Why is a larger negative number in the budget (in "difference" section) green?

HotelPapa

I am generally paid a larger bonus at the end of the year, so my budgets are consistently negative through December (bad habit, I know). My income is green - generally a little more than budget. My spending is either green or red depending on the month, and it makes sense. But I find that my "difference" is always green. It is as if Quicken is ignoring the sign (it's always negative), and a larger number is green, even though it is more negative. Has anyone seen this?

Also open to tips on how to best optimize the system for cash flows like this. Thanks!

[Edited - Readability]

Quicken Laura

Hi @HotelPapa,

Thanks for bringing this up! I'd appreciate it if you could provide a bit more information to better investigate why the Difference column is consistently showing green, even when the negative amount increases.

1. In Quicken, go to Quicken > Settings > Budgets > Bar Style. Is the graphic set to display Actual or Remaining?
2. Are you looking at the 1-month view or the 12-month view?

If possible, could you share a screenshot of your Budget view showing the income and spending categories, along with the Difference column? Please also include the relevant bar graphics so we can see how Quicken is displaying the information.

You can redact any personal or financial information. If needed, please refer to this Community FAQ for instructions on how to attach a screenshot. Alternatively, you can also drag and drop screenshots to your response if you are not given the option to add attachments.

These details will help me better understand how Quicken is interpreting and displaying your budget differences and determine whether the behavior is expected or potentially a display issue.

Thanks in advance for your help!