The Menu sheet in TrueBudget contains multiple buttons. Most of these buttons can also be found on the TrueBudget ribbon tab at the top of Excel.

Note: Excel 2011 for Mac does not allow for custom ribbon tabs, so in order to access these buttons in that version of Excel, you must do so from the Menu sheet.

Globals

The ‘Globals’ button will allow you to input certain data on various sheets in TrueBudget. You can input amounts for Fringe %, PH&W %, and OT Base, and then decide which areas of the file to apply them to.

Replace Values

TrueBudget allows you to easily replace certain values for Fringe %, PH&W %, PH&W Flat $, and PH&W Flat Amt by using the ‘Replace Values’ button. Input the value you want to replace in the text box under Current Value. Then input the value you want to replace it with in the text box for New Value.

You can press the ‘Apply’ button to the right to apply the changes. If you are changing more than one value at the same time, you can press the ‘Apply All’ button at the bottom of the window.

Locking & Unlocking the Estimate

Once you’ve finished creating your Estimate, if you’d like to “lock” it so no changes can be made to it, you can do so by clicking the ‘Lock Estimate’ button.

This will open a new window, with a checkbox labeled “Use password to lock estimate”. Check this box if you wish to use a password when locking the Estimate. You’ll then need to enter your password twice. Leave the box unchecked if you don’t wish to use a password.

Note: it is important that you do not forget your password. TrueBudget does not have the ability to allow you to reset it.

If your Estimate is locked and you wish to unlock it, press the same button, although it will now be labeled ‘Unlock Estimate’. If a password was used to lock it, you will be prompted to enter that password. If you do not know the password, you will not be able to unlock it.

Copy Data

You may copy one area of your budget to another. For instance, once your Estimate is approved, you can copy it to the Working. That way, you’ll be able to start adjusting the Working as you move forward with pre-production.

Pressing this button will reveal a new menu. Select which area you want to copy from, which you want to copy to, and choose your settings for the Production Fee, Insurance, and Handling Fee (if enabled) on the area you are copying to.

Overtime Report

If you’d like to see how much overtime is currently in your budget, press the ‘Overtime Report’ button. By default, it will show you the total amount of overtime you have in each labor section of the Estimate. If you’d like to see the amounts for a different area of the budget, select it in the drop-down menu at the top of the window.

OT Calculator

If you’d like to do a calculation on how much overtime you might incur on your project, you may use the Overtime Calculator.

The sheet includes all of the Line Numbers for all labor sections of the budget. Fill in the amount of overtime hours for each Line Number you want included in your calculation. The total of each section can be found at the bottom of the section. The total of all sections can be seen at the top of the sheet, next to GRAND TOTAL.

Note: inputting data into the OT Calculator will not make any changes to the budget itself.

To learn more about using the OT Calculator, click here to watch our tutorial video.

Hourly Rate Calculator

If you need to quickly determine a crew member’s hourly rate, you can use the Hourly Rate Calculator. Enter the Day Rate, OT Base, select the overtime calculation method, and then press ‘CALCULATE’. The hourly rate will appear at the bottom of the window.

The choices for the overtime calculation method are:

Day Rate divided by OT Base – this will take the Day Rate and divide it by the OT Base. For instance, if you enter 600 for the Day Rate and 10 for the OT Base, the hourly rate will be 60.

1.5x after 8 hrs forever – this will calculate the hourly rate based on paying the person straight time for the first 8 hours, and then time-and-a-half for all hours after the 8th hour. For instance, if you enter 600 for the Day Rate and 10 for the OT Base, the hourly rate will be 54.5455. The math works out this way:

54.5455 x 8 hours x 1 = 436.364

54.5455 x 2 hours x 1.5 = 163.6365

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TOTAL 600.0005

1.5x after 8 hrs; 2x after 12 hrs – this will calculate the hourly rate based on paying the person straight time for the first 8 hours, time-and-a-half for hours 9-12, and double-time after the 12th hour.

Note: There will be no difference in the hourly rate calculation between these last two options unless the OT Base is greater than 12.

For instance, if you enter 600 for the Day Rate and 14 for the OT Base, the hourly rate will be 33.3333. The math works out this way:

33.3333 x 8 hours x 1 = 266.6664

33.3333 x 4 hours x 1.5 = 199.9998

33.3333 x 2 hours x 2 = 133.3332

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TOTAL 599.9994

Overage Log

Once your Estimate has been approved, your client may decide they want to change the scope of the project, which could incur additional costs. These additions can be tracked on the Overage Log. Click here to learn how to use the Overage Log.

Travel Budget

If your job requires any travel, you may use the Travel sheet to budget for it. You can click this button to create a Travel Budget sheet in your budget. Click here to learn more about its features and options.

Bid Assistant

This sheet has been designed to help speed up the creation of budgets. It will be most helpful to those that create many budgets with the software. Click here to learn more about its features and options.

Headcount

The Headcount sheet allows you to track how many of a certain item (meals, walkie talkies, etc) you will need to provide on a particular day of your project. Click here to learn more about its features and options.

Repairing Sheets

Certain cells may become locked when they should not be and formulas can become damaged. If this happens, you can try repairing the sheet. Click this button and select the sheet(s) that you wish to repair.

Clearing Data

If you want to clear all data from some/all sheets in TrueBudget, you can press the ‘Clear Data’ button. Check the boxes indicating the areas of the file you wish to clear, and then press ‘OK’.

Importing a Budget

TrueBudget gives you the ability to import three types of budget files: Hot Budget files, PointZero files, and other TrueBudget files.

If you wish to import a budget, the first thing you should do is open the file. (If it asks you to Enable Macros when opening the file, you should say yes.) Then, press the ‘Import Budget’ button.

Next, choose the name of the file under the first drop-down menu. Then, choose the type of file you are importing in the next drop-down menu. Press ‘OK’.

It will then ask you which areas of the file you wish to import.

If you are importing a Hot Budget or PointZero file, you will be shown a disclaimer that we highly recommend you read before proceeding. Because Hot Budget and PointZero were not built exactly the same way as TrueBudget, certain items cannot be imported, and certain settings may need to be changed in your source file before proceeding. Please read the information in this window before you continue with the import.

Check the boxes indicating which sections of the file you wish to import; then press ‘OK’.

Changing the Zoom Level On All Sheets

You can change the zoom level on all of the sheets at the same time by pressing the ‘Change Zoom’ button.

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