during a certain period of time. The forecast is typically limited to major revenue and expense line items. There is usually no forecast for financial position, though cash flows may be forecasted.

Basically, the budget is in anticipation of or in recognition of what he wants business activity to reach him, and budgetary specifications are:A budget is a detailed representation of future results, the financial position, cash flows, which the administration wants to access them during a specified period.Maybe the budget is updated only once a year ... and this depends mainly on the administration's desire to review the data.The current budget is being compared the results to determine deviations from expected performance.Leaders take corrective steps to align actual results with the budget.Budget for the current and can be compared to the changes in the compensation paid to the performance of the staff going basis.On the other hand we believe that the expectations are the estimate of what will actually work up to it ... of expectations that it attributes:Set the main expectation is always the proceeds, and expenditure items, typically there is no expectation of financial position, but perhaps can be expected cash flows.The forecast is updated at regular intervals, perhaps monthly or quarterly.Altoqarpma used on short-term operational considerations ... like special teams work reconciliations, inventory levels, and production plan.No analysis of the deviation, which compares the current expectation results.Changes in expectations do not affect the compensation paid to employees based on performance.Hence it is clear that the main difference between the budget and the expectation is that the budget is a plan for what you want the organization to reach it, while the expectation is an indication depends on the actual direction of the institution.On the ground, we find that the most useful tool from between the two is the expectation, because it gives a short-term vision of the current circumstances, where he finds the work itself.Data in the prediction can be used to take immediate action.Budget on the other side might include goals that can not easily accessible, or those in which the market conditions have changed to the point where it is no longer wise to try to reach.If the budget that must be used, and should be periodically updated more than once a year.The last point and the most important is that today's business became a fast market changes, where the assumptions used to create the budget may not become useless or worthless in a few months.In short ... the company always need to expect to detect the current direction, while the use of the budget is not always Bdharoria.

A budget is an estimate amount of Revenue and expenses an organisation may incur in a given period, while a forecast an estimate of the Actual outmes  and end result. The budget Lays out the plan  for the business and the Forecast indicates the organisation's actual position and show how the future budget is to be allocated depending on the organisation's Position. The budget create a baseline to compare  actuals results to determine how the reults differ from expected perfomance. The budget explain Variancies while the forercast does not analyse the variances on Financial forecast and Actual performance.

“Budget”: is a financial or quantitative statement prepared prior to a specified accounting period, containing plans and policies which will apply during that period.

It is used mainly for monitoring and controlling the organizations’ or country’s functions performance during the accounting period by comparing what were actually performed with the budget’s figures to point out any divition in order to immediately  handle this deviation during same account period.

Whereas, “forecast”, is to predict future conditions based on given factors, depending on which the budget is prepared.

 

 

The Budget – ‘what we think we’re going to do for the next year before the year has started’.

 

The Forecast – ‘what we think we’re going to do for the rest of the year we are in’. A Forecast is a revised Budget.

Budgeting essentially lays out a plan for where a business wants to go whereas financial forecasting indicates where the business is actually headed. Abudget estimates yhe amount of revenues and expenses a company may incur over a future period.

Budget is basically monetary form of plan where as forecast is made next few years.