FIT’s projection feature pushes your finances into 2022 and beyond

Oct 14, 2021

Budgeting and planning season is here for local governments that have a Dec. 31 fiscal year-end. With 2022 on the horizon, some governments might be anticipating increases to certain revenues or planning changes to salaries and benefits. Our Financial Intelligence Tool's (FIT) “Add Projection” feature allows governments to adjust their known or anticipated revenues and expenditures, and then project those amounts into the future. Continue reading to learn how to access this feature and start projecting today.

How to create a projection

Follow these steps to create a projection:

  1. Visit https://portal.sao.wa.gov/FIT/ to access FIT.
  2. Sign in using your SAO SAW account (the same account your government uses to file its annual report or access the HelpDesk).
  3. Within your government's profile, scroll down to find the “Annual Filing Data” section and click the scope of your projection. Use the “Total Financial Summary” report to create a projection for revenues, expenditures or both.
  4. Click the “Add Projection” button at the top of this report.
  5. Select your fund, title your projection scenario and begin the projection.

Now it's time to customize your scenario. Add adjustments in the adjustment column or simply overwrite the dollar amount for any future year. Then all you need to do is save and apply the projection. You can even download the summary with your added projections to an Excel spreadsheet for even more customization.

Tip: Since you may already know how 2021 is playing out, you can use the 2021 column for actual or near-actual dollar amounts—the same information you might be using in the budgeting process.

Need more help?

Contact the Center for Government Innovation at Center@sao.wa.gov if you have questions about projections or to schedule a 1-on-1 FIT personal training session with our data experts.

New to FIT? Utilize the 15-minute FIT tutorial to learn how to access your government's data.

Save your first projection today with FIT!

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