Budget analysts
Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.
Budget analysts examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports. The role reports a median annual salary of $87,930 in the US. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows high AI exposure (0.72 on a 0-1 scale) — significant portions of core tasks are already being automated. The most in-demand skills for the role include financial department processes, budgetary principles, company policies, support development of annual budget, develop financial statistics reports.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £50,062 a year for Chartered and certified accountants (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £38,696 to £68,056 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2421). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Budget analysts, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Accounting — B.Com / B.Com (Hons) with an accounting focus (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CA Foundation, CUET-UG
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Finance — B.Com (Hons) or B.Com in Accounting and Finance (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, IPMAT
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Economics and Accounting
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
A day in the life
You start the morning reviewing the monthly spending reports for each department, comparing actual spending with the approved budget. You flag a team that is overspending and email their manager to ask why. Mid-morning you meet a department head who wants extra funding for a new project, going through their estimates to check they are complete and realistic. After lunch you analyse spending trends over recent years to forecast next year's needs. In the afternoon you draft a summary recommending which funding requests should be approved and which should be cut. Late in the day you advise a manager on how to adjust their budget after a change in their programme. Reconciling spreadsheets and checking numbers line by line can be tedious. But helping the organisation use its money wisely, and seeing your analysis shape real decisions, gives you real satisfaction.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Analyze monthly department budgeting and accounting reports to maintain expenditure controls.
- Provide advice and technical assistance with cost analysis, fiscal allocation, and budget preparation.
- Review operating budgets to analyze trends affecting budget needs.
- Compile and analyze accounting records and other data to determine the financial resources required to implement a program.
- Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations.
- Summarize budgets and submit recommendations for the approval or disapproval of funds requests.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Budget analysts do?
Examine budget estimates for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with procedures and regulations. Analyze budgeting and accounting reports.
What does a typical day look like in Budget analysts?
You start the morning reviewing the monthly spending reports for each department, comparing actual spending with the approved budget. You flag a team that is overspending and email their manager to ask why. Mid-morning you meet a department head who wants extra funding for a new project, going through their estimates to check they are complete and realistic. After lunch you analyse spending trends over recent years to forecast next year's needs.
How much does Budget analysts earn?
The median annual salary for Budget analysts in the US is $87,930.
How do I become budget analysts?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Budget analysts need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include financial department processes, budgetary principles, company policies, support development of annual budget, develop financial statistics reports, evaluate budgets. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Budget analysts?
Our AI-durability model gives Budget analysts a score of 0.72 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at high AI risk — many core tasks are already being automated by generative AI and workflow tools. Focus on AI-adjacent skills or plan a pivot to an AI-durable adjacent role.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Budget analysts has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.