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Budgeting and forecasting software

Budgeting and forecasting software that starts with the hiring plan

People are most of a startup's spend, so CX Cash builds the budget from each role's start date and fully loaded cost. Move a hire and burn, runway and the month cash runs out move with it, while the decision is still open.

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Payroll-related costs are 76% of operating costs at venture-backed startups, in Kruze Consulting's client data.

Hiring plan · hypothetical company

Nine hires in 2027 decide the month this company's cash runs out

Toggle the plan, or pick a role to see its fully loaded cost.

Runway from 1 Jan 2027
20.5 months
Cash runs out
September 2028
New hires' cost in 2027
$1,076,790
People share of spend, Dec 2027
82.4%
Role · team · salary
Monthly spend New hires Other spend Current team Receipts
Cash $6.0M on 1 Jan 2027
$233K a year
$189K a year
$145K a year
$178K a year
$189K a year
$117K a year
$145K a year
$200K a year
$264K a year
$400K a month
$0

Fully loaded cost a year

Engineer, $160,000

Starts 1 Mar 2027 · 2027 cost $163,200

Salary
$160,000
Social Security
$9,920
Medicare
$2,320
Unemployment
$287
Health
$7,885
Match
$4,800
Equipment
$4,000
Total
$189,212 (1.18×)
Recruiting, once
$5,475
Source: hypothetical company with $6.0M of cash on 1 January 2027, a current team costing $260K a month, $85K a month of other spend and $120K of monthly receipts growing 3% a month. Loaded costs at 2026 federal and California rates; the 53-day slip is Gem's 2025 average time to hire for engineering roles. CX Cash calculation.

// 01 Why the plan starts with people

At venture-backed startups, people are about 76% of operating spend, so the budget is mostly a hiring plan

Kruze Consulting, an accounting firm for startups, analysed more than $900 million of its clients' spending and found that payroll-related expenses "consume 76% of total operating costs for venture-backed startups" (Kruze Consulting, 2024). Wages alone are 51.0%, and consultants add 12.5%. These are one firm's client data, and the page describes its sample two ways; even so, they point where every startup P&L points. The decisions that move the budget are who joins, at what cost, and when.

Payroll-related costs are 76.4% of a venture-backed startup's operating costs
  • Consultants 12.5%
  • Benefits 4.2%
  • Payroll taxes 3.9%
  • Sales commissions 2.7%
  • Bonuses 1.8%
  • Payroll processing 0.4%

Source: Kruze Consulting (2024), breakdown across more than 100 funded startups, % of operating costs. Everything else is 100% less 76.4% (our arithmetic).

Timing

Hires start later than the plan says

In the classic study of the planning fallacy, Waterloo honours students predicted they would finish their theses in 33.9 days on average and took 55.5; only 29.7% finished by their own best estimate (Buehler, Griffin and Ross, 1994). Hiring has its own clock. Gem's 2025 benchmarks put the average time to hire for engineering roles at 53 days (Gem, 2025), so a plan that starts every engineer on the first of the month books spending, and output, that arrive about two months later.

Cost

They cost more than the salary, by an amount no single multiplier fits

A hire costs a salary plus capped percentages plus fixed sums per head: Social Security at 6.2% of wages up to $184,500, Medicare at 1.45%, unemployment taxes on the first $7,000, and a health premium by tier (IRS Publication 15, 2026; KFF, 2025). Priced line by line, the nine roles in the plan above cost between 1.15 and 1.23 times salary, and a junior hire on family cover reaches 1.46 (our arithmetic, set out in the headcount planning guide). A flat 1.3 overstates a senior engineer and understates that junior hire.

“Hiring too fast is by far the biggest killer of startups that raise money.”
Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, in Default Alive or Default Dead? (2015)

Start the budget where the money goes: the hiring plan, priced to the dollar.

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// 02 The hiring plan is the budget

Each hire is priced in dollars, line by line, and the people budget is their sum

In CX Cash each planned role is a row: title, team, start date, salary, work location, health tier, equipment and recruiting cost. CX Cash computes the fully loaded cost month by month from the current tax rules and wage bases, then adds the row to the payroll you already run. The largest line of the budget is built from the people in it, rather than from last year's total plus a percentage.

One hypothetical $160,000 engineer costs $189,212 a year, 1.18 times salary
LineCost a year
SalaryBase pay, which already covers vacation and holidays $160,000
Social Security6.2% of wages up to $184,500 $9,920
Medicare1.45% of all wages; the extra 0.9% is the employee’s $2,320
UnemploymentFederal 0.6% plus California 3.4% and 0.1% training tax, on the first $7,000 $287
Health insuranceEmployer share of the average single premium, $9,325 less $1,440 $7,885
Retirement match3% of salary, assumed $4,800
Equipment and software$4,000 a year, assumed $4,000
Fully loaded1.18 times salary $189,212
RecruitingSHRM’s 2025 average per non-executive hire, once $5,475

Source: IRS Publication 15 (2026); California EDD (2026); KFF (2025), average single premium less the average worker contribution; SHRM (2025). Match and equipment are assumptions. CX Cash calculation.

  • The current team comes in from payroll

    Salaries, taxes and benefits for everyone already employed arrive from Gusto, Rippling or Deel, so planned hires are added to the real payroll.

  • Employer taxes computed, not assumed

    Social Security stops in the month a salary reaches the wage base, unemployment taxes fall in the first months of each year, and the extra 0.9% Medicare is left out because the employee pays it.

  • Variable pay and one-off costs in their own months

    Base and commission are planned separately for sales roles; the recruiting fee lands in the start month and equipment when it is bought.

  • Departures and backfills

    A planned departure removes cost from its end date, and a backfill adds it back after the hiring gap you set for that team.

Calculator

What one hire does to runway

Set cash, monthly net burn and how fast burn grows, then add $15,768 to the burn: the engineer above, $189,212 a year spread over 12 months. Watch how far the zero-cash date moves for one person.

Your next hire priced to the dollar, and its effect on runway, before the offer goes out.

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// 03 Change the plan

Slip a start date or add a role, and runway answers in the meeting

Drag a role to a later month or add one, and CX Cash recomputes monthly burn, cash and the zero-cash month at once. In the plan above, starting every hire 53 days late moves the zero-cash month from September to October 2028; adding a head of marketing in July pulls it to August.

  1. The plan September 2028 cash runs out
  2. Every start 53 days late October 2028 +0.9 months
  3. Add a head of marketing in July August 2028 −1.0 months

  1. Planned dates beside real ones

    When a hire's first payroll runs, CX Cash records the real start date against the plan. After a few quarters you have your own average slip by team, which is the reference class that fits your company best (why it beats a benchmark).

  2. A slip assumption in the open

    Apply a delay to every open role, from your own history or a benchmark such as 53 days, where everyone can see it, instead of padding a line in someone's head.

  3. Output moves with cost

    Capacity by team, in person-months, sits next to the cost. In the plan above the 53-day slip saves $241,499 in 2027 and takes 15.7 person-months of work out of the year, so a cheaper plan that delivers less is visible as such.

  4. Every change logged

    Each move records who changed what and its effect on runway, so the plan the board approved and the plan you run can be compared line by line.

Ask what a hire does to runway, and get the answer before the meeting ends.

// 04 The rest of the spend

The other quarter of spend is vendors, and each one gets an owner and a renewal date

Once people are planned, most of what is left is contracts: software, cloud, rent, agencies. CX Cash reads them from card, bank and accounting data and turns each recurring charge into a budget line with an owner, ready for a zero-based review when you want one.

  • Subscriptions with renewal dates

    Each recurring vendor shows its monthly cost, billing cycle, next renewal and notice period, and an annual renewal enters the cash forecast in the month it bills.

  • Duplicate tools flagged

    Two tools doing the same job, such as two video-meeting apps, are flagged before the earlier renewal, with the seats and owner of each.

  • Seats follow the hiring plan

    Tools billed by the seat are linked to headcount, so a planned engineer adds the seats that role needs at the price you pay.

  • Costs by team and product

    Every line belongs to a team and, where it applies, a product. Shared costs such as rent, cloud and the finance stack are allocated on a basis you choose: headcount, revenue, usage or a fixed split.

  • Project ROI

    Group vendor costs and loaded people time under a project, and set them against the revenue or savings the project was meant to bring.

Every vendor with an owner and a renewal date, and no tool paid for twice.

// 05 Budget against actuals

A variance report is worth most in the first days of the next month

James O. McKinsey, the accounting professor who founded McKinsey & Company, wrote in 1922 that the gap between January's estimated and actual sales is "of little value in controlling the budget program for February if not available until February 25" (McKinsey, 1922). CX Cash compares actuals with the budget as transactions post, so the comparison exists during January and is complete on 1 February.

June 2027 in the hypothetical plan: one alert is a late start, the other is two renewals

  • Engineering payrollAlert sent

    Budget $168,920 · Actual $161,321

    −$7,599 (−4.5%) · threshold 5% or $5,000

    Engineer planned for 1 May started 16 June: timing. The cost returns in full from July.

  • Product payroll

    Budget $44,822 · Actual $45,744

    +$922 (+2.1%) · threshold 5% or $5,000

    Designer hired at $160,000 against $150,000 planned: rate, +$11,065 a year.

  • Software subscriptionsAlert sent

    Budget $14,000 · Actual $19,800

    +$5,800 (+41.4%) · threshold 10%

    Annual design-tool renewal billed in June ($4,300); a second video-meeting tool renewed ($1,500), flagged as a duplicate.

  • Travel

    Budget $6,000 · Actual $6,420

    +$420 (+7.0%) · threshold 10%

    Within threshold. No alert.

Source: hypothetical company from the plan above. Payroll figures use the same 2026 rates; existing team costs, vendor amounts and thresholds are assumptions. Variance % is variance ÷ budget. CX Cash calculation.

  • Variance by line, in dollars and percent

    Each line sits beside the budget you signed, with the current forecast next to it. The budget stays fixed so there is something to measure against; the forecast moves.

  • A threshold on each line

    Set it in percent, dollars or both: 10% on marketing, zero on contractors, $5,000 on payroll. A flat 10% would flag a $400 overrun on a $3,000 line and miss $40,000 on a $500,000 payroll line.

  • Alerts when a line crosses

    CX Cash emails the owner and posts to Slack with the line, the amount over and the transaction that tipped it, during the month.

  • Payroll variance explained by the plan

    People lines split into rate (a salary above plan), timing (a start earlier or later than planned) and volume (a role nobody planned, or one that never opened).

  • Variance notes drafted for you

    For the largest variances, CX Cash drafts a plain-English note citing the transactions or hires behind each, for you to edit rather than write from a blank page. Budget variance analysis covers which gaps deserve a note.

Know which line ran over, and why, while the month can still be changed.

// 06 Reforecast and scenario planning

Most plans miss, so each case carries its own hiring triggers

In a survey of 885 institutional venture capitalists at 681 firms, Gompers, Gornall, Kaplan and Strebulaev found that "fewer than 30% of the companies meet projections" (Gompers et al., 2016). A forecast that will probably be wrong is still useful when its cases say what the company does if it is. Sequoia's 2022 forecasting deck for founders made the same point practically: tie revenue, talent and funding together and define trigger points before releasing more spending (Sequoia Capital, 2022).

In the worst case, the hiring triggers keep the zero-cash month where the base case has it

  • Best

    5% receipts growth a month · hires: 10, adds a head of marketing

    Cash runs outDecember 2028

    Runway23.6 months

    Net burn, Dec 2027$298,580

  • Base

    3% receipts growth a month · hires: All 9

    Cash runs outSeptember 2028

    Runway20.5 months

    Net burn, Dec 2027$317,358

  • Worst, trigger honoured

    1% receipts growth a month · hires: 6; 3 roles held

    Cash runs outSeptember 2028

    Runway20.7 months

    Net burn, Dec 2027$298,667

  • Worst, every hire made

    1% receipts growth a month · hires: All 9

    Cash runs outJuly 2028

    Runway18.7 months

    Net burn, Dec 2027$349,586

Source: hypothetical company from the plan above. Best adds the head of marketing; the worst case's trigger (receipts growth of at least 2% a month through June) is not met, so the three roles starting from July stay closed. CX Cash calculation.

  1. Best, base and worst from the same actuals

    Each case starts from the same closed months and differs only in the drivers you change: receipts growth, prices, churn, hiring and spend. Scenario analysis covers which drivers to flex first.

  2. Hiring triggers per role

    A role can wait on a condition, such as receipts growing at least 2% a month through June. In each case, a role whose trigger is not met stays closed, and its cost stays out of that case.

  3. Three linked statements

    The financial model behind the cases runs from drivers to an income statement, balance sheet and cash flow that stay linked: payroll taxes accrue when earned and are paid when due, deferred revenue sits on the balance sheet, and cash at the bottom ties to the bank. How a startup financial model runs explains the structure.

Three cases that agree on the actuals and differ only on what you would do.

// 07 Board pack

The board sees the plan, the actuals and the cases in the same layout every month

One finance chief writes in the OnlyCFO newsletter that "Boards get nervous (rightfully so) when the plan has 70%+ of the hiring in H1" (OnlyCFO, 2025). The plan above puts 6 of its 9 hires, 67%, in the first half. CX Cash prints that share on the first page of the pack, beside the runway it buys, and builds the rest of the pack from the same numbers you run the company on.

  1. p.1The hiring plan against actual starts, with the slip by team and the share of hires in each half
  2. p.2Budget against actuals by line, with the variance notes you approved
  3. p.3Best, base and worst cases, each with net burn, runway and the zero-cash month
  4. p.4Income statement, balance sheet and cash flow, with the drivers that changed since last month
  5. →One click exports the pack to PDF, Excel or Google Slides, in the same layout each month, ready to go out with the monthly investor update.

One plan for the team, the budget and the board, refreshed by the actuals every month.

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How CX Cash computes the figures on this page
FigureHow CX Cash computes itNotes
Fully loaded cost salary + Social Security (6.2% to the wage base) + Medicare (1.45%) + unemployment taxes on the capped wage + employer health share + match + equipment + recruiting Computed month by month from the start date; the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax is the employee's and is left out.
Net burn cash paid out − cash received, for the month Gross burn (cash paid out alone) is shown beside it.
Runway months until forecast cash reaches 0 Read from the forecast path, with hires and growth in it, rather than from this month's burn held flat.
Zero-cash month first month in which forecast cash ≤ 0 Moves with every change to the plan.
Variance actual − budget; % = (actual − budget) ÷ budget Favourable or unfavourable by effect: an expense over budget is unfavourable.
Allocated cost shared cost × team's share of the basis Basis per cost: headcount, revenue, usage or a fixed split.
Hiring share by half hires starting in H1 ÷ hires in the year Shown on the board pack's first page.

Source: formulas as CX Cash applies them; the linked posts give the definitions and their limits.

Comparing tools first? See 7 FP&A software tools for SaaS and 12 small business budgeting tools.

Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere

Built for

  • ✓Venture-backed companies, seed to Series B, whose largest cost is people.
  • ✓Founders and finance leads who want a hiring question answered in months of runway.
  • ✓Teams with a budget or model already, who want it to update with actuals instead of a monthly rebuild.
  • ✓Boards that want the hiring plan, the variance and the cases in one pack.

Not the right fit if

  • ✕You plan thousands of positions and need position control and multi-level HR approvals.
  • ✕Most of your costs are inventory and cost of goods sold, where a demand and production plan moves the budget more than headcount does.
  • ✕You want a blank canvas for a bespoke model, such as project finance or an acquisition; CX Cash builds from standard drivers and exports to Excel for the rest.
  • ✕You are two founders with no hires planned; the free model below is enough for now.

Security and your data

  • Read-only access

    CX Cash reads balances and transactions. It cannot move money, pay bills or post entries to your books.

  • Encrypted

    Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest.

  • Revocable at any time

    Disconnect any source from CX Cash or from the connected service, whenever you choose.

  • Your data leaves with you

    Export forecasts, budgets and metrics to Excel or CSV at any time. We never sell your data.

Free template

3-Statement Model Template + Scenario Planner

An assumptions sheet with base, best and worst columns that drives a linked income statement, balance sheet and cash flow over three years. Switch the scenario in one cell and all three statements follow.

The preview is the file itself: live formulas and worked sample numbers, yours to keep whether or not you use CX Cash.

Free download. We'll email you the link, and tell you the moment CX Cash launches.

Private beta · Free during the beta

Request access to CX Cash

Leave your work email and you join the queue. We set up each account by hand, one at a time. We email you when your setup slot opens. Free during the beta.

  • Done-for-you setup. We connect your systems and build your first view with you on a 45-minute call. You do not map accounts or build a model.
  • First results in 2 business days. Your first forecast, budget view or metrics pack is ready within 2 business days of the setup call.
  • Spreadsheets welcome. Anything without a connection comes in from an Excel or CSV export, and your existing model can be the starting point.

Your place in the queue, and one email when your slot opens.

Questions

Is CX Cash available now? +

It is in private beta. Request access on this page and you join the queue. We set up each account by hand, one at a time, and email you when your slot opens.

What does CX Cash cost? +

CX Cash is free during the beta. Pricing for after the beta has not been published yet.

What is the difference between budgeting and forecasting? +

A budget is the plan you commit to for a period, usually a year by month, and it stays fixed so you can measure against it. A forecast is your current best estimate of where the numbers will land, and it changes as actuals arrive. The budget tells you whether you are on plan; the forecast tells you where you are heading.

How does CX Cash calculate the fully loaded cost of a hire? +

From the salary and the rules that apply to it: employer Social Security at 6.2% up to the wage base, Medicare at 1.45%, federal and state unemployment taxes on the capped wage, the employer share of the health premium for the chosen tier, the retirement match, equipment and software, and the recruiting fee in the start month. It is computed month by month, so the front-loaded taxes fall in the right months, and no flat multiplier is used.

What happens when a hire starts later than planned? +

The budget keeps the planned date, payroll supplies the real one, and the difference shows as a timing variance on the team's payroll line. The forecast moves to the real date, and the slip is added to that team's history, which you can apply to the roles still open.

Is it scenario planning software as well? +

Yes. Best, base and worst cases sit side by side, plus any number of saved what-ifs. Each starts from the same actuals, and each role can carry a trigger, such as a revenue level, that decides whether it starts in a given case.

Is this FP&A software? +

It covers the FP&A work of an early-stage company: the hiring plan, budget against actuals, three linked statements, scenarios and a board pack. Our comparison of FP&A software for SaaS startups covers the wider category.

Does it replace a spreadsheet financial model? +

It replaces the upkeep. Your existing budget or model is the starting point at setup; after that actuals arrive on their own, the cases share one set of numbers, and everything exports to Excel whenever you want it.

Which systems does it connect to? +

Accounting (QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite), payroll (Gusto, Rippling, Deel), billing (Stripe), cards and spend (Ramp, Brex), and Excel or Google Sheets for anything without a connection.

When does a budget alert fire? +

When a line's actual spend crosses the threshold you set for it, in percent, dollars or both. CX Cash checks as transactions post, so you hear about an overrun during the month instead of at the close.

Go deeper on Budgeting, Spend & Working Capital

Read more on Budgeting, Spend & Working Capital →

Sources

Figures without a cited source are CX Cash calculations from the cited data. The company in the hiring plan, the June variance table and the three cases is hypothetical, as are its match, equipment, existing-team and vendor figures; tax rates and wage bases are the 2026 rules. Kruze Consulting's figures are one accounting firm's client data.