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How to Edit Budget and Object Level Cash Flow

Complete step-by-step guide for cash flow management in construction project management

Cash flow management helps you forecast when funds are needed throughout your project lifecycle. This guide covers how to distribute project costs across monthly periods using two entry methods: budget level and object level.

Budget-level and object-level cash flow are mutually exclusive — you cannot use both on the same budget. Adding budget-level cash flow automatically disables object-level entry for all items within that budget. To switch modes, clear the existing cash flow data first via Settings (cog icon) at the top right of the Cash Flow page. 

Before You Start

    • Budgets, contracts, and forecasts must already exist in the Cost Module
    • Decide whether budget-level or object-level cash flow suits your project
    • Financial periods must be open (not closed by admins) to edit past months

    Access the Cash Flow Module

    1. From your project dashboard, click Cost in the side navigation bar.
    2. Click Cash Flow in the top navigation bar.

    You'll see the cash flow chart and table with budgets listed on the left and monthly columns on the right.

    Understanding Cash Flow Entry Levels

    Budget Level Cash Flow distributes costs for an entire budget across months. Best for high-level forecasting at the budget category level.

    Object Level Cash Flow distributes costs for individual contracts, forecasts, or risks within a budget. Provides granular control and precision.

    Understanding the Cash Flow Table Columns

    The Cash Flow table displays key financial data across multiple columns. Understanding each column helps you interpret your cash flow data accurately.

    Column Description
    Title Budgets and nested objects (contracts, change orders, forecasts, risks)
    Estimate at Completion (EAC)  The Estimate at Completion value for each item
    Unassigned Difference between total value and amounts distributed to months (positive = undistributed, negative = over-distributed)
    Monthly columns (e.g. Oct '25, Nov '25) Forecasted spend per period
    Period Paid Total paid during the selected date range
    Period Total Total paid and forecasted during the selected date range
    Total Paid Cumulative total of all payments across all months
    Amount Remaining Outstanding balance (FFC minus Total Paid)

    Edit Cash Flow

    Edit Budget Level Cash Flow

    Budget level cash flow spreads an entire budget's cost across monthly periods.

    1. Click the Settings icon (cog) in the upper right corner and turn the Budget Cash Flow Entry toggle ON (blue).
    2. Find the budget in the cash flow table, click its Action button, and select Edit Budget Cash Flow.
    3. Enter the forecasted amount for each applicable month, then click Confirm.

    If you have monthly data in Excel, copy the row of values and paste into the first month field. Mastt auto-populates all months across the correct periods.

    Edit Object Level Cash Flow

    Object level cash flow provides granular control by setting cash flow for individual contracts, forecasts, or risks.

    You cannot edit object-level cash flow for items within a budget that already has budget-level cash flow. Clear the budget-level data first.

    1. Click the expand arrow (chevron) next to a budget to reveal nested objects, then find the specific contract, change order, forecast, or risk.
    2. Click the Action button beside the object and select Edit Contract Cash Flow, Edit Change Cash Flow, Edit Forecast Cash Flow, or Edit Risk Cash Flow.
    3. Enter the cash flow amount for each applicable month (leave blank or zero for inactive months), then click Confirm. Repeat for each object.

    Edit Previous Year Cash Flow

    You can update cash flow for past months if the financial period is open.

    1. Open either a budget-level or object-level cash flow edit form.
    2. Use the left (‹) and right (›) arrows beside the year at the top of the form to navigate between years.
    3. Enter or update past month values.
    4. Click Confirm.

    If past month fields are grayed out, the financial period may be locked by your Project Admin or Workspace Admin. Contact your admin to reopen the required months.

    Switch from Budget Level to Object Level

    1. Click the Action button next to the budget, select Clear Budget Cash Flows, and click Clear to confirm.
    2. Click the Settings icon (cog) and turn the Budget Cash Flow Entry toggle OFF (gray).
    3. Expand the budget, click the Action button next to any contract, forecast, or risk, and select Edit [Object] Cash Flow to begin entering data.

    Switching modes clears existing data — you'll need to re-enter cash flow for individual objects.

    Customize Columns

    You can show or hide columns in the cash flow table to focus on relevant data.

    1. Click the Columns button in the top right corner of the cash flow table.
    2. Toggle columns on or off using the checkboxes.
    3. Use Show All to display all columns, or Reset to return to defaults.
    4. Click anywhere outside the dropdown to close it.

    Troubleshooting & FAQs

    Q: How do I choose between budget level and object level?

    Use budget level for high-level forecasting across entire budget categories. Use object level when you need visibility into which specific contracts, forecasts, or risks drive monthly cash requirements.

    Q: Can't edit past months?

    Financial periods may be locked by your admin. Contact your Project Admin or Workspace Admin to reopen the required months.

    Q: Can't edit object-level cash flow?

    Budget Cash Flow Entry is likely enabled. Turn the toggle OFF in Settings (cog icon) and clear existing budget-level data first.

    Need Help?

    Contact Mastt Support for additional assistance with cash flow management.