7 minute read · Updated 2026-10-07
Your grant is $4,800 under budget. Why does the report still need approval?
A $60,000 synthetic grant is under budget overall but 15% over in participant support. Download the Excel workbook, ledger, and reviewable report.
Synthetic source files for this worked example
This entire example is synthetic. Its organizations, numbers and grant terms are invented for demonstration. It is an authored example, not a customer result or a recorded product run.
The problem hiding in the total
The total looks comfortable: a $60,000 budget, $55,200 spent, and $4,800 left against budget. But one category is 15% over its limit. Under the fictional agreement in this example, that overspend needs documented approval—and the approval is missing.
That is the detail a useful grant budget vs actual report should make hard to miss. The period is July 1–September 30, 2026, in USD, and the variance convention is actual minus budget.
Participant support has spent $1.15 for every $1 budgeted. The unused personnel budget does not establish permission to move funds between categories. That permission depends on the agreement and approved changes.
Synthetic example — July 1–September 30, 2026; USD; variance = actual minus budget.
| Category | Budget | Actual | Actual minus budget | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | $36,000 | $32,400 | −$3,600 | −10% |
| Participant support | $12,000 | $13,800 | $1,800 | 15% |
| Travel | $6,000 | $4,200 | −$1,800 | −30% |
| Supplies | $6,000 | $4,800 | −$1,200 | −20% |
| Total | $60,000 | $55,200 | −$4,800 | −8% |
Three ledger details change the answer
The downloadable GL contains 15 rows totaling $57,200. Only 13 rows belong in this report.
SYN-T014 is a $1,200 October expense outside the reporting period. SYN-T015 is an $800 expense assigned to a different grant. SYN-T013 is a $200 supplies refund that must stay negative.
After the exclusions, $57,200 − $1,200 − $800 = $55,200. Retaining excluded rows and their reasons lets a reviewer reproduce the reconciliation.
Make the variance rule explicit
Dollar variance = actual spending − approved period budget. Percentage variance = dollar variance ÷ approved period budget.
Participant support is $1,800, or 15%, over budget. Under these invented terms it needs an approval the packet does not contain. The example requires explanations at an absolute category variance of at least 10%. Personnel is exactly −10%, so it needs an explanation too. Where the budget is zero, mark percentage variance undefined. Real funders may use different rules.
Write the note a reviewer needs
“Participant support was $13,800 against a $12,000 budget, an overspend of $1,800 (15%). The program lead reports higher participant transport assistance needs. The sample agreement requires documented approval at this level. No approval was supplied, so this remains an open item for the grants owner.”
The calculation supplies the amount. The program update supplies the explanation. The evidence register supplies the approval status.
Follow the source trail
Start with Budget vs Actual in the workbook. Inspect Inputs for the budget and dates, then Ledger for included and excluded transactions. The packet intentionally lacks original supporting records, the overspend approval and reviewer sign-offs. The draft flags those gaps.