> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.caleido.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Actuals, budgets and forecasts

> Learn what actuals, budgets and forecasts mean in Caleido, how budget items generate budget figures, and how a forecast column combines actuals with the budget.

Caleido works with three kinds of figures. **Actuals** are what happened, **budgets** are what you plan, and a **forecast** combines the two into your current best estimate of the whole period. All three use the same rows and the same data model, so you can compare them on any report.

## Actuals

Actuals are the transactions imported from your accounting system, plus any journal entries you add in Caleido. They are the source of truth for the past. On reports, actuals columns are marked **ACT** by default.

Actuals cover the date range you set for actuals on the report. Typically that ends at the last closed month. See [Set the report date range](https://support.caleido.io/guides/reporting/date-range.md).

## Budgets

A budget is a named plan, such as *Budget 2026* or *Rolling forecast*. It has a start date, an end date, a status (**Draft** or **Approved**) and a **Model end** that sets how far ahead its budget items are generated. On reports, budget columns are marked **BUD** by default.

A budget is made of **budget items**. A budget item describes one thing you plan, for example rent, a salary, a sales forecast or a loan repayment:

* Its item type sets the accounting logic and the accounts
* It can happen once or repeat, for example monthly until an end date
* Its payment terms set when the money moves

Caleido turns each budget item into budget transactions with double-entry logic. That is why one budget item updates the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow budget together. A purchase budgeted for March with 30-day payment terms is a cost in March and a cash outflow in April.

You can create budget items one by one, paste them from Excel, build a whole budget from actuals, or generate them with the loan calculator and depreciation schedules. See [Create a budget](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/create-a-budget.md), [Edit budget items](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/edit-budget-items.md) and [Create a budget from actuals](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/create-a-budget-from-actuals.md).

### Several budgets and scenarios

You can keep any number of budgets side by side. One of them can be the default budget that opens first, and a budget can be locked to protect it from changes. See [Manage budgets](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/manage-budgets.md).

To test a change without touching the budget, add a **Scenario** or an **Investment** on top of it. See [Plan with scenarios and investments](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/scenarios.md).

## Forecasts

In Caleido, a forecast is not a separate data set. It is a view that joins actuals and a budget on the timeline:

* For the periods that have actuals, the forecast shows actuals
* For the periods after that, the forecast shows the budget

The **Forecast** column (short name **FCT**) does exactly this. It adds the actuals for the actuals date range to the budget for the budget date range, and shows the result as one total. For a full-year forecast, set actuals to run from the start of the year to the last closed month, and link the budget start to the end of actuals. As months close, actuals move forward and the forecast updates on its own.

> [!TIP]
>
> Many teams keep an approved annual budget unchanged and maintain a second budget as a rolling forecast. The rolling forecast is updated every month for the remaining periods, and the forecast column joins it with the latest actuals.

## Compare them

Comparison columns show the difference between two of these figures. The most common ones are:

| Column | Short name | Shows |
| - | - | - |
| **Budget vs actual** | **BUD v. ACT** | How actuals compare with the budget for the same periods |
| **Forecast vs budget** | **FCT v. BUD** | How the current forecast for the whole period compares with the budget |
| **Budget vs forecast** | **BUD v. FCT** | The same comparison the other way round |
| **Forecast vs previous year** | **FCT v. PY** | How the forecast compares with last year's actuals |
| **Budget vs budget** | **BUD v. BUD** | The difference between two budgets |

Add them from the column settings. See [Set up report columns](https://support.caleido.io/guides/reporting/columns.md).

## Related pages

* [How Caleido works](https://support.caleido.io/concepts/how-caleido-works.md)
* [Direct cash flow](https://support.caleido.io/concepts/direct-cash-flow.md)
* [Copy a budget](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/copy-a-budget.md)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.