This guide explains what a Budget is in Lookout, why budgets are so important for managing a Member's funding, and how to access the Budgets tab on a Member's profile.
New to Budgets? Before you dive in, you may find it helpful to review our Budgets: Glossary or terms, which explains the key words you'll come across - like income, client contribution, service plan, and left to spend.
What is a budget?
A Budget in Lookout is a plan for how a Member's funding will be used over a set period of time. It brings together three things in one place:
- What's coming in - the funding available to the Member, such as government subsidies and any client contributions.
- What's planned to go out - the services and expenses the Member intends to use their funding for.
- What's left - how much of the funding remains to be spent.
Budgets in Lookout support a range of funding types - including Support at Home, Home Care Packages, NDIS, and private funding, so the budget reflects the rules of the Member's specific funding arrangement.
Please note: Support at Home Budgets display differently to other schemes: they're organised by quarter and show a breakdown of funding sources. Other funding types use a flexible date range.
Making the most of budgets
A well-maintained budget is one of the most powerful tools you have for delivering good care and running a healthy service. Here's how to get the most out of them:
Keep the funding picture accurate
A budget is only as useful as the information in it. Keep income, planned services, and expenses up to date so the "left to spend" figure always reflects reality. An accurate budget means fewer surprises and better decisions.
Direct funding to what matters
Use the budget to make sure a Member's funding goes towards the support they actually need. Planning services against available funds helps you maximise the value each Member gets from their package.
Avoid overspending and underspending
By comparing planned spending against available income at a glance, you can catch problems early - before a Member runs short, or before funding goes unused and risks being lost.
Plan ahead with confidence
Because a Budget covers a defined period, it lets you look forward rather than react. Reviewing a budget before committing to new services means you always know the financial impact in advance.
Stay compliant and audit-ready
A clear, documented budget provides a record of how a Member's funding has been allocated and agreed. This supports compliance and makes reviews and audits far simpler.
Review regularly
Funding needs change. Revisiting a Member's budget as part of regular reviews keeps it relevant, so it continues to reflect their current care and circumstances.
Top tip: Treat the Budget as a living document, not a one-time setup - the more current it is, the more it works for you.
Navigating to budgets
You'll find Budgets on each Member's profile:
- From the main navigation menu, click Members to open the full list of Members.
- Find the Member you're after - use the search box to type their name, or narrow the list using the filters.
- Click the Member's name to open their profile. This will load their Member dashboard.
- On their profile, select the Budgets tab from the row of tabs beneath their name.
Here is an example of a Support at Home budget screen:
And here is an example of what the budgets tab looks like for a different funding scheme, e.g., CHSP:
Ready to get hands-on? Once you understand what Budgets are, head to our Creating and Managing Budgets article for step-by-step instructions on setting up, editing, and approving a Member's Budget.
Troubleshooting
I can't see the Budgets tab
- Confirm you have access to the Member's community and permission to view their financial information.
- Try logging out and back in.
The Budget looks empty or incomplete
- A Budget may still be in draft, or may not yet have been set up for the current period. See Creating and Managing Budgets to set one up.
The figures don't look right
- Check the Budget's period (start and end dates) and that the correct funding type has been selected. If the issue persists, contact support.
Still Need Help?
If you're still experiencing issues, please contact our Support Team and include:
- Screenshots (if possible)
- The user's name/email
- The exact steps taken
- Any error messages received