This question can arise when the current (actual) Account Balance within a month deviates strongly from the forecast value for the current day.
Since the Account Balance is the most highly aggregated metric, it is difficult to give a definitive answer. As a reminder, the forecast is calculated as follows:
Actual opening balance of the month + planned inflows - planned outflows.
Deviations within a month can usually be traced back to various causes.
Causes of differences
How to deal with them?
Point 1 - Check INSIGHTS for timing differences and general overruns
There, the 4 main drivers Cash in from Operations, Cash out from Operations, Investing and Financing are shown as charts.
Check whether a budget has already been exceeded at this level
What to do?
Go to the Planning screen and run the check at category level.
Check whether a larger timing deviation is visible
This is usually the case when only a few budgets are planned per category, but many transactions occur in the actuals.
What to do?
Review your budget assumptions regarding the expected payment date.
Within a month, we recommend the prudent businessperson rule in liquidity planning:
If you plan inflows in a lump-sum budget, plan them toward the end of the month. Plan outflows toward the beginning of the month. This puts you in a worse position within the period: the outflows have to be paid from the cash available at the start of the month, and only then does cash build up again.
By clicking Adapt Forecast, you can make adjustments or run the next check.
Point 2 - Check categories on the Planning screen for budgets that are no longer valid
A quick look at the column of the current month across the individual categories, as a visual check, can help to spot budgets that are no longer valid. As a reminder: the progress in a category in Operating cash flow is shown visually. If the field is completely green or orange, this indicates a budget that has been reached or used up.
What to do?
No adjustments to the forecast are required, unless the category in question still expects additional inflows or outflows. In that case, adjust the budget accordingly.
Point 3 - Check for unbudgeted one-time effects
Unbudgeted one-time effects are highlighted visually, in the same way as budgets that are no longer valid. In addition, the forecast logic applies, which prevents the projected Account Balance at the end of the month from being shown too high or too low.
What to do?
No adjustments to the forecast are required, unless the category in question still expects additional inflows or outflows. In that case, adjust the budget accordingly.
Point 4 - Unmapped transactions in the period
Unmapped transactions in a period occur when newly loaded transactions have not been mapped. By default, COMMITLY then assigns these transactions to the categories Unmapped Inflows or Unmapped Outflows. In the forecast logic, they are then treated like unbudgeted one-time effects:
What to do?
Map all unmapped transactions.