# Build a Clean, Desktop-Style Budget vs. Actuals, in Google Sheets

QuickBooks Online's Budget vs. Actuals report spreads every month across the page, which is hard to read and hard to present. The tidy Desktop-style view (current month, year-to-date total, and remaining budget) and the classic 'P&L Budget Performance' report simply aren't available in QBO.

## Why this happens in QuickBooks

The modern Budget vs. Actuals has a fixed column layout, and QuickBooks Online doesn't offer the Desktop 'Budget Performance' report. You can't trim it down to just the columns you want to present.

In Google Sheets you decide exactly which columns appear, so you can rebuild the clean layout QuickBooks Desktop gave you.

## How to solve it

### 1. Pull the budget and actuals into Google Sheets

Use Retriever to bring your budget and the matching actuals into a sheet.

### 2. Show only the columns you need

Lay it out the clean way: current month actual vs. budget, year-to-date, and remaining budget, nothing else cluttering the page.

### 3. Add the performance math

Compute over/under, % of budget, and remaining budget with your own formulas, the Budget Performance view QBO is missing.

### 4. Refresh and present

Scheduled refreshes keep it current, so the board-ready report is ready whenever you need it.

## FAQ

### Does QuickBooks Online have a Budget Performance report like Desktop?

No. That report is Desktop-only. You can rebuild it in Google Sheets from your budget and actuals, laid out however you present it.

### Can I show just the current month and remaining budget?

Yes. In Sheets you choose the columns, so you can trim the all-months QBO layout down to current month, year-to-date, and remaining budget.