Forecasting varying amounts over time

When building a financial forecast, flexibility is key to accurately representing how your business operates. We offer two options while creating any forecast entry:

• Constant amount: This option applies the same value across all months or years, making it ideal for predictable, recurring figures.
• One-time or varying amounts over time: This allows you to input different values for each month, giving you the flexibility to reflect seasonal trends, anticipated changes, or irregular income and expenses. You can either enter these values manually or adjust them directly in the forecast sheet.

This guide will help you understand how to use the Varying Amounts Over Time feature effectively to better model your real-world financial expectations.

Utilize the varying amounts over time option:

The example below shows you how to access these input types for a sample revenue entry, but the process is identical for direct costs, operating expenses, personnel, assets, or any other forecast category.

Once the entry is created or once you edit the finance item, you'll be taken to the Finance Forecast sheet, where you can edit the Units, Price, and Growth rate directly on the forecast sheet.

Let’s say you’re forecasting revenue for a logistics business. When setting up the entry, choose the option " One time or Varying Amounts Over Time" instead of a constant value. This option lets you fine-tune the forecast by entering specific values that may fluctuate month to month or based on the frequency.

i.e,. Let's apply the percentage of Growth to the revenue stream on the forecast sheet as below:

TIP: To adjust revenue growth settings, tap here for a quick guide.

Varying amounts over time are ideal for:

• You're projecting revenue, costs, or expenses that will increase month by month as your business scales.
• Your product or service pricing changes depending on the season, and you want to reflect that variation in your forecast.
• You're hiring staff seasonally or adjusting salaries throughout the year, this method allows you to reflect those monthly changes accurately.

Forecasting varying amounts over time allows you to create more realistic and dynamic financial projections. Whether you're accounting for seasonal trends, changing prices, or team expansion, this method gives you full control over your plan’s accuracy and flexibility.