Introduction
Your line producer hands you a cost report on day 14 of a 30-day shoot. The camera department is 18% over. The gaffer is 6% under. The location budget is bleeding. You need to know your Estimated Final Cost by end of day so the completion bond company stops calling. You open your laptop, and your only tool is a shared Excel template that three different people have been editing since prep.
That is the problem this tool solves. The Online Production Accounting tool gives indie and short-film productions a structured, browser-based accounting environment built on the same financial framework used by professional production accountants worldwide: the standard film chart of accounts, weekly cost reports with budget-versus-actuals by account, a purchase order log, an invoice log, and petty cash tracking. Everything runs locally in your browser. Nothing reaches a server. Your production's financial data never leaves your machine.
What This Tool Calculates
The tool tracks four pillars of production accounting across a standard film chart of accounts structured into four categories: ATL (Above the Line, accounts 0100 to 0400), BTL (Below the Line, accounts 0500 to 1400), POST (Post-Production, accounts 2000 to 2600), and OTHER (General and Administrative, accounts 3000 to 3100).
Budget entry converts quantity-times-unit-times-rate into line totals per account. Transaction tracking records purchase orders (committed but not yet invoiced costs), invoices (actual costs incurred and paid), petty cash (small on-set purchases), payroll (crew cost tracking), and adjustments.
The weekly cost report calculates five key columns automatically: Committed (approved PO total minus matched invoices), Actual (paid invoices plus petty cash plus payroll), ETC (Estimate to Complete, which you enter manually per the industry standard), EFC (Estimated Final Cost, which equals Actual plus ETC), and Variance (Budget minus EFC, negative values mean over-budget).
The top sheet gives you ATL, BTL, POST, and OTHER totals in a single view. Export cost reports and budgets to .xlsx for accountants and completion bond companies. Export all transactions to .csv. Back up the full project to .json and restore it on any device.
The Formula and How It Works
Production accounting math follows three formulas that every line producer and production accountant uses daily. These are codified in the CBS Production Accounting Manual and reflected in every professional budgeting tool from Movie Magic Budgeting to Saturation.io.
**Committed** represents money you have promised to spend but have not yet paid. For each purchase order: if no invoices have been matched to it, the full PO amount is committed. If partially invoiced, the remaining unmatched amount is committed. If fully invoiced, the commitment drops to zero.
Committed = Sum of approved POs minus Sum of invoices matched to those POs
**Actual** represents money that has left the production. Unpaid invoices are accounts payable, not actuals. Only paid invoices count.
Actual = Sum of paid invoices + Sum of petty cash disbursements + Sum of payroll entries
**EFC** (Estimated Final Cost) is the number that matters most to producers, financiers, and completion bond companies. Industry standard per the CBS Production Accounting Manual is manual ETC entry: the accountant reviews each account and applies judgment based on remaining shoot days, open commitments, and known overages.
EFC = Actual + ETC (Estimate to Complete) Variance = Budget minus EFC (negative means over-budget) Percent Used = (Actual divided by Budget) times 100
Worked example: Account 0700 (Camera Department) has a budget of $45,000. On day 14 of a 30-day shoot, the camera crew has been paid $18,500 (Actual). Two approved POs for lens rentals totaling $8,000 have not yet been invoiced (Committed). The line producer estimates the department will spend $22,000 more to complete the shoot (ETC). EFC = $18,500 + $22,000 = $40,500. Variance = $45,000 minus $40,500 = +$4,500 under budget. The department is running efficiently.
The chart of accounts structure in this tool follows the California Film Commission and AWN (Animation World Network) reference structure, which aligns with Movie Magic Budgeting account numbering and is accepted by major completion bond companies including Chubb, Munich Re, and DeRisk.
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Short Film (Documentary, $85,000 Total Budget)
A documentary team creating a 22-minute film about urban farming uses the tool throughout a 10-day shoot. They enter their budget across 28 accounts. ATL totals $14,200 (director at $8,000, clearance fees at $3,200, rights at $3,000). BTL totals $38,400 (camera rental at $6,200, DP at $12,000, sound at $4,800, grip and electric at $5,400, locations at $4,000, PA and coordinator at $6,000). POST totals $22,400 (editor at $9,600, color at $3,200, sound mix at $4,800, music licensing at $4,800). OTHER totals $10,000 (insurance at $3,200, legal at $1,800, contingency at $5,000).
By day 8, Actual sits at $44,100. Three open POs totaling $9,600 are Committed. Their line producer enters ETC of $18,200 for the remaining 2 shoot days plus post. EFC = $44,100 + $18,200 = $62,300. Variance = $85,000 minus $62,300 = +$22,700. The project is tracking $22,700 under budget. The producer exports the cost report to .xlsx and sends it to the executive producer that afternoon.
Example 2: Narrative Short Film (Union Shoot, $220,000 Budget)
A 15-minute narrative short film with a SAG-AFTRA low budget agreement and an IATSE crew uses the tool to track fringes manually through the OTHER category account 3100 (Fringes and Payroll Taxes). The line producer calculates fringes at 32% of all BTL labor: SAG P&H at approximately 20%, FICA at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, and state unemployment plus workers comp at roughly 4.35%.
The BTL labor total is $68,000. Fringes of 32% add $21,760, coded to account 3100. This raises the effective BTL labor cost from $68,000 to $89,760. When the cost report EFC exceeds the budget in account 3100 by $3,200 (the completion bond requires a 6% contingency minimum and the crew worked 2 hours of IATSE golden time on day 6), the producer immediately sees the $3,200 variance flagged in red on the dashboard. She creates an adjustment transaction for the overage and updates the ETC on the contingency account accordingly.
Example 3: Commercial Production (AICP Budget Format, $340,000)
A production company bidding on a 30-second national broadcast spot uses the tool to track actuals during a 2-day shoot against an AICP-formatted bid. They map the AICP categories to the standard COA: pre-production and wrap costs go to account 0500, studio rental to account 1200, art department to account 0600, and post to accounts 2000 through 2500.
On day 1 of a 2-day shoot, the director of photography calls for 45 minutes of overtime for the full crew of 32. The production coordinator codes 4 individual transaction entries to the relevant accounts (camera, lighting and grip, sound, production staff), with the OT hours and rates matched to the day's timesheet. The cost report at end of day 1 shows $198,400 Actual against a 1-day projected burn of $170,000. The EFC for both days is now $346,200 versus the $340,000 budget, flagging a $6,200 overage. The producer exports the updated cost report and sends it to the executive producer before the next shoot day starts.
Production Accounting Software Comparison (2025-2026)
| Tool | Price | Offline | COA Built-in | Cost Reports | PO Tracking | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tools for Film (this tool) | Free | Yes (local-first) | Standard film COA | Yes (.xlsx) | Yes | .xlsx / .csv / .json |
| Movie Magic Budgeting (EP) | $42.99/mo or $299.88/yr | Yes (desktop) | Yes (industry standard) | Yes | Yes | .mbb / .xlsx |
| Saturation.io | Free 1 project / $32-79/mo | No (cloud only) | Yes | Yes | Yes | .xlsx / .csv |
| Wrapbook | % of payroll | No (cloud only) | Partial | Limited | Yes | .xlsx |
| Hot Budget | ~$100/yr (Mac only) | Yes (desktop) | AICP format | Limited | Yes | .xlsx |
| Filmustage | Free non-AI / $55/mo | No | Script-to-budget | No | No | .mmbx |
| Excel templates (free) | Free | Yes | Manual setup | Manual | Manual | .xlsx |
| QuickBooks / Xero | $30-80/mo | Partial | No (general accounting) | No | No | Various |
Pro Tips and Common Mistakes
Pro Tips
- Enter your budget lines before you enter a single transaction. The cost report only shows meaningful variance data when budget lines exist for each account. Set up the full COA structure during prep week, even if most accounts are zero, so you can see which departments are trending over the moment actuals start flowing in.
- Code every petty cash transaction to a specific account on the day you get the receipt, not at the end of the week. Line producers who batch petty cash coding on Fridays consistently underestimate their actuals by 8 to 12% mid-shoot because the uncoded receipts are not yet reflected in the cost report.
- Use purchase orders even for small vendors. A PO creates a committed amount that appears in your cost report before you pay the invoice. This is how professional accountants maintain a real-time picture of spending. If a $4,200 camera grip package PO is not entered until you receive the invoice, your cost report looks artificially healthy for weeks.
- Set your ETC (Estimate to Complete) on the largest budget lines every Monday morning before you look at anything else. The EFC column is only as accurate as your ETC entries. A line producer who updates ETC weekly based on remaining shoot days and known commitments gives the producer and financier a far more accurate picture than one who leaves ETC at the default budget-minus-actual calculation.
- Export a full .json backup at the end of every shoot day and store it in a cloud folder your producer can also access. LocalStorage and browser storage are reliable for working sessions, but a browser reset or a laptop that dies before backup can cost you all your transaction data. The .json export takes 3 seconds and is your production's financial audit trail.
Common Mistakes
- Treating invoices as actuals before they are paid. An unpaid invoice is accounts payable, not an actual cost. If you enter an invoice transaction with a status of 'paid' when the check has not cleared, your actuals are overstated and your variance looks worse than reality. Only mark invoices paid when the payment has been disbursed. Use 'approved' status for invoices received but not yet paid.
- Ignoring the committed column when reading the cost report. New production coordinators often look only at the Actual column and assume remaining budget equals Budget minus Actual. The real available-to-spend figure is Budget minus Actual minus Committed. Approved POs represent real financial obligations even before the invoice arrives. A department that looks 40% under budget in actuals may have 35% of its budget committed in open POs.
- Using a single catch-all account for all petty cash instead of coding each receipt to its proper account. Petty cash coded entirely to account 3080 (Office Supplies and Misc) distorts every department-level cost report line and makes it impossible to see whether the camera department's petty cash is on track. Every petty cash receipt should carry an account code matching the department that spent it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a film chart of accounts and why does it matter?
A chart of accounts (COA) is the structured list of budget categories that every financial transaction gets coded to. Film production uses a specialized COA divided into Above the Line (creative talent), Below the Line (production crew and physical production), Post-Production, and Other or General and Administrative. The numbering in this tool follows the California Film Commission and AWN reference structure, which aligns with Movie Magic Budgeting. Using a standard COA matters because completion bond companies, studio financiers, and distribution partners expect cost reports organized in this structure. A custom or ad-hoc COA means your accountant has to re-map everything before submitting to a bond company.
What is the difference between Committed and Actual in a cost report?
Committed represents money you have promised to pay but have not yet paid: approved purchase orders that have not yet been invoiced. Actual represents money that has left the production: paid invoices, petty cash disbursements, and payroll. The distinction matters because your true financial exposure is Actual plus Committed, not just Actual. A production that has spent $80,000 in actuals but has $40,000 in open POs has effectively spent $120,000 of its budget, even though the bank account still shows the $40,000 as available.
How do I calculate fringes in this tool?
In the MVP version, you enter fringes as a manual transaction coded to account 3100 (Fringes and Payroll Taxes). Calculate your total fringe rate by adding: union P&H (roughly 20% for SAG-AFTRA, varies by contract), FICA at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, FUTA at 0.6%, state unemployment at roughly 3 to 5% depending on your state, workers compensation at roughly 2 to 5%, and payroll processing fees at 1 to 2%. Total union fringe typically runs 32 to 38% of gross labor. Multiply each crew member's gross wages by your applicable fringe rate and enter the result as a payroll or adjustment transaction to account 3100.
Can I use this for a studio feature or a union production?
This tool handles the accounting structure that studio and union productions use, including standard COA coding, cost report format, and PO tracking. It does not handle payroll processing (too regulated and jurisdiction-specific), automated fringe calculation with contract-specific caps, or multi-project company-level reporting. For union features above $1 million, a dedicated production accountant using Movie Magic Budgeting or Showbiz Budgeting remains the industry standard. This tool is built for indie films, short films, student films, and commercial productions where Movie Magic's $300+ per year price is a barrier.
What is EFC and why is it the most important number on the cost report?
EFC stands for Estimated Final Cost. It is the accountant's and line producer's best current estimate of what the production will cost in total by the time it wraps and delivers. EFC equals Actual plus ETC (Estimate to Complete). The variance column on the cost report shows Budget minus EFC, so a negative variance means you are projected to go over budget on that account. EFC is the number your producer, executive producer, completion bond company, and financiers watch on every weekly cost report. Actual spend tells them where you have been; EFC tells them where you are going.
How do I export the cost report for my accountant or completion bond company?
Click the Export .xlsx button in the Cost Report tab. The tool generates an Excel file with the full cost report including account codes, descriptions, Budget, Committed, Actual, ETC, EFC, and Variance columns, organized by ATL, BTL, POST, and OTHER categories with subtotals and a grand total row. Most production accountants and all major completion bond companies accept this format. You can also export your full transaction log as a .csv from the Transactions tab, and back up the entire project as a .json file for sharing with a co-producer.
Start Calculating
Production accounting is not glamorous, but a cost report that catches a $15,000 overage on day 8 of a 20-day shoot can save a production from a completion bond call or an investor conversation nobody wants to have. The Online Production Accounting tool removes the barrier of expensive software for productions that cannot justify $300 a year for Movie Magic and find shared Excel templates too fragile to trust.
What does your current production accounting workflow look like, and what part of it costs you the most time on a shoot day? Enter your first budget line above, run your numbers, and export a cost report to see what your financial picture actually looks like before you roll camera.
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