How your budget form works - a visual guide to understanding the automatic calculations
📍 How It Starts
You Type a Number
Enter any dollar amount in a budget line
System Checks Status
Makes sure it's safe to calculate without conflicts
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🔄 What Happens When You Enter Data
Is System Busy?
Prevents multiple calculations at once (system allows up to 4 calculations "in line" at a time)
❌ YES → Wait
Keeps Current Value
Doesn't change anything until it's safe
The system prevents confusion by waiting if multiple fields are being calculated. Your data is protected. If it ever looks "stuck," it's just holding for a safe moment - it will finish.
✅ NO → Calculate
Lock Other Changes
Temporarily prevents other fields from changing
Add Up Your Numbers
Sums all the line items you entered
Calculate Fees
Adds internal administrative fees automatically, if this budget line is subject to fees
Show Grand Total
Displays total with fees in the grand total field
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🎯 Special Calculation Modes
Box Mode Selected?
Did you check one of the Box Modes?
📦 YES → Use Box Calculation
Multiply Box Fields
Uses special formula based on box type
Special Calculation Modes:
Per Diem: Cost per Bed × Number of Beds × Number of Days
Gifts-in-Kind: Cost per Unit × Units × Quantity
Non-Monetary: Single value (no multiplication)
Exemption: Single value — EFSP, COVID, or Capital funds only
📝 NO → Use Standard Calculation
Add All Line Items
Sums every budget line you filled in
Salary Section?
Are you in Grant or Match Expenses?
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Check Staff Details
Verifies salary calculations if you entered staff
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💵 Which Box Modes Waive Fees?
Not every Box Mode skips fees the same way. Per Diem still applies the standard THQ/DHQ fees; the other three do not.
| Box Mode | Fields | Fees Applied? | Can Enter Negative (Deobligate)? |
|---|
| Per Diem | Cost per Bed, Bed Quantity, Number of Days | YES - Standard Fees Apply | Yes |
| Gifts-in-Kind | Cost per Unit, Units, Quantity | NO - Fees Waived | Yes |
| Non-Monetary | Single Value | NO - Fees Waived | No |
| Exemption | Single Value (EFSP / COVID / Capital) | NO - Fees Waived | Yes |
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💰 Handling Different Amounts
Calculate Your Total
Adds up everything you entered
Negative Amount?
Did you enter a negative number?
⚠️ IMPORTANT - Before You Can Deobligate:
Negative amounts (returning unused funds) are only accepted when the Contract Type dropdown is set to "Amendment/Modification." On an original/new contract, negative numbers are not treated as a deobligation - so always confirm the dropdown is set correctly first if you're returning funds.
⚠️ YES (on an Amendment) → Deobligation Mode
Activate Deobligation
Deobligation mode for returning unused funds
🟣 DEOBLIGATION MODE - AUTOMATIC ACTIONS:
When you enter a negative amount on an Amendment, the system automatically:
• Clears the matching expense/income fields
• Removes all administrative fees
• Balances income and expenses automatically
• Shows purple color to indicate deobligation
• Prevents you from having mismatched negatives
• Prompts you to enter terminated staff salary information below, if applicable
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Purple Indicator Shows
Form turns purple to show deobligation is active
🚫 Match/Match Fields → Cannot Go Negative
Negative Error Triggered
Match Income and Match Expense are never allowed to be negative
🟪 NEGATIVE ERROR - A SAFETY CHECK:
Match Income and Match Expense fields (and Cash Income outside an Amendment or outside an allowed Box Mode) can never legitimately be negative. If a negative slips in here, the system:
• Displays a clear "Amounts Cannot Be Negative" message
• Automatically returns the value to $0
• Keeps your other totals protected from bad data
✅ NO → Normal Cash/Grant Processing
Calculate Fees
Adds Standard THQ 10% and DHQ 1.8% assessment fees (11.8% combined)
Box Mode?
Is a special mode box checked, and does that box waive fees? (see fee table above)
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NO Box / Per Diem: Fees Apply
Standard THQ 10% and DHQ 1.8% assessment fees applied
GIK / Non-Monetary / Exemption: Fees Waived
Fees waived because these three modes represent non-cash or restricted-fee funding
Calculate Grand Cash/Grant Totals
Sums the subtotal and fee amounts together for grand value
💼 CASH/GRANT PROCESSING FEATURES:
• Available for deobligation mode (on Amendments)
• Priority validation - checked first
• Auto-populates on Page 1 of checklist
• Primary income/expense tracking pair
✅ NO → Normal Match/Match Processing
Calculate Fees
Adds Standard THQ 10% and DHQ 1.8% assessment fees (11.8% combined)
Box Mode?
Is a special mode box checked, and does that box waive fees?
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NO Box / Per Diem: Fees Apply
Standard THQ 10% and DHQ 1.8% assessment fees applied
GIK / Non-Monetary / Exemption: Fees Waived
Fees waived for non-cash or restricted-fee funding sources
Calculate Grand Match/Match Totals
Sums the subtotal and fee amounts together for grand value
🤝 MATCH/MATCH PROCESSING FEATURES:
• Will NOT override validation if totals are zero
• Never available for deobligation mode - Match can't be reduced with a negative number
• Automatically returns to $0 if a negative value is entered (see Negative Error above)
• Secondary match contribution tracking pair
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✅ Understanding Color Indicators
Check Status
System checks if income matches expenses
What Color to Show?
The system checks conditions in a strict priority order: a Negative Error is shown first if present, then Deobligation, then Box Mode, then Balanced/Unbalanced, then Idle. This keeps the most important message on top.
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🟢 GreenBalanced
Income equals expenses - budget is balanced!
🔴 RedUnbalanced
Income doesn't match expenses - needs adjustment
🟡 YellowBox Mode
Per Diem, Gifts-in-Kind, Non-Monetary, or Exemption box checked
🟣 PurpleDeobligation
You entered negative amounts on an Amendment - funds being returned
🟪 Purple/RedNegative Error
A negative number was entered somewhere it isn't allowed (like Match fields) - the system reset it to $0
🟠 OrangeSalary Error
Detail fields don't match budget OR more than 5 positions
⚪ WhiteEmpty/Idle
No data entered yet or all zeros
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📦 Special Mode Boxes - What They Do
Check a Box
Click one of the four special mode checkboxes
Activate Special Mode
Changes how calculations work
🔴 CHECKING A BOX AUTOMATICALLY:
When you check a special mode box, the system immediately:
1. Unchecks any other special mode boxes
2. Clears the input fields for the new mode
3. Changes field labels to match the mode
4. Hides regular income fields (for some modes)
5. Resets income total to zero
6. Shows yellow color to indicate special mode
Unchecking all boxes resets everything to normal
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Per DiemFor shelter bed costs: 3 fields — Cost per Bed, Bed Quantity, Number of Days. Standard fees still apply.
Gifts-in-KindFor donated items: 3 fields — Cost per Unit ($/lb), Units (X lbs), Quantity (lbs/pallets). Fees waived.
Non-MonetaryFor in-kind contributions: 1 field for total value. Fees waived. Cannot be deobligated.
ExemptionFor EFSP, COVID, or Capital funds only: 1 field, fees waived.
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🏷️ Smart Line Labels - "Other" Income & Expense Lines
A few budget lines are description-driven: certain Cash Income lines and the last few Grant Expense lines stay hidden until you type a description in the matching "Other" description box. Once a description is entered, that dollar-amount field appears so you can enter the amount. This keeps the form uncluttered and prevents stray numbers from being entered without an explanation attached.
Type a Description
Fill in the "Other" description box for a line item
Amount Field Appears
The matching dollar-amount field becomes visible automatically
Blank Description = Hidden Field
Leave the description blank and the amount field stays hidden to avoid unexplained entries
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👥 Salary Calculator - How It Works
Enter Staff Count (0-5)
Type how many different positions you need
Show Detail Rows
Form expands to show fields for each position
0 Staff Selected
Hide Calculator
All detail fields disappear, including the staff count field itself
🔴 ZERO AUTOMATICALLY:
• Hides all salary detail rows
• Clears all position descriptions
• Removes all calculated results
• Shows "Calculator OFF" message
1-5 Staff Selected
Show Position Fields
Displays rows for each position you selected, and keeps the staff count field visible while you work
Calculate Each Position
Multiplies quantity × time % × salary, then adds fringe
Check Total Match
Compares detail total to budget line totals
6+ Staff (Breach)
Max Breached
The calculator only supports up to 5 positions at once
"Max number of staff breached. Please include a list of staff in a separate document."
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💡 How Position Calculation Works:
For each position line:
• Multiply: (number of people) × (% of time) × (yearly salary)
• Add: fringe benefits amount
• Result shows in plain English below the row
Color Indicators:
• Orange: Detail totals don't match your budget lines
• Green: Everything matches perfectly
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💾 What the System Remembers
Budget TotalsRemembers all your income and expense totals, fees, and grand totals
Box SelectionRemembers which special mode you're using
Staff CountRemembers how many positions you have
Last StatusRemembers if budget was balanced, in a box mode, or in deobligation
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The system saves your work automatically so it can:
• Prevent duplicate calculations
• Remember your settings when you switch between fields
• Show you the right status colors
• Keep special modes active while you work
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🔄 When Things Get Cleared Automatically
🔴 AUTOMATIC CLEARING HAPPENS WHEN:
1. Switching Between Box Modes
• Old box's input fields clear
• New box's labels and fields appear
• Regular income fields may hide/show
2. Unchecking All Boxes
• All input fields clear
• Regular income fields reappear
• Income total resets to zero
• Everything returns to normal mode
3. Entering Negative Amount on an Amendment (Deobligation)
• Matching income/expense fields clear automatically
• Only keeps the negative amount field
• Removes all fees automatically
• Balances the pair automatically
4. Going Back to Positive (Removing Deobligation)
• Negative field clears
• Normal calculations resume
• Fees reapply
• Colors return to normal
5. Entering a Negative Where It Isn't Allowed
• Match Income and Match Expense fields never accept negatives
• The value is automatically returned to $0
• A Negative Error message displays until corrected
6. Setting Staff Count to Zero
• All position detail rows hide
• All descriptions clear
• All result calculations clear
• Calculator turns "OFF" and the staff count field itself hides
⚠️ These are safety features to prevent confusion and errors!
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🛡️ How the System Protects Your Data
Prevents ConflictsWon't calculate two things at once
Locks ChangesTemporarily freezes fields during calculation
Buffers ActionsVerifies it's safe before changing anything - up to 4 actions can be "in line" at once
Prevents LoopsStops calculations from going in circles
Waits for SafetyHolds changes if system is busy
Validates ResultsDouble-checks calculations before showing them, in a set priority order
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Why This Matters:
The system has multiple safety layers to ensure:
• Your numbers never get scrambled
• Calculations always finish completely
• Income and expenses stay in sync
• Fees calculate correctly
• Special modes work properly
• Negative numbers only apply where they're legitimately allowed
If you see fields not changing immediately, the system is protecting your data by waiting for a safe moment to update.
Please send bug reports or feedback to:
Divisional HQ Social Services Dept.
attn: Grants & Contracts Analyst