Enter 0 for any year that doesn't apply. For a 12-month project, set Year 1 = 12 and leave Years 2 & 3 as 0.
%Enter a percentage, e.g. type 3 for a 3% increase per year. Leave as 0 if costs stay flat.
A
Staff Costs
Staff costs cover anyone whose time you are costing to this project — whether employed or self-employed. Enter each post separately with their hours per week, hourly rate, and the number of months they work on the project each year. Employer NI and pension are added automatically based on the percentages you enter. If a post is filled by a self-employed contractor who invoices you, tick the self-employed box — this removes NI and pension, as those are the contractor's own responsibility.
Role / Post
Hrs/wk
Rate (£/hr)
Employer NI %
Employer Pension %
Monthly (£)
Year 1 (£)
Year 2 (£)
Year 3 (£)
Total (£)
Staff Costs Subtotal
—
—
—
—
⚠ Employer NI note: The rate is 15% (2026/27). NI is applied here as a flat rate across all earnings — in practice, Employer NI is only due on earnings above the secondary threshold (£5,000/year). This means the figure may be slightly overstated, which is safe for budgeting purposes. Check with your payroll provider before submitting.
Employer pension note: Automatic enrolment only applies to employees aged 22 or over who earn above the earnings trigger (£10,000/year in 2026/27). If a post falls below this threshold — for example, a part-time role on low hours — do not add employer pension contributions here. If you are unsure, check with your payroll provider before submitting.
Self-employed posts: Tick the "Self-employed" box on any row where you are engaging a contractor who invoices you directly. This sets Employer NI and pension to zero — the contractor is responsible for their own tax and NI. If you are unsure whether a post is employed or self-employed, check with HMRC or your payroll provider before submitting.
B
Direct Project Costs
Direct costs are the materials and services you buy specifically for this project — things that wouldn't exist in your budget if the project wasn't happening. This includes equipment, travel, venue hire, printing, volunteer expenses, and bought-in services such as evaluation or monitoring. If the cost recurs regularly (e.g. weekly mileage or monthly venue hire), use the cost per unit and frequency fields to calculate it automatically. If it's a one-off purchase, use the one-off cost field and select which year it falls in.
Cost Item
Notes
Cost per unit (£)
Units & frequency
Year 1 calc (£)
One-off cost (£)
Year total (£)
Year 2 (£)
Year 3 (£)
Grand Total (£)
Direct Costs Subtotal
—
—
—
—
C
Overhead / Indirect Costs
Overhead costs are a share of your organisation's existing running costs that support this project — not new spending and not staff time. If a person is working on the project, cost their time in Section A. If you are buying in evaluation or monitoring services, use Section B. Section C is for costs like rent, utilities, insurance, and management oversight that exist regardless of the project. Enter the full monthly cost and the percentage that reasonably relates to this project — for example, if the project uses roughly a quarter of your office space, enter 25%. The planner will work out the project's share automatically.
Cost Item
Notes
Monthly cost £ (full bill)
% allocated to project
Monthly project cost (£)
Year 1 (£)
Year 2 (£)
Year 3 (£)
Total (£)
Overhead Costs Subtotal
—
—
—
—
—
Enter as a percentage (e.g. 15 = 15%). Leave 0 if no cap applies.
—
∑
Total Project Budget
Year 1 Total
£0
—
Year 2 Total
£0
—
Year 3 Total
£0
—
Grand Total
£0
All years combined
D
Funding Sources — How is this budget being met?
Funding Source
Notes
Year 1 (£)
Year 2 (£)
Year 3 (£)
Total (£)
Total Funding Confirmed / Applied For
—
—
—
—
Variance — Funding minus Costs (should be zero)
Year 1
—
Year 2
—
Year 3
—
Total
—
Working with multiple funders, match funding, or in-kind contributions that need careful apportionment? For more complex budgets, get in touch: paula@cassleyofficesolutions.co.uk | 07356 225006
