Budget calculator

Fewer things are more critical to your business’ financial future than an accurate and realistic budget. Sounds simple—and it can be—but effective budgeting can make a huge difference in your bottom line. Use this calculator to get a clear view of your organization’s financial outlook.

See a sample here

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Our Budget calculator is currently available for US residents only

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What is a budget?

There are different types of budgets depending on what kind of performance measure you want to examine. Here, we’ll define a budget as a projection of how much your company will spend versus how much revenue it will generate over a period of time. Depending on the results, you can then make more informed decisions when it comes to managing your cash flow, allocating money for expenses, and setting revenue targets.

Helpful tips

Proper budgeting is key to financial success and your peace of mind. Here are a few helpful tips:

  • Research the ins and outs of your industry. Is it seasonal in nature? What are the most substantial threats? How easily will your business be affected by changes in regulations and taxes?
  • Know the difference between reality and optimism. Both are great things when it comes to running a business, but a budget should be an accurate projection and not based on overzealous targets. You may even want to create “best-case” and “worst-case” budgets to give yourself a safety net.
  • It’s okay to keep your budget flexible. In fact, it’s good practice to re-visit your budget often and to make amendments based on actual results versus your projections.
  • Maintaining an up-to-date budget throughout the year will help prepare you for tax time. See how Wave’s accounting software can help you create robust and detailed reports—free.
  • Check out our other accounting tools that can help you calculate cash flow, budget, burn rate, and more!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is your software actually free?

Yes! Our invoicing, accounting, and US-only banking software is 100% free—no trials, subscriptions, or hidden fees.

What’s the catch—how does Wave make money?

Wave makes money through our optional, paid money management products. Depending on your business needs, you can choose to pay for online payment processing, payroll, and 1:1 advisors. This allows our core software—invoicing, accounting, and business banking (currently only available to sole proprietors in the US)—to always be free.

Do I need to enter my credit card details to sign up?

Put your wallet away. You won’t need to enter a credit card unless you want to use our payroll service. Just create your account and get started for free.

Do I need to install any software?

Wave is 100% web-based, so you just need an Internet connection and browser. You can, however, download and install our mobile invoicing app for iOS and Android.

Is my data secure?

Completely. Our servers are protected physically and electronically. Any connection between you and Wave is protected by 256-bit SSL encryption. Wave is a PCI-DSS Level 1 Service Provider.

Do you provide customer support?

We provide different levels of support for customers who use different parts of Wave. Full details on how Wave support works are available here.

Budget efficiently with 100% free accounting software.

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