Month-end variance summary
Budget against actuals is worked out exactly by code, flagged, and turned into a short note for each budget owner.
Finance managers and small finance teams who build the monthly variance tables and write the follow-up notes by hand.
“Every month I copy the export into a spreadsheet, build the variance tables and write a note for each budget owner. It is slow, and one mistyped number reaches senior people.”
How it works
- A working n8n workflow, set up on your accounts.
- Every variance calculated by code, never by the AI.
- Lines flagged by a fixed, written rule.
- Commentary and a question for each budget owner.
- A report your analyst reviews before it goes out.
The fictional company finished A$55,680 under its profit budget. The largest line variance was Product sales at -A$32,000 (-6.2%). Lines are flagged when 10%+ and A$2,000+ off budget, or A$15,000+ off.
Test run on 2026-10-04, fictional company data, AI step answered with stored answers. Not a client result.
ROI worksheet: fill in your own numbers
Work down lines A to J. Blue column shows one worked example.| Line | Item | Formula | Your number | Example (made-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Hours per week on month-end variance work | 8 | ||
| B | People doing that work | 1 | ||
| C | Cost per hour, per person (A$) | 70 | ||
| D | Weeks worked per year | 48 | ||
| E | Cost of this work each week (A$) | A x B x C | 560 | |
| F | Cost of this work each year (A$) | E x D | 26,880 | |
| G | Share of that time you expect to free up (%) | your estimate | 50 | |
| H | Time value freed each year (A$) | F x G / 100 | 13,440 | |
| I | Yearly cost of running the automation (A$) | from a quote | 3,000 | |
| J | Yearly difference (A$) | H - I | 10,440 |
The example numbers are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not a forecast, and results depend on your own process and volumes.