GuideFinance30 May 20267 min read

Building an Employee Benefits Budget You Can Defend

How to size a benefits budget, split it across programs and answer the questions finance will ask.

By CorpCash Team

Start from headcount, not last year

Rolling last year's number forward hides changes in headcount mix. Build the budget per employee per program, then multiply.

Split by program, not by department

Recognition, festival gifting and everyday benefits behave differently through the year. Budgeting them separately makes underspend visible early enough to act on.

Recognition: recurring, manager-led
Festival gifting: one or two fixed dates
Benefits: monthly cycles

Track utilisation, not just spend

Allocated money that is never used is a cost with no return. Utilisation is the number that keeps a program funded next year.

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