ModulesProjects
Project Budgets
Set a fixed, hourly, or retainer budget per project and track actuals in real time.
Give each project a budget — in hours or currency — and Workestra tracks how much you've spent as approved time and expenses roll in. The project overview shows budget-vs-actual so you see overruns early, not at the end of the quarter.
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Setting a Budget
- Open a project
- Go to Settings → Budget
- Pick a budget type:
| Type | Use For |
|---|---|
| Fixed | A one-time amount (e.g. "$50,000 total") |
| Hourly | A cap on hours (e.g. "200 hours total") |
| Retainer | A recurring monthly amount (e.g. "40 hours per month") |
- Enter the amount and (for retainer) the billing period
- Save
Tracking Actuals
Workestra automatically tallies:
- Approved time entries — converted to cost using the billable rate
- Linked expenses — anything tagged to the project in the Finance module
- Manual adjustments — optional entries for non-time/expense costs
The Actual number updates in real time as entries are approved.
Budget Status Indicators
The project overview card and the Portfolio Dashboard show color-coded status:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Under 75% of budget used |
| Yellow | 75–100% — heads up |
| Red | Over budget |
Retainer Behavior
Retainer budgets reset each billing period (typically monthly). At period close:
- Unused hours can roll over to the next period (configurable)
- The new period starts at the full retainer amount
- Historical utilization is preserved in Reports
Budget vs. Actual Reports
The Reports page has a budget-vs-actual view with:
- Per project — current status, trend, projected end-of-project cost
- Per team — aggregate utilization
- Over time — historical budget performance
Next Steps
- Time Tracking — approved hours feed the actuals
- Portfolio Dashboard — see budget status across all projects
- Reports — deep dive into budget performance