Skip to main content

Creating a New Budget​

You can create a new budget in Line Budgeter using any of the following methods:

  • Click the + New Budget button on the Dashboard
  • Click the + New Budget button in the Project Library
  • Use the Application Menu: File ▸ New Budget
  • Click the + button in the Application window

Selecting a Budget Type​

Creating a new budget launches the Select a Budget Type screen.
There are three budget types to choose from:

Budget Builder - Select a Budget Type

Budget Builder​

The default budget type is the Budget Builder — which creates a budget from your specific project criteria, including crew positions, production lines and default budget elements.

This is not a template, and it is not AI-generated. Instead, the budget is intelligently built based on the information you provide.

This gives you a framework budget ready for:

  • Entering rates
  • Applying tax and fringe
  • Associating incentives
  • Tailoring the budget to the hiring parameters of your cast, crew, and vendors

Goalpost Budget​

We’ve all been there — “I need a full budget for a pitch.” Not really...
What you actually need is an accurate Topsheet that proves the numbers make sense and the project holds up.

Enter the Goalpost Budget — a quick, back-of-the-napkin budget designed for pitching and fast presentations. It creates a pitch-ready topsheet based on overall budget assumptions, which you can later use the data to incorporate into a full budget.

Using criteria such as:

  • Chart of Accounts
  • Budget Total Assumption
  • Incentive Estimates
  • Smart Department Percentage Allocation

Line Budgeter generates a topsheet in seconds — giving you a professional, pitch-ready budget without the heavy lifting.

Blank Budget​

The third Budget Type is the Blank Budget, which can be created in two ways:

  • Blank-ish — mostly blank, but includes the Minimum Essential Elements such as Line Types, Phases, and Budget Units.
  • Empty Canvas — a completely blank starting point.

All the benefits of Line Budgeter are still available in a Blank Budget, but the built-in time-saving efficiencies and project tailoring won’t be there — because, well, it’s blank!