Budgets at Pleo

• Who can use budgets?

• How to create a budget?

• Fixed-period, rolling or rollover budgets: which to choose

• How to track spending against your budget?

• Tips for getting the most out of budgets

• FAQs

Who can use budgets

• Admins and Controllers can create budgets for different tags and see all budgets that have been created.
• Budget Owners have visibility into spending against their specific budget and can ensure their team stays within the allocated amount.
• Reviewers can see how expenses impact the budget they're assigned to, helping them make informed approval decisions.
• Spenders can feel confident when making purchases, knowing whether their spending falls within the guidelines.

How to create a budget

An admin or controller can create a budget using a personalised Tag. To do this, you will first need to set up a Tag for your budget.

1. Navigate to Budgets in your Pleo account
2. Click Create Budget
3. Give your budget a clear name (for example, "Marketing Q4" or "Project Phoenix")
4. Set the budget total amount and time period
5. Choose which tag(s) this budget applies to 
6. Assign a Budget Owner who will be responsible for monitoring the spend
7. Click Create budget to activate your budget
8. Once created, the budget will start tracking all relevant expenses automatically
   
   

Fixed-period, rolling or rollover budgets: which to choose

Budgets in Pleo help you track spend within a specific time period. When you create a budget, you choose either a fixed period (start date + end date) or a rolling period (start date only).

Choose a budget period type

In Pleo, you can set budgets for any timeframe you need, for example:

• A month (for example, 1 May–31 May)
• A project window (for example, 15 Aug–15 Sep)
• A rolling budget (for example, 1 Jan with no end date)

Fixed-period budgets (start date + end date)

A fixed-period budget is best when you want to track spend for a defined time window, such as:

• Monthly, quarterly, or yearly budgets
• A campaign, event, or project with a clear end date
• A trial period or temporary initiative

To create a fixed-period budget, set both a Start date and an End date.

Rolling budgets (start date only)

A rolling budget is best when you want an ongoing view of spend from a specific point in time, such as:

• A department budget you want to track continuously
• A long-running project with no defined end date

To create a rolling budget, set a Start date and leave the End date blank.

Rollover and recurring budgets

Pleo budgets do not roll over, and there’s no rollover setting you can turn on. Budgets are also not recurring, so to track the same budget in the next month or quarter, you’ll need to create a new budget with the new dates.

That means:

• Unused budget does not roll into a new period automatically
• Overspend or deficit does not roll into a new period automatically
• Each budget tracks spending only within its own date range

How this affects reporting

Because budgets don’t roll over, reporting stays clear and period-based:

• Each budget shows spend vs budget for that specific time period
• When the budget ends (or is closed early), it stops tracking new spend
• If you create a new budget for the next period, it will appear as a separate budget, making it easy to compare periods (for example, Marketing Q1 vs Marketing Q2)

How to track spending against your budget

Budget dashboard – see all your budgets in one place, with a clear breakdown of how much has been spent versus how much remains.

Individual budget details – click on any budget to:

• See all expenses linked to that budget
• See the end date of the budget
• See budget owners(s)
• Edit the budget - the information that can be edited depends on the budget status:
  • Active & Upcoming - All details can be edited except for the Tag
  • Closed - You can edit the name, budget total, and reviewer
  • The start date cannot be changed to be a past date
• Close the budget early
• Download expenses linked to this budget

Tips for getting the most out of budgets

Use tags for project tracking - If you work on client projects, create tags for each project and link them to budgets. This makes it easy to track billable expenses.

Review budgets regularly - Schedule time each week or month to review your budgets with your team. This helps catch overspending early.

Communicate with your team - Make sure everyone who spends against a budget knows it exists and understands the limits.

Adjust as needed - If circumstances change, you can edit your budget amount or time period to reflect the new reality.

FAQs

How does it work for Multi-Entity?

• Multi-entity customers will have to create a separate budget for each entity. The spend across entities cannot be consolidated.

Can the budget be overspent?

• Yes, it is not a hard budget. Once the budget has reached 100% the budget reviewer will be notified via email. However, the budget can still be overspent.

Are refunds included in the budget?

• Yes - refunds will be deducted from the budget total, as long as the refund has the budget Tag.

Can I delete a budget?

• No, you can't delete a budget once it's been created. Instead, you can **close the budget** when you no longer need it. This keeps your budget history intact for reporting purposes while stopping it from tracking any new spend.

Can I reopen a budget after I've closed it?

• No, once a budget has been closed, it cannot be reopened. If you need to track spending for the same project or team again, you'll need to create a new budget with a new time period.

How do I remove an expense from a budget?

• There are two ways to remove an expense from a budget:
  • Remove the tag – Go to the expense and remove the tag that's linked to the budget
  • Change the expense date – Edit the expense date to fall outside the budget's time period