Compare employee cost with the budget
Explain the whole position budget, the share used by staffing, and the difference between that share and employee cost.
Updated September 26, 2026
In this article
Avery’s full-time position has an $84,000 yearly budget and costs $72,000 after estimated benefits. Find both results for the same date and explain the $12,000 difference.
Open matching results
You need View labor budgets and View actual compensation for the relevant departments. Use the original course position before applying a pay increase.
- Open Labor budget > Positions.
- Select January 1, 2027 and open Patient Services Coordinator in Outpatient Services.
- Check the selected $70,000 rate and the single $14,000 benefits contribution.
- Open Avery’s compensation result for the same date.
- Check the $60,000 salary and single $12,000 benefits contribution.
Wait for both results to finish. Missing pay or a missing rate means information is incomplete; it does not mean the cost is zero.
Read each amount
| Amount | What it means here | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Budget capacity: $84,000 | The budget for the whole approved position | $70,000 + $14,000 |
| Assigned budget: $84,000 | The share of that budget used by staffing | $84,000 × 1 assigned FTE ÷ 1 approved FTE |
| Vacancy impact: $0 | The share left for unfilled work | $84,000 − $84,000 |
| Compensation: $72,000 | Avery’s recorded salary plus estimated benefits | $60,000 + $12,000 |
Capacity and assigned budget are both $84,000 because the whole position is filled. Adding them would count the same budget twice.
Explain the difference
Subtract employee cost from assigned budget:
- $84,000 − $72,000 = $12,000 below budget.
- $12,000 ÷ $84,000 × 100 = 14.29% below assigned budget.
If a comparison instead subtracts budget from cost, it shows −$12,000. Read the column names before interpreting the sign. Both statements describe the same relationship.
For this full-time example, $72,000 employee cost + $12,000 remaining assigned budget + $0 vacancy budget = $84,000 capacity.
Check a summary without changing the example
- Open the department summary for Outpatient Services on January 1.
- Find the position’s contribution to the totals.
- If other practice positions are included, review their rows too. The department total equals the whole set of included positions, not just Avery’s position.
- Run Labor Budget Calculation Detail and Actual Compensation Calculation Detail for the same date and department when you want a saved comparison.
The two detail reports should explain the same contributions you just reviewed. Report exercises cover their filters and downloads.
Continue to start a workforce plan.