Overview
The Budget is where project financial control actually happens in Structur. It gives you a live, real-time view of what you planned to spend versus what you've actually committed or spent, broken down by cost code across every line of work on the project.
Unlike your proposal or invoice, the budget is not about what you charge the client. It's about what it costs you to deliver the work. That distinction is critical: the budget tracks your costs, like subcontracts, bills, expenses and labor hours, against the estimate that established your cost baseline. The difference between the two tells you whether the project is on track, running lean, or heading toward a loss.
Understanding your budget means understanding your margin. And managing it proactively is how contractors protect their profitability on every job.
Understanding the Budget
What It Does
Structur's Budget feature allows you to:
See your Original Budget - the sum of all estimate line items before overhead and profit, pulled from approved estimates
Track your Revised Budget - the Original Budget updated to include all approved client change orders
Monitor Total Costs - every dollar committed or spent, including subcontracts, bills, expenses, and labor hours
View Budget Variance - the difference between Revised Budget and Total Costs, showing whether you're over or under at any moment
Break all of the above down by cost code - Labor, Materials, Subcontractors, Equipment, and Other
Control column visibility to customize what you see and keep the view focused on what matters to you
Create financial documents - expenses, subcontracts, bid packages, change orders, directly from cost codes without leaving the budget page
When to Use It
The Budget is most valuable when you want to:
Confirm that actual costs are tracking in line with your estimate before the job is too far along to course-correct
See the immediate financial impact of approved change orders on your cost baseline
Identify which cost codes are running over budget so you can address them before they compound
Review your financial position before issuing an invoice to ensure you're billing in line with what you've delivered
Maintain a complete, real-time picture of every committed and paid cost on the project
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Open the Budget
Open any active project in Structur
Click the Financial Management dropdown in the left navigation
Select Budget
This opens the project's budget table, populated from your approved proposals, change orders, and all recorded costs.
2. Understand the Four Core Budget Numbers
Every project budget in Structur revolves around four numbers. Understanding what each one means and where it comes from, is the foundation of financial control.
Original Budget
The sum of all estimate line items from approved proposals, before overhead and profit
This is your planned cost baseline for the project
Example: Labor $20,000 + Materials $30,000 + Subcontractors $40,000 = Original Budget of $90,000
Revised Budget
The Original Budget plus all approved client change orders, added at their cost amounts (before overhead and profit)
Updates automatically whenever a change order is approved
Example: $90,000 Original Budget + $5,000 CO #1 + $3,000 CO #2 = Revised Budget of $98,000
Total Costs
Every dollar you've committed or spent to deliver the work, including:
Subcontracts - commitments to subcontractors (appear immediately when entered)
Bills - vendor invoices in Open or Paid status
Expenses - direct project expenses
Labor Hours - team time tracked through Timesheets
Example: $45,000 Subcontracts + $25,000 Bills + $8,000 Expenses + $15,000 Labor = Total Costs of $93,000
Budget Variance
Revised Budget minus Total Costs
A positive variance means you're under budget, good
A negative variance means you're over budget, needs attention
Example: $98,000 Revised Budget − $93,000 Total Costs = +$5,000 variance (under budget)
3. Use the Actions Menu
In the top-right corner of the Budget page, click Actions to access shortcuts for creating:
New Expense
New Bid Package
New Subcontract
New Change Order
These shortcuts let you act immediately without leaving the Budget page, useful when you're reviewing costs and need to record something on the spot.
4. Configure Column Visibility
Click the eyeball icon to control which columns are visible in your budget table.
When the Default Visibility toggle is ON:
Your column changes apply to all projects company-wide
When the Default Visibility toggle is OFF:
Your column changes apply only to the current project
The columns you can show or hide include:
Description
Original Estimate
Approved Change Orders
Revised Budget
Subcontract Balance
Bills
Expenses
Labor Hours
Total Costs
Revised Budget vs Total Costs
The Description column is hidden by default but can be enabled if you want to see cost code descriptions in the table.
5. Read the Budget Table
The main budget table displays all approved proposals and change orders. At the bottom, a totals row summarizes every column across the entire project.
To see the detail behind any number:
Expand a proposal or change order in the table
You'll see the groups and cost codes tied to that proposal or change order
Expand a cost code further to see all nested financial documents, bills, subcontracts, expenses, and labor hours, recorded against it
This drill-down gives you full visibility from the project total down to the individual transaction level.
6. Understand Each Budget Column
Cost Code - The cost code label, along with its related group, proposal, or change order. Financial documents nested under each code appear when expanded.
Description - The description for the group or cost code (hidden by default; enable via the eyeball icon).
Original Estimate - The original approved cost amount from the proposal for that cost code.
Approved Change Orders - The sum of all approved change orders applied to that cost code.
Revised Budget - Original Estimate plus Approved Change Orders for that cost code.
Subcontract Balance - The remaining uncommitted balance on subcontracts for that cost code. When a subcontract bill is paid, the amount shifts out of Subcontract Balance and into the Bills column.
Bills - All bills in Open or Paid status tied to that cost code. Bills in Draft status do not appear here.
Expenses - All expenses recorded against that cost code.
Labor Hours - Labor costs from timesheet entries assigned to that cost code.
Total Costs - The sum of Subcontract Balance + Bills + Expenses + Labor Hours for that cost code.
Revised Budget vs Total Costs - A direct comparison showing whether that cost code is on track, under budget, or over budget.
7. Add Financial Items Directly from Cost Codes
For any cost code in the budget table, look for the plus (+) icon. From there, you can create:
New Expense
New Subcontract
New Change Order
New Bid Package
Creating financial items directly from a cost code automatically associates them with the correct line, keeping your budget accurate without extra steps.
8. Understand When Bills Appear in the Budget
Bills only affect the budget once they move out of Draft status:
Draft - Bill is still being created or reviewed. Does not appear in the budget.
Open - Bill has been confirmed and is awaiting payment. Appears in the budget as a committed cost.
Paid - Bill has been paid. Remains in the budget as an actual cost.
This means your budget only reflects costs you've genuinely committed to or already paid, not tentative amounts still under review. If your budget looks better than expected, check whether any bills are sitting in Draft status that should have been moved to Open.
Best Practices
Set accurate, detailed estimates before the project starts - The quality of your budget is only as good as the estimate that feeds it. Break costs down by cost code and include everything you expect to spend.
Enter costs promptly - Log subcontracts when signed, record bills when received, and track expenses and labor regularly. The budget is only useful if it's current.
Move bills to Open status as soon as they're confirmed - Leaving bills in Draft makes your budget look healthier than it is, which can lead to unpleasant surprises later.
Check Revised Budget vs Total Costs weekly - Catching an overrun early when there's still room to course-correct is far better than discovering it at closeout.
Use cost codes consistently - Always assign every cost to the correct cost code. Mismatched or missing cost codes distort your per-category variance and make it harder to see where the real issues are.
Create financial documents from cost codes - Using the plus (+) icon in the budget table to create expenses and subcontracts ties them to the right cost code automatically, reducing manual errors.
Review the budget before invoicing - Check that your costs are in line with what you've delivered before issuing a client invoice. This helps you maintain healthy margins and avoid billing ahead of actual progress.
Common Questions
Q: Why doesn't my budget match my proposal amount?
A: The budget tracks your costs, what it takes to deliver the work, before overhead and profit. Your proposal shows the selling price, costs plus overhead and profit. These will always be different numbers. The budget is not meant to equal the proposal; it's meant to help you deliver within your cost estimate.
Q: Why isn't overhead showing in my budget?
A: Overhead is markup applied to costs to determine your selling price, it's not a project delivery cost. The budget tracks what you spend to execute the work. Overhead and profit appear in your proposals and invoices to clients, not in the cost budget.
Q: Do invoices I send to clients show in the budget?
A: No. Invoices track revenue and billing. The budget tracks costs. To understand profitability, you compare your Total Costs (from the budget) against the amounts invoiced (from your revenue tracking).
Q: When exactly do bills appear in the budget?
A: Bills appear in the budget when they reach Open or Paid status. Bills in Draft status are excluded. This ensures the budget only reflects costs you've confirmed and committed to.
Q: Do subcontracts affect the budget immediately when I enter them?
A: Yes. Subcontracts are cost commitments and appear in Total Costs as soon as they're entered. When a bill tied to that subcontract is paid, the amount moves from the Subcontract Balance column into the Bills column.
Q: What if I change column visibility for one project, does it affect other projects?
A: It depends on the Default Visibility toggle. If the toggle is on, the change applies to all projects. If the toggle is off, the change applies only to the current project. Always check the toggle before adjusting visibility if you only want to change one project's view.
Q: What if a cost doesn't have a cost code assigned?
A: Costs without a cost code won't appear in the correct budget line, which distorts your variance tracking. Assign every cost to a cost code to ensure accurate, meaningful budget reporting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
Leave bills in Draft status for extended periods | Move bills to Open as soon as they're confirmed so the budget reflects real committed costs |
Assume the budget should equal the proposal amount | Remember the budget tracks costs before overhead and profit, the proposal shows the selling price |
Check the budget only at project closeout | Review Revised Budget vs Total Costs weekly to catch overruns while there's still time to act |
Forget to assign cost codes to expenses and bills | Always assign a cost code so every dollar lands in the right budget line |
Turn on Default Visibility when you only want to change one project's columns | Turn off the Default Visibility toggle before making changes if they're project-specific |
Manually add financial items without linking them to cost codes | Use the plus (+) icon directly from the cost code row to ensure correct assignment |