Operational Budgeting - Create a New Budget

The initial version of your Operational Budget, or Baseline Version, is your first pass and is typically provided to department heads or other team members to review and submit requests. When you create a new budget, you can set it up to be the Baseline Budget to work on. 

Need to Clone a Budget instead? Use this resource to assist you: Clone an Operational Budget
Pro-Tip: You can clone this budget to utilize as a Sandbox Environment to help you test processes and functionality. 

From the home page of the Operational Budgeting module, select Create New Operational Budget.  

• Name your operational budget (e.g., FY2027 Annual Operational Budget).
• Select the Budget Year for which you are budgeting (e.g., 2027).
  Note: Once the budget has been created, the budget year cannot be changed. 
• If using Forecasted Versions from the prior/previous budget, select the prior forecasted budget you would like to pull information forward into the current year.
  Note: If this is your first Operational Budget, Include Forecasted Versions will be greyed out. 
• Choose a Budget type.
  • Annual (a single fiscal year)
  • Biennial (two fiscal years).
• Choose your starting point for Revenue & Expenditure Baselines. 
  • Select from Zero Based Budgeting or specify a percentage increase or decrease over last year's budget data.  
    Note: For biennial budgets, each fiscal year percentages can be adjusted independently.
• Decide whether the End of Year Projections should be based on the previously budgeted year data or zero-dollar values.

Your Next Step Varies on Your Organization's Situation

Depending on if you created an Operational Budget in ClearGov last Fiscal Year, Step 2 may or may not be needed. Select the option that makes the most sense for your organization to navigate directly to it. 

• Budget Created Last Fiscal Year
• First Year or No Budget from Last Fiscal Year

Budget Created Last Fiscal Year

The next step will allow you to carry forward any prior Fiscal Year's efforts to assist you with this Fiscal Year's budget. 

Note: In order for the greyed out carry forward options to appear, you must enter in a year that is after your last created budget. If you did not utilize functionality (i.e., attachments, custom reports, etc.) in prior year’s budget, they will not be selectable. 

Decide if you want to carry forward last year’s information with the following options:

• Funding Packages
  • If you utilized funding packages in last year’s budget, decide if you want to carry forward all funding packages or all funding packages except approved.
    • Note: With both of these options, any personnel-related information will be removed as part of the carry forward.
• Collaborators
  • Working with the same people this fiscal year? You can carry forward all collaborator details from the previous fiscal year’s budget. You can review and edit any permissions once created.
• Notes
  • If you need to reference any notes this fiscal year, carry forward all notes details from the previous fiscal year’s budget
• Justifications
  • Consider carrying forward your account justifications to utilize in the new fiscal year. This can be especially helpful if your organization utilizes Funding Packages. 
• Attachments
  • Decide if you want to carry forward all attachment details from the previous fiscal year’s budget, if you need to reference any in this fiscal year.
• Comments
  • If you need to reference any comments this fiscal year, carry forward all comment details from the previous fiscal year’s budget.
• Audit Trail
  • Decide if you want to carry forward all of the audit trail details from the previous fiscal year’s budget to reference this fiscal year.

First Year or No Budget from Last Fiscal Year

You can skip the next step and select Create New Operational Budget. 

Ready to Get Started?

Use this checklist to help you get started with the next step in the process: Prepare the Worksheet for a Request Round

Add additional Editors to this Budget to help you review and prepare for a Request Round: Add Additional Editors

Utilize the Progress Tracker to help keep you organized in the budgeting process: Utilize the Progress Tracker