Planning Your Event
Track what your event actually costs
Record estimates, what you have spent and what is paid, by category, with the remaining balance always visible.
On this page
What it is
The Budget Tracker holds one row per thing you are paying for, grouped by category, and shows estimated, spent and paid totals with a remaining figure.
When to use it
From the moment you have a budget in mind, and every time money moves.
Who can use it
The event owner, and platform staff.
Where to find it
- Budget
- Or open an event and use its Budget tab / Budget Tracker
Step by step
Open the Budget Tracker for your event.
Add a line for each cost, in the right category.
Enter the estimate. If the cost is per guest, per item, per hour or per day, set the unit and enter the rate — not the total.
Per-guest rows multiply by your event guest count automatically, so the total follows the headcount.
As you pay, record what was actually spent and mark it paid.
Watch the remaining figure. It is estimate minus actual spend.
What you should end up with
Options and settings
- Flat amount
- The rate is the total. Use it for a single fee — the venue, the photographer.
- Per guest
- Rate times your event guest count. Catering per head is the classic case.
- Per item / per hour / per day
- Rate times a quantity you type on the row.
Common mistakes
- Typing the whole catering bill into a per-guest row. Under "per guest" you enter the price for one guest; the total is worked out for you.
- Recording an estimate as actual spend before you have paid it. Estimates and actuals are different columns for a reason.
- Leaving the quantity blank on a per-item row — that row then contributes nothing.
If something goes wrong
- A row shows a total far smaller than I expected.
- Check the unit. A row set to "flat" shows exactly what you typed; the same number under "per guest" multiplies by the headcount.
- The grand total is blank or looks wrong.
- A cleared money box is treated as zero, not as nothing. Re-enter the amount on the row you last touched.
- My per-guest rows all changed.
- That is intended — you changed the event guest count. Per-guest rows re-price so the budget stays honest.
Worth knowing
- Add a contingency line of around 10% under Miscellaneous. Something always comes up.
- Record deposits as actual spend the day you pay them, not when the balance is due.
Related guides
- Estimate a budget before you commitA free calculator that builds a realistic total across nine categories — no account needed.
- Request, review and accept a quoteAsk for a price, read what is included, and accept it — which turns it into an invoice.
- Pay an invoiceOpen the invoice, check the amount, and pay securely by card.
- Your event hubThe one page per event that links to guests, the event website, sharing, budget and everything else.
Still stuck? Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened instead.