Escaping the post-summer budgeting rush

Edgar de Wit

Introduction

If your company follows the calendar year, the end of summer marks the start of a familiar cycle: the budgeting marathon. After the quieter weeks of July and August, September often brings a wave of urgency as finance teams gear up for the next budget round.

In September you get cracking with preparing templates, gathering initial data and most importantly, aligning expectations.

In October–November you’re likely to have some Intense budget discussions and iterations with department heads.

December, the end is near! Finalisation and approval (though in reality, sign-off often slips into January or even February)

This timeline is as common as it’s challenging. Tight deadlines, multiple stakeholders, and last-minute adjustments can easily turn the process into a high-pressure race rather than a strategic exercise. And (at the end of) every year you tell yourselves: ‘Next year we’re going to do things different!’

Why is the post-summer crunch ever so stressful?

The time pressure is real. With only a few months until year-end, there’s little room for delays.

(Frustrating) multiple dependencies: Budgets depend on accurate actuals, forecasts, and strategic plans. And this is often coming from different teams and systems.

Working with different (dare we say) inefficient tools: Many organisations still rely on spreadsheets and email, making it harder to track changes, ensure version control, and maintain accuracy.

Late-stage surprises: Misaligned assumptions or unexpected changes can derail weeks of work.

A better approach could be to shift from an annual budgeting “event” to a more continuous, collaborative process. This doesn’t mean abandoning the year-end budget, but rather creating an environment where data, forecasts, and assumptions are updated regularly throughout the year, so the autumn budget cycle becomes a matter of fine-tuning, rather than reinventing.

How XLReporting helps you stay ahead of the curve

Year-round forecasting

Budgeting is no longer a once-a-year effort. With XLReporting, you continuously update your forecasts on a monthly or quarterly basis. After every internal meeting or market development, you simply log in, open your budgeting form, make adjustments, and add your comments. You’re always working with current insight. Making budget season a smooth step rather than a massive leap.

Collaborative input

Budgeting doesn’t need to be centralized. With XLReporting, department managers can easily contribute their figures directly into the system. Their input is automatically consolidated and validated. This approach not only accelerates the process but also improves accuracy. Because the people closest to the data are the ones entering it.

Driver-based budgeting

Forget budgeting based purely on last year’s numbers. Real impact comes from driver-based budgeting. Building forecasts on headcount, unit volumes, utilisation rates, or other business realities. People don’t think in account numbers—they think in people, products, and plans. XLReporting translates that into meaningful financials.

Real-time integration

A budget is only useful if it reflects your actual situation. With 40+ direct integrations, XLReporting keeps your actuals synced with your accounting system. When reality shifts, your budget insights stay relevant.

Version control and audit trails

Working in multiple budget versions? No problem. With XLReporting’s version control, you can easily save snapshots, and control which version is current. Every step is logged. So there’s no confusion, just clarity.

When you’re already working with current data and structured processes, September doesn’t have to be the start of the annual budget panic. Instead, it becomes the point where you confidently align the coming year’s plans with your long-term strategy, without the stress. Next year you could really be doing things differently!