> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cineflow.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Track production budgets with CineFlow Finance

> Plan your budget, log actual spend, and monitor variance across every department, all connected to your cast and crew rates from the People module.

The Finance module gives you a complete picture of where your production money is going. Set department budgets, log cost lines as actual spend accumulates, track daily crew costs on a chart, and see the gap between what you planned and what you've actually spent. Finance is available on the **Pro plan**.

<Note>
  Finance is a **Pro plan** feature. Free, Solo, and Team plans do not include the Finance module. Visit **Settings → Billing** to upgrade.
</Note>

## Finance overview

The Finance module for a project is organised into four main areas:

1. **Summary cards**: key totals at the top of the page
2. **Budget panel**: department-by-department budget allocation
3. **Daily crew cost chart**: actual spend plotted over time
4. **Finance tabs**: detailed tables for budget items and cost lines

## Summary cards

The summary strip across the top shows four numbers at a glance:

| Card                    | What it shows                                              |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Total budget**        | The sum of all budget items across all departments         |
| **Total owed**          | Actual spend recorded in cost lines                        |
| **Total paid**          | Payments marked as settled                                 |
| **Outstanding balance** | The difference between what is owed and what has been paid |

If your project uses multiple currencies, CineFlow flags this and converts totals to your project's base currency for the summary.

## Budget panel and departments

The budget panel shows how your total budget is divided across departments. Each department row displays its allocated budget alongside actual spend, so you can see variance at the department level without opening any tables.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a finance department">
    In the **Budget** tab, click **Add department** to create a new department (for example, Camera, Art Department, Locations, Post).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add budget items">
    Within each department, add individual budget lines, for example, "Camera rental" or "Catering". Set the budgeted amount for each.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review department totals">
    The budget panel summarises each department's total allocation alongside current actual spend so you can see where you're over or under budget.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Cost lines (actual spend)

Budget items represent what you plan to spend. Cost lines record what you actually spend as production progresses.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Actuals tab">
    Switch to the **Actuals** tab in the finance table area.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a cost line">
    Click **Add cost line** and fill in the description, amount, department, and date. You can link a cost line to a specific person from your crew or cast.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record payments">
    Within each cost line, mark partial or full payments as they are made. The outstanding balance updates automatically across all summary cards.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Use cost line descriptions that match your budget item names, it makes reconciling planned vs. actual spend much easier during wrap.
</Tip>

## Crew rates and per-person costs

When you add day rates or hourly rates to crew members on the People page, Finance can calculate per-day crew costs automatically. Rate cards live in the **Crew rates** section and let you set both a planned rate and any overrides for specific shoot days.

## Daily crew cost chart

A bar chart below the summary cards plots your crew costs day by day across the shoot schedule. Each bar represents the total cost lines dated to that shoot day, giving you a visual sense of your heaviest spend periods, useful when planning for equipment-heavy days or large crowd scenes.

## Exporting as PDF

Export a finance summary report as a formatted PDF from the **Export** menu in the toolbar. PDF exports count against your plan's monthly limit.

<Tip>
  Run a finance export at the end of each production week to keep a paper trail of spend against budget, even if your accounting is being handled elsewhere.
</Tip>