How do I create or request a budget?

Account and card admins can create new budgets for both themselves or other users within the dashboard. While employees cannot create their own budget, they can put in a budget request for an account or card admin to review.

Brex Essentials Creating a budget

Step 1a: In your dashboard, go to Budgets and click Create budget at the top right.

Step 1b: Alternatively, you can create a budget under Vendor or Group Travel by clicking + Create a New Budget to automatically nest the budget beneath an existing parent budget. If you’d like to invite a new user and create a user limit, you can do so by clicking + Add a new user next to User Limit.

Step 2: Add your budget’s details, including a name, description, and limit. If this budget is meant for other users, make sure to add Budget members.

Step 3: Click Submit. You’ll see a review screen and a note confirming that the budget was created successfully.

Brex Plus Creating a budget

Step 1: In your dashboard, go to Budgets and click Create budget at the top right.

Step 2: Select the type of spend you want to set up. You can find all your options here.

Step 3: View the policy and edit it as needed. More information can be found in this help article.

Note: The currency of your budget will match that of your policy. If you want to set your budget as non-USD, first create an expense policy in your currency of choice.

Step 4: Add your budget’s details, including a name, purpose, parent budget, and limit details. If this budget is meant for other users, make sure to add Budget owners and Budget members and (if applicable) choose whether you want to Automate budget distribution.

Note: Turning on automation for a budget will override any other rules previously set. You’ll be able to view and edit the budgets Automation rules from Budgets > Automations in your dashboard.

Step 5: If you want advanced limit settings in place, you can check or uncheck the following:

• Allow limit increase requests: If you want to allow members of the budget to submit requests for higher limits.

• Hide limit from members: If you want to hide the limit from members and disable requests for limit increases.

  • Account admins, card admins, and the budget owners can still view the budget limit.

• Allow member expense visibility: If you want employees to see the other budget members’ expenses, or if budget members should be restricted to seeing only their own expenses.

• Set a maximum amount allowed per transaction: If you want to set a limit per transaction to be automatically declined.

  • The budget’s transaction limit is independent of the parent budget limit.

Step 6: If you want advanced budget settings in place, you can check or uncheck the following:

• Create a virtual card for recurring payments: This will create a new, dedicated virtual card for this budget. If this is toggled on, you won’t be able to use your physical card with this budget.

• Block specific merchants and categories: If you want to restrict the type of expenses that can be made on this budget.

• Override expense categories: If you choose this option, you’ll be prompted to input the Legal entity, Department, Location, and Cost center that you want to override.

• Roll over unused funds: By toggling this on, a team member’s unused funds will roll over to the next budget period. For example, if your $100 budget recurs monthly, and you only use $85, rolling over those funds will give you a budget limit of $115 next month.

  • Clear rollover funds: You can choose when (if at all) accumulated rolled-over funds clear and the budget reverts back to its standard limit.

Step 7: Click Submit.

Following this, a popup window will appear asking if you’d like to Undo the budget creation. You’ll have six seconds to click this option, should you need to adjust the budget for any reason.

You can edit most of your budget information later on after the budget’s creation. The only exception to this is your budget’s currency, which cannot be changed after creation.

Brex Essentials Requesting a budget 

To request a new budget, please reach out to an account or card admin with your requirements. They can go on to create the budget on your behalf.

Brex Plus Requesting a budget

In your dashboard

Step 1: At the top right of the Wallet tab, navigate to Request Budget.

Step 2: Add your budget’s details, including a name, purpose, and parent budget. Choose the currency you’d like the budget to appear in.

Step 3: Click Submit.

In your app

Note: Please make sure you’ve updated your Brex app to the latest version.

Step 1: Tap Wallet at the bottom of your screen.

Step 2: Tap Manage > Request new budget.

Step 3: Add your budget’s details, including a name, purpose, and parent budget. Choose the currency you’d like the budget to appear in.

Step 4: Tap Submit.