Using dependencies in budgeting

With dependencies, you can create rules that make budget calculations and updates automatic and easier to manage. They define how the budgeted amount on one account affects another account. A common example of using dependencies is calculating payroll-related costs: if salary expenses are budgeted on one account, the side costs are automatically calculated on another account based on a coefficient.

You can also set a time limit for a dependency, which is different from coefficients that are usually applied to the whole year. When a dependency is active, it appears as a green row in the budget. If input mode is enabled and you make changes to the budget, the dependency row updates automatically according to the rules.

This saves time and reduces manual work, as budget changes are automatically updated to the correct accounts.

How to create a dependency rule for your budget

1. Go to the Plan tab and select Budgeting.

2. Open the budget where you want to create a dependency by clicking the budget name.

3. Open the budget settings from the toolbar in the top right corner.

4. Select the Dependencies tab.

5. Create a new group by clicking + New.

6. Give the group a name, for example, TyEL Insurance (Employer's pension insurance).

Make sure the Active checkbox is selected so the rule becomes active. If you want to deactivate the rule later, simply uncheck this box.

Select the time period for which you want the rule to apply. If you don’t want to set a start or end date, activate the No limit checkbox(es).

Create a new dependency rule by clicking + Add new.

7. A window will open where you can create a dependency rule for the group.

Select the time period during which you want the dependency to be active. If you don’t want to set a start or end date, activate the No limit checkbox(es).

Enter the desired coefficient and make sure the Active checkbox is selected so the coefficient is applied.

8. Select one or more source accounts for which you will enter the budgeted amount.

Click the No selected items field to open the chart of accounts and choose the source account(s).

9. Select the desired accounts from the chart of accounts by clicking on the accounts or account groups you want.

10. From the dropdown menu, select the target account where you want the source account’s amount to be automatically calculated based on the coefficient.

Finally, click Save.

11. Check that all the group’s information is correct, and then click Save.

12. Turn on the checkbox for the dependency you created and confirm by clicking Ok. The rule will then be activated.

13. The dependency rule is now ready, and you can start budgeting.

If Input mode is not enabled, activate it from the toolbar in the top right corner by clicking the Input mode button.

Input mode is active when the Input mode button turns purple and a green Input mode in use info box appears at the bottom of the view.

14. Find the row in the budget input sheet where you want to enter the budget, for example, Wages and salaries total.

Double-click the row where you want to enter the budgeted amount.

Enter the amount and press Enter.

Choose whether the amount should be distributed evenly across all months or based on comparison values.

15. StatBun will automatically distribute the budgeted amount you enter down the hierarchy to all accounts in the group and across the entire budgeting period. StatBun will also automatically calculate the amount for the target account in the dependency rule based on the coefficient you set.

For example, if you selected all salary accounts as source accounts and enter the budgeted amount on this row, StatBun will automatically calculate the amount for the target account, such as the Employer's pension insurance (TyEL-maksut) row, according to the coefficient.

How a dependency appears in the budget input view