Quicken Windows Help

How to duplicate a budget

You can duplicate any budget from the Planning tab.

  1. Select the Planning tab.

  2. Select the Budgets button.

  3. If you have more than one budget, select the one you want to duplicate from the drop-down list at the top of the window.

  4. Choose Budget Actions > Duplicate this budget….

  5. In the Duplicate Budget dialog, keep the suggested name or type your own.

  6. Select OK.

The duplicated budget appears in the drop-down list, ready to edit independently of the original.

Reasons to duplicate a budget

Duplicating a budget lets you experiment with a new structure or time period without changing the budget you're currently using. It also lets you compare two versions of the same budget side by side.

When you might duplicate a budget

Common reasons to duplicate a budget include:

  • To test a change in categories or amounts before applying it to your main budget

  • To create next year's budget from this year's, then adjust amounts for expected changes

  • To build a stricter or looser version of your current budget for comparison

  • To preserve a snapshot of your budget before making changes you might want to undo

When you might not need to duplicate

A duplicate isn't always the right choice:

  • You only need to adjust amounts within the same budget; editing it directly is simpler than managing two.

  • You won't keep both budgets updated; an unused duplicate goes stale and adds clutter to the drop-down list.

  • You're comparing actuals against more than one budget; only one budget displays at a time.