> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Project budget > Where to set a project budget in TimeTracker, what an hours budget and a money budget measure, and how a retainer budget resets each month. A project budget is the ceiling for the whole engagement – either a number of **hours** or an amount of **money**. Setting one turns on the budget bar, the forecast and the health chip on the project's Overview tab. The full guides live under **Budgets**. This page covers where the controls sit on a project and what they mean there. The step-by-step guide, with worked examples. ## Where the budget lives Open the project, then **Settings → Finance**. The **Budget** card sits under **Billing method**. Budget configuration is in Settings, not on Overview, because it is the same kind of thing Settings already owns – set once, changed rarely. **Overview reports. Settings configures.** Both budget buttons on Overview – **Set budget** on the empty state and **Edit budget** on the populated one – take you here. ## The controls | Field | What it does | | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Budget type** | **Total hours** or **Total money**. | | **Total hours** / **Total amount (CUR)** | The ceiling. Money uses the workspace base currency. | | **Resets** | **One-time** or **Monthly**. Only appears when the saved billing method is **Retainer**. | | **Alert if margin falls below** | A percentage from 0 to 100. Blank means no margin-floor alerts. | | **Task & section caps** | A read-only summary of caps set on individual tasks. | Click **Set budget** the first time, **Save budget** afterwards. You see **"Budget saved."** A project has at most **one** budget. Choosing **Total hours** or **Total money** decides which basis everything is measured on – there is no fallback between the two. ## Hours or money | Type | Measures | Good for | | --------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Total hours** | Tracked hours against an hours ceiling | Retainers, capacity-based deals, "we sold 600 hours" | | **Total money** | Actual cost against a money ceiling | Fixed-fee work, "this project cannot cost us more than \$40,000" | An **hours** budget is visible to everyone. A **money** budget is measured against cost, so its figures are only shown to someone who can see cost. See [/budgets/hours-vs-money-budgets](/budgets/hours-vs-money-budgets). ## Retainers and the Resets control **Resets** only appears when the project's **saved** billing method is **Retainer**. Switching the method in the card above does not reveal it until you save that change. | Setting | Behaviour | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------ | | **One-time** | The budget covers the whole project. | | **Monthly** | The budget resets at the start of each calendar month. | See [/budgets/recurring-retainers](/budgets/recurring-retainers). ## Budget vs estimate They answer different questions, and both matter. | | Estimate | Budget | | ------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Sits on | A **task** | A **project** | | Answers | How long should this piece take? | What is the ceiling for the whole engagement? | | Set by | Whoever plans the task | Whoever manages the money | Read [/concepts/budget-vs-estimate](/concepts/budget-vs-estimate). ## Task and section caps Caps are per-task ceilings. The budget card lists them read-only, because a cap is set on the task itself – one writer per concern. Caps are **informational**. They do not reduce the project's budget. See [/budgets/task-level-caps](/budgets/task-level-caps). ## Example **Website Redesign** for Bluebird Coffee is a `$40,000` fixed fee. 1. Priya opens **Settings → Finance**. 2. **Budget type** → `Total money`. 3. **Total amount (USD)** → `40000`. 4. **Alert if margin falls below** → `35`. 5. **Set budget**. Overview now shows a bar, `62% spent · 48% complete`, an **On track** chip, and a forecast. When usage crosses 75% an alert appears; when the forecast margin drops under 35% another one does. **Monthly Retainer** for the same client is 40 hours a month: 1. Billing method is set to `Retainer` and saved. 2. **Budget type** → `Total hours`, **Total hours** → `40`. 3. **Resets** appears. She sets it to `Monthly`. Each calendar month starts again at 40 hours. ## Permissions | Action | Capability | | -------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | See the Budget card | `budget.manage` | | Set or change a budget | `budget.manage` | | See a money budget's figures on Overview and in the list | `rate.viewCost` or `time.viewCost` | Without `budget.manage` the card is **hidden**, not disabled. A project manager may legitimately run a project without seeing its money. ## App and plan gating | Gate | Effect | | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Budgets & profitability** app off | The Budget card is hidden and Overview's financial panels do not render. Nothing is deleted. | | Not on **Pro** | Budgets are a Pro feature. Figures already recorded stay readable. | The Budgets app also requires **Projects & tasks** and **Time tracking** to be on. See [/concepts/apps-and-modules](/concepts/apps-and-modules). ## What happens next * The project list **Budget** column starts showing `spent / total` and the ratio. * The Overview tab shows the budget bar, forecast tiles and a health chip. * Budget threshold and margin-floor alerts start firing – see [/budgets/budget-alerts](/budgets/budget-alerts). * Profitability becomes calculable – see [/projects/project-profitability](/projects/project-profitability). ## Common questions No. One budget per project, on one basis. It only shows for a **Retainer** billing method, and it reads the saved value. Save the billing method change first. No. It measures and alerts. Nothing is blocked when the budget is exceeded – the bar goes over 100% and the health chip turns red. Not until it is approved. Overview shows how many hours are awaiting approval separately, so you can see what is about to land. Change the amount or the type and save again. The card always writes the project's single budget. ## Troubleshooting | Problem | Cause | Fix | | -------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | No **Budget** card | The Budgets app is off, or you lack `budget.manage` | Check **Settings → Apps**, then your role | | "We couldn't save the budget. Check the amount and try again." | Bad amount, or the plan does not include budgets | Enter a plain number, then check your plan | | "A margin floor is a percentage from 0 to 100." | Out of range | Enter 0 to 100, or leave blank | | Budget column reads "No budget set" | It is a money budget and you cannot see cost | Ask an admin for cost visibility | | Overview shows nothing at all | The Budgets app is off | Turn it on in **Settings → Apps** | ## Related guides The canonical step-by-step guide. Which basis to pick. Monthly resetting budgets. Two different numbers. Thresholds and margin floors. What the budget unlocks.