LegalClientTools

Client Budget Tracker

Track a matter against the budget the client agreed and project the final figure while a conversation is still useful.

Last reviewed

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Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

Clients accept budget increases far more readily in advance than in arrears. The difference between a scope conversation and a fee dispute is almost entirely timing, and the timing is determined by when the variance becomes visible.

This tracker projects the final figure from spend to date and percentage complete, which makes an overrun visible while there is still something useful to do about it.

Your numbers

Results update as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Budget
Actual
Progress

Result

Projected total

$27,964

Variance

$6,064

Status
Projected over budget
Budget total
$21,900
Spend to date
$15,380
Budget remaining
$6,520
Budget used
70.23%
Variance percentage
27.69%
Projected hours
76.4
Hours variance
16.4

This tool performs arithmetic on the values you enter. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

The projection assumes the remaining work costs the same per unit of progress as the work done so far - which is optimistic on litigation and pessimistic on repeatable transactional work.

Percentage complete is a judgement call. Base it on phases finished rather than on time spent, or the projection just restates the spend.

How to use the client budget tracker

  1. Enter the budget agreed with the client: hours, rate and expenses.
  2. Enter actual hours, the rate they were recorded at, and expenses to date.
  3. Estimate percentage complete from phases finished, not from time spent.
  4. Read the projection and the variance, and act on it early.

What people use this for

  • Reporting matter status to a client who requires budget updates.
  • Deciding when to raise a scope conversation.
  • Checking whether an agreed budget is still realistic.
  • Reviewing after closure whether the original estimate held.

Worked examples

Every figure below is produced by running this calculator against the example inputs, so the numbers always match the tool.

Tracking over budget

Budget 60 hours at $340 with $1,500 expenses; 42 hours at $340 and $1,100 spent at 55% complete.

Projected total
$27,964
Variance
$6,064
Status
Projected over budget

Tracking on budget

The same budget with 30 hours recorded at 55% complete.

Projected total
$19,818
Variance
-$2,082
Budget used
49.77%

Raise variance early, in writing

A client told at 55% complete that the matter is projecting fifteen percent over budget, with an explanation of why, generally agrees a revised figure. The same client told at the end receives an invoice they did not expect, and the conversation is about whether they should pay it.

Some jurisdictions require notice when an estimate is going to be exceeded. Even where they do not, doing it early is the difference between a variance and a dispute.

Percentage complete has to mean something

It is the only judgement in the calculation and it decides the projection entirely. Base it on phases finished against phases planned.

Basing it on time spent makes the arithmetic circular: if half the budget is gone and you call the matter half complete because half the budget is gone, the tool will confirm you are exactly on budget every single time.

Methodology and assumptions

What this calculator does, and what it deliberately does not do.

  • Budget total = budgeted hours × rate + budgeted expenses. Actual to date uses the actual rate and expenses incurred.
  • The projection divides actual spend by percentage complete and scales to 100%.
  • It assumes remaining work costs the same per unit of progress, which is optimistic on contested matters where the expensive phases come last.
  • The tool performs arithmetic or date counting on the values you enter. It does not interpret a rule, a statute or a contract.
  • Nothing you type is transmitted or stored - the calculation runs entirely inside your browser.

This website provides general informational and productivity tools and does not provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.

The date and deadline tools count days exactly as you instruct them. They do not interpret court rules, statutes of limitation, filing requirements or any other legal authority, and they do not know the rules of your jurisdiction.

Always verify any date, fee, or calculation against the governing rule, the court calendar and your own professional judgement. If you need legal advice, consult a lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction.

Frequently asked questions

When should I tell the client?

As soon as the projection is materially over, not when the budget is exhausted. Early notice is what keeps it a scope conversation.

What if the client caused the overrun?

It is still worth raising early, and worth documenting what changed. Scope changes legitimately move a budget; what causes disputes is that the change was never discussed.

Should the budget include expenses?

Whichever way the engagement letter handles them, applied consistently. Excluding disbursements avoids the budget moving with third-party costs.

Is the projection reliable on litigation?

Treat it as a floor. Litigation costs are usually back-loaded, so a proportional projection understates the final figure.

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