Budget vs Actual
Type a monthly estimate for each cost line on a property, then watch how the recorded transactions track against it through the financial year. Super Investor plan and above.
Budget vs Actual is where you type what you expect a property to cost, line by line, and see how the transactions you record compare. It is the closest thing in BrickTrack to the expense columns of a tracking spreadsheet: a monthly estimate for management, insurance, council rates, water, repairs and so on, with the actual figure beside it once transactions come through.
It is available on the Super Investor plan and above, under Reports.
Entering estimates
Every active property has a card, even before it has rent or transactions. Open one and choose Edit estimates. Each line takes an amount and how often it recurs: type a yearly insurance premium as Annually, a quarterly rates notice as Quarterly, and the monthly share is worked out for you. If the property has a management fee percentage or an annual maintenance budget saved on its settings, those two lines are suggested for you with a "from property settings" badge until you save your own.
Estimates are yours to change at any time. They do not alter any recorded transaction and they do not feed the Portfolio page, which reads recorded transactions only.
Suggestions from last year
When a property has a financial year of history and no saved estimates, BrickTrack offers last year's actual for each category as a starting point. Accept the ones that still look right and type over the ones that do not.
Where the "Other" costs go
The ATO category list has no line for electricity, internet, a pool service or accountant fees. Record those under Sundry Rental Expenses; the category picker says so under the label. Keeping them in one place means the variance for that line is a real comparison rather than a scattering of one-off categories.
Reading the variance
Each line shows the estimate, the actual to date and the difference. A large gap early in the year is usually timing — an annual bill that has not landed yet — rather than an overrun. The comparison settles as the year goes on.