Free Checklist Templates for Fp&A

Fp&A

OR

Annual Budget Preparation Checklist

Strategic Alignment & Kickoff

Confirm strategic priorities with the CEO

Confirm the budget framework and calendar

Distribute templates to cost-center owners

Revenue Forecasting

Pull three-year revenue history by segment

Build the bookings-to-revenue bridge

Stress-test against macro assumptions

Lock revenue plan with the CRO

Reconcile revenue gap with the CRO

Operating Expense Build

Build the headcount and compensation plan

Collect cost-center submissions

Challenge non-headcount line items

Set the contingency reserve

Capital Expenditure Plan

Compile the capex request list

Score projects on payback and IRR

Layer depreciation into the P&L

Cash Flow & Financing

Build the indirect cash flow forecast

Identify monthly cash troughs

Plan the bridge financing draw

Confirm debt covenant headroom

Consolidation & Approval

Consolidate to the three-statement model

Run sensitivity on the top three drivers

Present to the executive team

Submit budget to the board for approval

Rollout & Variance Cadence

Load the approved budget into the GL

Define the monthly variance package

Schedule the quarterly reforecast

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Budgeting and Forecasting Checklist

Baseline & Historical Analysis

Pull three-year P&L from the GL

Normalize for one-time and non-recurring items

Calculate prior-year variances by department

Review COA for budget readiness

Revenue Modeling

Identify primary revenue drivers

Build the bottoms-up revenue forecast

Model recurring vs. churn for subscription streams

Reconcile to sales pipeline coverage

Expense & Headcount Planning

Distribute departmental budget templates

Build the headcount plan with hire dates

Forecast variable COGS and gross margin

Build the capex and depreciation schedule

Capture one-time and special initiatives

Scenario Modeling & Approval

Build base, upside, and downside scenarios

Run cash flow and covenant compliance check

Review the budget package with the CFO

Present the budget to the board for approval

Incorporate revisions and re-circulate

Load & Lock the Approved Budget

Load budget into the GL by month

Configure variance reporting templates

Monthly Variance Review & Reforecast

Generate monthly actual vs. budget variance

Collect variance commentary from department heads

Determine whether to reforecast

Build the reforecast and refresh covenant check

Distribute the monthly board package

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Budget Variance Analysis Checklist

Preliminary Preparations

Confirm the period is closed in the GL

Pull the approved budget for the period

Export actuals to the variance workbook

Set the materiality threshold

Variance Calculation

Calculate revenue variances by line

Calculate COGS and gross margin variances

Calculate opex variances by department

Flag variances that breach materiality

Driver Investigation

Request commentary from department owners

Reconcile timing vs. permanent variances

Test for one-time or non-recurring items

Validate explanations against source data

Reporting Package

Draft the variance commentary memo

Build the CFO review deck

Walk the CFO through the package

Reforecast and Action Plans

Update the rolling forecast

Refresh the cash flow forecast

Assign corrective actions to owners

Close-Out and Lessons Learned

Distribute the final package to stakeholders

Log the analysis in the workpapers archive

Capture lessons for the next cycle

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Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Approval Checklist

Project Evaluation

Define project scope and business case

Run a feasibility study with operations

Draft the project proposal and timeline

Financial Analysis

Estimate total cost of ownership

Calculate NPV, IRR, and payback period

Build sensitivity and downside scenarios

Budget and Funding Review

Confirm funds in the approved CapEx budget

Model balance-sheet and covenant impact

Determine the required approval tier

Approval Routing

Submit the CapEx package to the approver

Address committee questions and revisions

Present to the board of directors

Capture the final approval signatures

Vendor Selection

Issue an RFQ to qualified vendors

Score the bids against the evaluation matrix

Issue the PO to the selected vendor

Implementation and Monitoring

Build the implementation plan

Track actuals against the approved budget

Confirm whether budget variance exceeds 10%

Escalate the overrun to the CFO

Post-Implementation Review

Run the post-completion audit

Document lessons learned

Capitalize the asset in the fixed-asset register

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Cash Flow Analysis Checklist

Engagement Setup & Data Pull

Confirm the close period is locked in QBO

Export trial balance and statement of cash flows

Tie cash GL balance to bank statements

Confirm prior-period restatements

Operating Cash Flow Review

Reconcile net income to operating cash

Analyze A/R aging and DSO movement

Analyze A/P aging and DPO movement

Review inventory and prepaid movement

Investing & Financing Activities

Review capex against the fixed-asset roll-forward

Tie debt activity to the loan amortization schedule

Review owner distributions and equity contributions

Variance & Trend Analysis

Build the trailing 12-month cash flow trend

Compute period-over-period variances

Flag material unexplained variances

Escalate variance to engagement partner

Liquidity & Forecast Assessment

Compute current ratio and quick ratio

Compute cash runway in months

Build the 13-week rolling cash forecast

Client Deliverable & Sign-Off

Draft the management commentary

Partner review and sign-off

Deliver package via client portal

Schedule the monthly review call

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Financial Analysis Checklist

Source Data and Scope

Confirm the period under analysis

Pull the trial balance and prior-period comparatives

Confirm whether the entity is publicly traded

Liquidity Analysis

Calculate the current ratio

Calculate the quick ratio

Review A/R turnover and aging

Document the liquidity narrative

Solvency Analysis

Compute the debt-to-equity ratio

Compute the interest coverage ratio

Compute cash flow to debt

Check loan covenant compliance

Notify partner of covenant breach

Profitability Analysis

Compute gross and net profit margin

Compute return on assets

Compute return on equity

Run DuPont decomposition

Efficiency Analysis

Compute inventory turnover and days on hand

Compute asset turnover ratio

Compute days sales outstanding

Compute days payable outstanding

Market Value Analysis

Compute earnings per share

Review the price-to-earnings ratio

Assess dividend yield and payout ratio

Review and Sign-Off

Tie computed ratios back to the trial balance

Draft the management commentary

Partner sign-off on the analysis package

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Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Checklist

Budget Preparation

Pull historical actuals from the GL

Distribute department budget templates

Review department submissions with owners

Consolidate inputs into the master budget

Obtain CFO and CEO sign-off on final budget

Revise budget per executive feedback

Rolling Forecast Update

Lock prior-month actuals from close

Refresh driver-based revenue assumptions

Build base, upside, and downside scenarios

Review forecast with department heads

Publish forecast to the leadership team

Budget vs. Actual Variance Analysis

Generate the BvA report from the GL

Flag variances above materiality threshold

Investigate root causes with department owners

Draft variance commentary for the board package

KPI and Performance Reporting

Refresh the KPI dashboard

Compare KPIs against quarterly targets

Benchmark against industry data

Recommend corrective actions to leadership

Strategic Planning Review

Refresh the long-range plan

Run sensitivity on key strategic levers

Align initiatives with capital allocation

Present the strategic update to the board

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Financial Ratio Analysis Checklist

Source Data Gathering

Confirm the reporting period and entity scope

Pull the trial balance and financial statements

Confirm public or private filing status

Liquidity Ratios

Calculate the current ratio

Calculate the quick ratio

Calculate the cash ratio

Profitability Ratios

Calculate the gross profit margin

Calculate the operating margin

Calculate the net profit margin and ROE

Leverage and Solvency

Calculate the debt-to-equity ratio

Calculate the debt ratio

Calculate the interest coverage ratio

Test debt covenant compliance

Efficiency Ratios

Calculate inventory turnover and DIO

Calculate AR turnover and DSO

Calculate the asset turnover ratio

Market Value Ratios

Calculate the P/E ratio

Calculate the dividend yield

Calculate the market-to-book ratio

Review and Sign-Off

Build the DuPont ROE decomposition

Write the variance commentary

Notify the lender of the covenant breach

Sign off on the analysis package

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Yearly Accounting Department Goals Setting

Prior-Year Performance Review

Analyze year-end financials and KPIs

Score last year's department goals

Collect team feedback on wins and pain points

Document a remediation plan for missed goals

Financial Targets and Budget

Set the close-cycle and reporting targets

Define working-capital and cash KPIs

Build the department operating budget

Plan capital and software investments

Compliance and Audit Readiness

Confirm whether an external audit applies

Build the PBC list and audit timeline

Refresh the internal control matrix

Map tax and regulatory deadlines for the year

Review the WISP and data-security posture

Technology and Process Improvement

Identify automation candidates in the close

Decide on a GL or sub-ledger upgrade

Scope the system selection project

Clean up the chart of accounts

Team Development and Capacity

Map skill gaps against next year's workload

Plan CPE and certification paths

Set up cross-training to remove single points of failure

Stakeholder Alignment and Sign-Off

Align goals with FP&A and the business units

Define the management reporting package

Present the goals package to the CFO

Revise and resubmit the goals package

Publish the final goals and reporting calendar

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