Creating a budget for a new year in Q Mac

Chip Osborn

I have complained before about the difficulty of creating a new budget for the coming year. The person I spoke with saw the problem and said they would suggest changes. Nothing has happened over the past two years.

To create a budget for a new year.
1) Create a new budget for year (2020).
2) Use categories from (2019)
3) Fill categories with zero amounts
4) Or fill categories with actual amounts
5) Or fill categories with budgeted amounts
6) Name the budget
7) Save

mshiggins

I'm not sure I am understanding. Are the steps you listed the current process and you would like an easier process?

UKR

Being a Quicken for Windows user I don't know about the Quicken Mac budget process. I thought Q Mac budget views and functions were rather similar to Q Windows ...

Here's how you do it in Q Windows:
To set up a 2020 budget in Quicken for Windows I do not need to create a new budget table from scratch. I can simply extend the existing budget table into the new year by clicking the ">" button next to the year number (2019) in the Budget view. This opens a dialog as follows:

Decide which of the available options to use, click OK and here's your new budget with all income and expense categories as requested.
Optionally click the "?" button for additional information before clicking OK.

Chip Osborn

I'm sorry I didn't make "Creating a New Budget". Currently, the Mac program is a mess in trying to establish a new budget for the next year. My list (above) was a suggestion for computer engineers on how to make it easier for a Mac Quicken user. UKR, above, shows how it is done in the Windows program. It looks logical to me, but the Mac version doesn't come close to being logical.

John_in_NC

Hi, Chip:

The way UKR pointed out works the same way in Quicken for Mac. Don't create a new Budget, but extend the new one. If you do nothing, come the new year, you will be presented with a similar dialog:



If you want to start setting it up now, you certainly can. In the current budget, select the year and click the up arrow. You will get the same dialog above to setup your new year's budget:

Chip Osborn

Thank you, John. I'm sure you are right. However, my complaint is the confusion over unclear instructions.

Let's say I want to set up a new budget now for 2020 during 2019. It is logical to open the Budget Tab and select "New Budget". As you have pointed out, that is not the right way to set up a future budget year during the current year.

The current system under those circumstances requires that I first must change the "Budget Year" within the current budget to 2020. The problem is that I must intuitively know that. There are no instructions and it is illogical.

I suggest that clicking on "New Budget" actually means "create a new budget". Then the questions are: For what year do you want to create a new budget (Enter Year)? Do you want Zero values placed in the new budget? Or what year do you want "Historical Values" to be placed in the new budget (Select Year)? Drop the tab that says "Current Budget". Then setting up a new budget is straight forward with no "secret" work arounds.

Thank you again for your help. I'm sure you are right. I hope I have made my suggestion clear as how to set up a "New Budget".

Ronriff

This suggestion is right on. I just spent a couple hours trying to set up 2020 and had to give up.

chrisman

There is no way to change the year for the budget, not for past year not for future year budget. I've tried to save new and old budgets hundreds of times and when I open the budget, it always, always defaults to the current year. I'm getting so frustrated with this applications that I constantly ask myself why I'm waisting my money and time with it.
If anyone has an idea how to save the year change (for good), please DO share with me.

Thank you!

John_in_NC

chrisman said:

There is no way to change the year for the budget, not for past year not for future year budget. I've tried to save new and old budgets hundreds of times and when I open the budget, it always, always defaults to the current year. I'm getting so frustrated with this applications that I constantly ask myself why I'm waisting my money and time with it.
If anyone has an idea how to save the year change (for good), please DO share with me.

Thank you!

I had to look up your profile to confirm that you are using QMac Sub.

Yes, you can. But a few things:

It isn't intended to "create a new budget" for each calendar year. You keep a single budget, and that will have all the historical data in it if you scroll back in years. Your current budget will always default to the current year which is what you are seeing.

If you want to get a head start on setting up goals for next year: then follow the steps above to increment the year of your current budget so that you can edit goals. It is still your old budget and that is why it defaults to 2019. In two days, it will default to 2020 with your new goals.

If you really wish to create a new budget (with no historical data), then File, New Budget. and immediately increase the year before creation:


You won't have the ability to use historical data, zeros, etc. as this is a new from scratch budget.  

chrisman

Thank you for the quick response! I'll give it a try.