Tracking budget burn-down and forecast spend

Use the burn-down chart and forecast to see whether a budget will last until the plan ends, and test a roster change before you make it.

Before you begin

• Permission to view budgets (most coordinator, manager and finance roles have it).
• The participant has a current plan with budgets and some delivered or rostered shifts.

Read the forecast for one participant

1. Open the participant’s record and select the Funding tab.
2. Read the four cards at the top: Plan budget, Spent (delivered), Committed (rostered) and Forecast balance at plan end.
3. In Burn-down and forecast, compare the three lines: Planned (even spend), Actual remaining and Forecast. A forecast line below zero before the plan end means the money runs out early.
4. If a red Overspend alert appears, it names each category forecast to run out and the date. Select Review the roster to open the roster for this participant.

Compare budgets across all participants

1. Go to People → NDIS plans and budgets.
2. Check the four cards: NDIS funding under management, Forecast unspent at plan end, Budgets forecast to overspend and Plans ending in 90 days.
3. On the Utilisation tab, read Utilisation by support category and the Budgets at risk list (spent and rostered over 85%, or forecast to overspend).
4. Open the All budgets tab and sort by Used or Forecast at plan end to find the tightest budgets.

Test a roster change with the what-if

1. Open the Burn-down and forecast tab on People → NDIS plans and budgets.
2. Choose the participant and the support category from the two lists above the chart.
3. In Roster what-if, drag Change weekly hours and check the Hourly rate ($). The forecast line and the Balance at plan end figure update straight away.
4. If the change works, select Ask rostering to apply. A roster change request goes to rostering for approval. Select Reset to clear the what-if.

Tips

• The forecast uses the spending rate so far plus anything already rostered, so it changes every night as time passes and shifts are delivered.
• Pace badges: Ahead of plan means spending faster than the plan period allows; Under-using means a lot of the budget may be left unused, which does not roll over.
• Ask rostering to apply needs both the forecast simulation and roster request permissions. If you don’t see it, ask a coordinator to raise the change.

If something goes wrong

The chart says No spending yet.

Nothing has been delivered or rostered against the plan. The chart fills in once shifts are rostered or completed.

Ask rostering to apply is greyed out.

The what-if is set to 0 h/week. Move the slider first.

The participant doesn’t appear in the forecast list.

Only participants who are active, on hold or in intake and have a plan end date are listed. Check the plan was saved on the participant’s Funding tab.