How to Create Budgets and Sub Budgets

Create hierarchical budget structures with sub budgets in Mastt. The Budget Register gives you a clear overview of all budget items so they are easy to manage and monitor.

Before you start

• Make sure you have the appropriate permissions to create and manage budgets in your project.
• Have your budget data ready, either in Excel format or for manual entry.
• Budgets must be set to Approved status before you can create contracts against them.

Create a budget

Open the Add Budget form

1. Click Cost in the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Click Budgets in the top navigation to view the Budget Register.
3. Click the + Add Budget button in the upper left corner.

The Budget Register is the main list view where you can see all your budgets, add new ones, and manage existing entries.

Tip: You can also create a budget from the Overall page by clicking the + Add button and selecting + Add Budget. Another option is to click the Action button (three dots) next to your project name and select Add and Edit Budgets.

Choose how to enter your budgets

Create budgets by copying and pasting from Excel

Click Paste from Excel in the form to view instructions for importing from Excel.

Warning: The import process creates main budgets only. Sub budgets must be added separately after import.

Prepare your Excel data

Make sure your Excel data has columns in this order:

Import your data

1. Select and copy your data from Excel.
2. Click in the budget name field in Mastt.
3. Paste your data. The system automatically creates rows and populates all fields.
4. Review the imported data.
5. Select Status manually from the dropdown if it was not included in the import.
6. Add any relevant tags if needed.

Create budgets by manual entry

1. Enter your budget details:

   Field	What to enter
   Budget Name	A descriptive name for your budget item
   Original Budget	The budget amount
   Status	Draft, Approved, or Closed
   Tag	Optional tags for filtering
   Notes	Optional context or decisions about this budget

2. Click + Add Budget at the bottom to add more budget lines as needed.

Add budget tags (optional)

Budget Tags are labels that group related budgets and simplify filtering across your dashboards. When you assign tags to budgets, you can filter KPI tiles to display only specific budget categories at both the Project and Program level, and group the Budget Breakdown tile by Tag.

1. In the Add and Edit Budgets form, locate the Tag column on the right side.
2. Click in the Tag field for the budget you want to label.
3. Enter your tag name (for example, "Construction", "Fitout", "Contingency").
4. Press Enter or click outside the field to confirm.

Tip: Use consistent naming conventions across your project (for example, always use "Fitout" rather than mixing "Fit out", "fitout", and "Fitout Phase"). Create tags that align with your reporting requirements. Common tag categories include Department, Project Phase, Cost Type, or Funding Source.

Save your budget

After entering all budget data (via either method), click the blue Save button at the bottom right of the form to finalise your budget.

Your budgets are now created and visible in the Budget Register, ready for contract allocation and cost tracking. Approved is the default status. Draft budgets have no functionality, and closed contracts can be assigned to Closed budgets.

To edit and delete budgets and sub budgets, see How to Edit and Delete Budgets and Sub Budgets.

Create sub budgets

Warning: The system tracks allocated budgets when using sub budgets. You can allocate more than the parent budget amount, but this will show a negative unallocated amount. Mastt will alert you if you over-allocate but will still allow you to save the budget.

Open the Add Sub Budget form

1. Click Cost in the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Click Budgets in the top navigation to view the Budget Register.
3. Locate your main budget and click the Action button (three dots) beside it.
4. Select Add and Edit Sub Budgets.

Tip: You can also access sub budgets from the Overall page by locating your main budget, clicking the Action button (three dots) beside it, and selecting Add and Edit Sub Budgets.

Choose how to enter your sub budget data

Create sub budgets by copying and pasting

1. Prepare your Excel data with columns in this order: Column 1 Budget Name, Column 2 Amount, Column 3 Status (optional: Draft, Approved, or Closed), Column 4 Tags (optional).
2. Select and copy your data from Excel.
3. Click in the budget name field in Mastt.
4. Paste your data. The system automatically creates rows and populates all fields.
5. Review the imported data.
6. Select Status manually from the dropdown if it was not included in the import.
7. Add any relevant tags if needed.

Create sub budgets by manual entry

1. Enter your sub budget details:

   Field	What to enter
   Budget Name	A descriptive name for your sub budget item
   Original Budget	The sub budget amount
   Status	Draft, Approved, or Closed
   Tag	Optional tags for filtering

2. Click + Add Budget at the bottom to add more budget lines as needed.

Tip: You can add tags to sub budgets using the same process described in Add budget tags above.

Save your sub budget

After entering all budget data (via either method), click the blue Save button at the bottom right of the form to finalise your budget.

Your budget hierarchy is now established with parent budgets and their associated sub budgets, ready for cost tracking and management.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

What if I can't add a contract against a budget?

You can only create a contract against a budget with Approved status. Change the budget status to Approved in the budget form.

What if the Excel paste isn't working properly?

Check that your column order matches exactly: Name, Amount, Status (optional), Tags (optional). Make sure your Excel data has no formatting or merged cells.

What happens if I allocate more than the parent budget amount?

The system allows over-allocation but will show a negative unallocated amount. Mastt will alert you about the over-allocation but still permits saving the budget.

How do I use Budget Tags to filter my Dashboard?

When configuring a KPI tile, select the Filter option and choose specific Budget Tags to display. You can also group the Budget Breakdown tile by Tag. This works at both Project and Program levels, allowing you to create focused views without duplicating dashboards.

Can I add the same tag to multiple budgets?

Yes. Tags are designed to group related budgets together. Apply the same tag to all budgets you want to filter as a group in your Dashboard views.

Need help?

Contact Mastt Support for additional assistance with budget setup and the Cost module.