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 accounts for owners, 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
$50 a year per association, down to $20
Priced per association, billed yearly, with your whole team included. The more associations you manage, the less each one costs.
$500 a year for 10 associations. Whole team included
Your price
$500 per year for 10 associations
10 × $50
About $50 per association, with your whole team included
More than 150? Type the number in the box. Archived associations don't count.
How it's calculated: like tax brackets, each range of your active associations is priced at its own rate, and the ranges add up. Billed yearly.
| Active associations | Each, per year |
|---|---|
| 1 to 10 | $50 |
| 11 to 50 | $30 |
| 51 and up | $20 |
Pricing questions
How does the free trial work?
14 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.
How is the price worked out?
Per active association, for a year, at graduated rates like tax brackets: each range is priced at its own rate, so the price per association goes down as you add more. For example: 10 associations, $500; 50 associations, $1,700; 100 associations, $2,700 a year. Archived associations don't count, and every plan covers at least one.
Do I pay for each person on my team?
No. Your whole team is included, with no limit on people.
Can I add or archive associations?
Anytime. Adding one, or bringing one back, is charged right away for the rest of your plan year. Archiving one lowers your bill at the next renewal, and until then adding another costs nothing extra.
Is there a monthly plan?
No. Budget work is seasonal, so BallastBook is billed once a year.
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. The account owner finds invoices in Settings, under Manage billing.
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 sign 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 never sell your data or use it for advertising or to train AI.
Questions? Write to support@ballastbook.com, or start your free trial (no credit card needed).
Apps for community association managers
Six small apps from Longline Labs, each 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 the meeting and its action items, and drafts the minutes.
- BallastBook
A simple annual budget builder for each of your associations.
You are here
- ShipShape
Renames every file to your company's own naming convention, so documents are always easy to find.
- AboveBoard
One public page for each association's governing documents, minutes, and records.