Budget Rollovers
Good months should help bad ones.
Carry unused budget forward automatically so a frugal month in one category gives you more room the next.
Budgets that adapt to real life
Spending rarely lines up perfectly with a fixed monthly limit. Rollovers let the numbers work the way real life does.
Traditional monthly budgets reset to zero on the first. That's clean, but it doesn't reflect reality. If you spent $180 of your $300 dining budget last month, you didn't waste that $120 — you were disciplined. Shouldn't next month reward that?
Budget rollovers let unused amounts carry forward so your effective budget grows when you're under and shrinks when you overspend. Each category has its own settings, so you can handle each one the way that makes sense. Your vacation savings might roll forward indefinitely while your grocery budget resets fresh every month.
FreeBudget always shows you the planned amount, the rollover, and the effective total side by side — so you always know exactly where you stand. And if you update a past transaction or budget entry, rollovers automatically recalculate forward through every affected month.
Flexible enough to match how you budget
Per-Category Control
Configure rollover behavior independently for each budget category. Groceries might clear every month while a vacation fund carries forward indefinitely.
Handle Underspending and Overspending Separately
Choose independently what happens when you're under budget vs. over budget. Carry forward the savings, ignore the overage, or deduct it from next month — your call for each category.
Effective Budget Always Visible
The Budget page shows your planned amount, your rollover amount, and the effective total so you always know exactly how much you have to work with.
Dynamic Recalculation
Change a budget entry or add a transaction in a past month and FreeBudget automatically recalculates rollovers forward through all affected months.
Works for Income Too
Rollovers aren't just for expenses. Income categories can roll forward as well, giving you a complete picture of surplus and shortfall over time.
Non-Destructive
Rollovers never modify your original budget entries. Your planned amounts stay exactly as you set them — rollovers just adjust what's actually available each month.
Frequently asked questions
How do budget rollovers work?
Each month, FreeBudget calculates an "effective budget" for each category by combining your planned budget with any rollover from the previous month. If you budgeted $300 for dining but only spent $250, you can carry that $50 forward so next month's effective budget is $350.
Can I choose which categories roll over?
Yes. Rollovers are configured per category and are completely optional. You might want your dining budget to reset every month (no rollover) while your vacation savings accumulates indefinitely. Each category has its own settings.
What happens if I go over budget?
That depends on how you configure the category. You can choose to deduct the overspending from next month's effective budget, or ignore it entirely and start fresh. Both options are valid depending on how strictly you want to track that category.
Does rollover affect my original budget amounts?
No. Your planned budget entries are never modified. The rollover amount is added or subtracted separately to produce the effective budget. If you remove the rollover setting, your original planned amounts are exactly as you left them.
Why do my monthly and yearly budget totals look different?
Yearly views show your planned budget totals. Monthly views show effective budgets, which include rollovers. The difference is intentional and gives you both a planning view and a real-time view of what you have to work with.
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