The following article explains how budget groups can be established using employee metadata in the user file. The structure of a budget group is similar to a family tree: the Budget Group (parent budget) is the trunk, and the sub-budgets (child budgets) are the branches. Sub-budgets can be further divided into sub-groups, creating additional levels, much like smaller twigs stemming from a branch. This feature helps managers and those with budget access to maintain flexibility amidst organizational changes. Reference the article and video below to learn how to add a budget group, manage child budgets, create sub-groups, and leverage budget groups in recognition programs. Please speak with your Awardco point of contact to enable this feature.
- Adding a Budget Group
- Managing Budget Groups
- Transferring Points in Bulk
- Leveraging Budget Groups in Recognition Programs
Adding a Budget Group
To access Budgets as an Awardco admin:
- Log in to Awardco.
- On the homepage, select the Admin button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
- From the left navigation menu, select Finance, then Budgets.
This page shows all your existing budgets, their balances, and who has budget access. To create a Budget Group, select Create Group.
Next, name the group, select the budget's cost center (if your organization uses them for budgeting), and indicate if the budget is taxable or non-taxable. Note: This tax designation is for reporting only and won't affect how the budget operates. The tax status you set here will apply to all sub-budgets within this budget group.
Then, decide on the budget group type. The following sections explain each type in detail, along with their specific uses.
Metadata
The Metadata budget group type automatically creates budgets based on the metadata in your user file uploads. When you choose this type, the system generates a budget for each unique value in the metadata field you select.
For example, if you select '#Department' as the metadata field, a budget will be created for every department listed. Users in those departments will then have access to their department's budget. Users without a value for the chosen metadata field will be placed in an 'Undefined budget' category within each group and subgroup.
Use the metadata field dropdown menu to specify the metadata field that will determine the groups and budget access.
Hierarchy
Note: This budget structure is only available for clients who were already using it before February 26, 2025, and cannot be newly implemented.
The Hierarchy budget group type structures budgets based on the Supervisor IDs in your user file. This type is useful for aligning budgets with your organizational hierarchy.
After selecting 'Hierarchy', designate the Top Level user (the user at the top of your hierarchy) in the Top Level field. This user will be the starting point for the hierarchy budget structure.
Manager
The Manager budget type automatically assigns a budget to each individual who has at least one direct report, as determined by the 'Supervisor ID' in the user file. This simplifies the process by eliminating the need to manually create budgets for every manager in your organization.
You can also limit which managers receive budgets by selecting specific metadata in the user file. For example, you could choose to only give budgets to managers where 'Level' equals 'Executive', 'VP', or 'Director'.
Granting Budget Access: Giver or Recipient
The Based On toggle determines how budget access is granted to users. You can choose either Recipient or Giver.
- Selecting Giver grants budget access based on the user who is giving the recognition points.
- Selecting Recipient grants budget access based on the person who is receiving the points.
Here's how budget access settings work with each budget group type:
- Metadata: Giver and Recipient
- Hierarchy: Giver and Recipient
- Manager: Giver
Budget Auto-Reload
If you want points to automatically reload on a regular schedule, toggle the Budget Auto-Reload option to 'on'. Then, select an auto-reload rule from the dropdown menu.
If you haven't created an auto-reload rule yet, follow these steps:
- On the Budgets page, click the Auto-Reload Rules tab (above the Active-Archive toggle).
- Click Add Rule to start setting up a new rule.
- Define the reload frequency, the number of points to reload, and the budgets that the rule will apply to.
- Review the summary of your rule settings and click Add Rule.
Reference the Budget Auto-Reload support article for more information on each setting in the setup process and the nuances of budget auto-reload.
After clicking ‘Save’, the newly created budget group will appear on the Budgets tab.
Managing Budget Groups
To edit a budget group's name, change its taxable status, add points, or transfer points out, click the ellipsis (three dots) to the right of the budget. Note: You cannot edit Cost Center and Metadata fields after the budget group is created.
Clicking the ellipsis on a parent budget will also give you the option to Archive Budget Group. Budget Groups can only be archived this way; you cannot archive them via CSV upload.
For Manager budget groups, where the points go once the budget is archived, is controlled by the "Archived Manager Budgets Retain Funds" toggle in the Platform Advanced Settings.
- When this toggle is off (default), archiving a Manager budget returns any remaining points to the Company Account and hides the budget from the Budgets page.
- When this toggle is on, archived Manager budgets move to the Archived tab, keep their remaining balance, and can still be used as a source when transferring points to other budgets. Admins and Budget Owners with access to the archived Manager budget can transfer points from that archived budget to other budgets as needed.
Editing Metadata Budget Groups
In a Metadata budget group, the lock symbol on each metadata value in the individual child budget access fields indicates that these child budget metadata values cannot be changed.
By default, all role types associated with a Metadata value have budget access. If you need to limit access to specific roles, click inside the budget's search field and add the role name to the budget access parameters. You can also search for and add other individuals or Manager Groups to grant them budget access. You can add metadata to a sub-budget's budget access as long as it's not the same metadata used by the parent budget.
To edit a child budget's name, Cost Center, and Budget Owners, click the ellipsis icon to the right of the child budget. You can also add or remove points and transfer points to any other budget or child budget from this menu. Additionally, you'll find the option to Create New Sub Group, which allows you to further refine budget access using another metadata value based on the Budget Group's original metadata field.
Creating Sub Groups
After selecting the option to create sub-group budgets, you'll be taken to a page where you can:
- Name the sub-group
- Select a cost center (if applicable)
- Choose a new metadata field to define budget access
Important: When you create sub-group budgets, any points currently in the child budget will be returned to the company account. You will then need to reallocate these points to the new child budgets and sub-group budgets as needed.
Example:
Let's say you're creating sub-group budgets within the 'Client Success' child budget. You assign this sub-group to 'Cost Center 1' and use the '#Job Level' metadata field. After clicking 'Save', three new sub-group budgets will be created for Client Success employees with Job Levels 1, 2, and 3. The points that were in the main 'Client Success' budget are now in the Company Account and need to be added to these new sub-group budgets.
Editing Hierarchy and Manager Budget Groups
Click on the ellipsis icon to the right of any parent budget in a budget group to edit the budget group name, taxable information, or add auto-reload rules. Additionally, you’re able to archive the group, search the list of users that have budget access in the budget group, or add child budgets.
On any parent budget, click the ellipsis icon to edit the following:
Hierarchy Parent Budget
- Name
- Tax information
-
Which managers should be included? (All, Limit)
- Limit which managers should be included by selecting metadata from the dropdown menu.
- Auto-Reload rule
Manager Parent Budget
- Name
- Tax information
-
Which managers should be included? (All, Limit)
- Limit which managers should be included by selecting metadata from the dropdown menu.
-
Budget Owners
- Use this field to bulk add a budget owner to all budgets within the Manager Budget Group.
- Auto-Reload rule
On any child budget, click the ellipsis icon to edit the following:
Hierarchy Child Budgets
- Cost Center (if applicable)
- Budget Owners
- Auto-Reload rule
Manager Child Budgets
- Name
- Cost Center (if applicable)
- Tax information
-
Which managers should be included? (All, Limit)
- Include all managers if they have 1+ direct reports, or limit managers via metadata.
- Budget Owners
- Auto-Reload rule
Transferring Points in Bulk
Admins and Budget Owners can quickly refill multiple budgets within a budget group using the bulk transfer feature. This is especially useful for Budget Owners tasked with managing points for a large group of managers.
- Navigate to the specific budget group you want to refill.
-
Click the "Transfer Points in Bulk" button. This action is visible only when you are viewing the specific Manager Budget Group.
- In the modal, export the CSV template.
- In the CSV, provide the "from" budget ID (the budget that points will be transferred from, typically an individual budget the Budget Owner owns) and the point amount you want sent to each child budget in the group.
- Upload the completed CSV via the modal to execute the bulk transfer.
Note on Budget Owner Access: A Budget Owner given access to a Manager Budget Group will have access to the Budgets page, but they will only be able to see budgets where they are explicitly assigned as a budget owner. The 'Transfer Points in Bulk' feature is housed within the Manager Budget Group's page.
Leveraging Budget Groups in Recognition Programs
You can use Budget Groups in the budget settings of your Recognition Programs (Admin > Programs > Recognition Programs > select program name > Points).
In the Points section of the Recognition Program settings, adjust the Budget Access settings to either:
- Allowable Access Budgets: This lets users with access to specific budgets in the Budget Group use those budgets for recognition.
- Recipient Base Budget Group: (For recipient-based programs) This aligns the program's budget access with recipient-based budget groups.
Note: Central Budget access allows anyone eligible to give recognition in the program to access the selected program's budget, even if they weren't granted specific access on the Budgets tab.
To use a Budget Group, type the name of the parent budget in the search bar.
Important: Before leaving the recognition program settings, make sure Allow Nominator to Suggest Amount is toggled to 'On' under the Funding section.
Now, anyone with budget access within the specified Budget Group who is eligible to give recognition in this program will see the option to select their designated budget on the recognition form. Similarly, anyone with budget access in the same Budget Group who needs to approve a recognition will be able to fund it from their own budget.
Example:
In the approvals queue, this approver can award points from the 'Sales' child budget within the 'Department' budget group.
In the approvals queue, this approver is able to award points from the Sales child budget.
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.