Steady hands at budget season.
Next year's budget for every association, built the same way every time.
Build each operating budget line by line, with last year's budget and this year's actuals beside every number. BallastBook does the arithmetic, works out the assessment per unit, and gives you a clean PDF the board can adopt.
One budget season, start to finish.
A made-up January budget, from the first draft to the new year.
- Draft
Start from last year's budget
Sep
- Proposed
PDF in the board packet
Oct
- Adopted
The board votes; it locks
Nov
- Adopted
PDF sent to owners
Dec
- Adopted
The budget takes effect
Jan
Next season: Make a copy
Once it's adopted, it can't change. Next year starts from a copy.
When a board adopts is up to your governing documents and your state. BallastBook doesn't set dates.
How it works
Add your associations
Paste a list with unit counts, with fiscal years that start in any month. Your company gets a standard chart of about 40 lines that you can rename, reorder and add to.
Build the budget
Type next year's numbers beside last year's budget and this year's actuals, or import them from your accounting system. Totals and the per-unit figure update as you type.
Take it to the board
Mark it proposed, download the PDF, and mark it adopted when the board votes. Next year starts from a copy.
- The numbers are yours. BallastBook never guesses an amount, never adds inflation, and never suggests a figure.
- Exact to the cent. Per-unit amounts round half up, and the total of the payments shows beside the exact assessment. Units that pay different shares get their own classes.
- Every change kept. Who changed which line, when, and from what to what. Adopted budgets are locked; if one was marked by mistake, the owner can reopen it, and the history shows why.
- Imports from your accounting system. If it exports to CSV or Excel, map the file once, and we remember it for your company.
- Quiet unless it matters. No owner logins, no email to boards, no weekly emails.
- Your data stays yours. Download every budget anytime; if you leave, we delete it 13 months after a paid plan ends, or 30 days after an unpaid trial.
Pricing
From $100 a year
Priced per person on your team, with any number of associations, so a manager working alone pays for one.
Prefer monthly? $10 a month per person. Yearly saves 17%
Your price
$300 per year for 3 people
or $30 per month, month to month
More than 25 people? Type the number in the box; it's the same price per person.
How it's calculated: each person on your team is one seat, including you.
| Plan | Per person |
|---|---|
| Yearly (the default; saves 17%) | $100 a year |
| Monthly | $10 a month |
Pricing questions
How does the free trial work?
30 days with everything included, no credit card. We email the owner 7 days and 1 day before it ends.
What happens when the trial ends?
If you don't pick a plan, your budgets become read-only, and you can still sign in and download them for 30 days. Then they're deleted, and we email you 7 days before. If you've paid for a plan and it ends, they're kept for 13 months instead.
Is it per association?
No. The price is per person on your team, with any number of associations.
Can I add or remove people?
Anytime. Adding someone is charged right away for the rest of your billing period. Removing someone lowers your bill at the next renewal, and a replacement before then costs nothing extra.
Can I switch between monthly and yearly?
Yes, anytime, from Settings, and it takes effect right away. Going yearly charges the yearly price minus the unused part of your month. Going monthly turns the unused part of your year into credit for your monthly bills. Stripe shows the exact amount before you confirm.
How do I cancel?
The account owner cancels from Settings. Your plan runs to the end of the period you've paid for; there are no refunds.
How can I pay?
By card or bank payment, through Stripe. Invoices are in Settings.
Other questions
Is it only for management companies?
No. Management companies, managers working on their own, and self-managed boards can all sign up. A manager working alone is a team of one.
Is it accounting software?
No. No ledgers, no bank feeds, no reserve studies. BallastBook builds the budget and hands it off. A reserve contribution is one line you type.
Does it know what my state requires?
No, on purpose. You decide the numbers. Budget requirements and deadlines vary by state and governing documents.
Do owners or board members log in?
No. They only ever see the PDF, which you send yourself or through PacketSkipper.
Is my data safe?
Each company's data is kept separate, connections are encrypted, and only people on your team can see it. We don't sell your data or use it for advertising.
Questions? Write to us at support@ballastbook.com.
Apps for Community Association Managers
Apps for community association managers, built to work the same way.
- Coifish
Automated vendor COI tracking. Coifish reminds vendors when their insurance is expiring and collects the new certificates, so you don’t have to.
- ReelMinder
Tracks every Association deadline, from insurance expirations and contract renewals to meeting notice dates, and reminds you before each one.
- PacketSkipper
Builds Board meeting packets, records minutes, and tracks action items until you check them off.
- BallastBook
A simple, straightforward Annual Budget builder for each of your Associations.
You are here
- ShipShape
Automatically renames every file to your own custom naming convention, so documents are always easy to find.
Coming soon
- AboveBoard
An easy-to-use public database where each Association can post its Governing Documents, minutes and records.
Coming soon