A blank announcement budget with fields for VAT, timing, sensitivity and reforecast

What to take away

Build the template as a blank form. It carries field names and no prices; every figure is copied from a dated quote, contract, time record or rights schedule.
Fix the job header before the ledger, because VAT presentation, release window and reforecast trigger all live there.
Keep cash timing in separate date fields, so a commitment bought for several releases is not charged to one announcement.
Sensitivity fields hold low, base and high values, an assumption owner and a disconfirming event. They are not forecasts.
Hold spend whenever a unit, VAT basis, right or exit term lacks written evidence.

Complete the job header first

The header fixes the job's identity before any money appears. Copy the form once one authorised announcement job and one named owner exist. If routes are still open, the planning template settles authority and reversal before spend.

Field / Buyer entry

Contracting buyer and job owner: [name and role]
Announcement version and approver: [version ID]
Release window and timezone: [window]
Routes in scope: [newsroom, manual outreach, transmission, paid placement, monitoring]
Routes excluded: [list]
Supplier legal entity and service edition: [contract identity]
Quote source, date and expiry: [quotation record]
Currency and exchange-rate source: [currency evidence]
VAT presentation and tax review: [review record]

Checklist of job header fields for announcement budget (A blank announcement budget with fields for VAT, timing, sensitivity and reforecast) — Use this checklist to complete every job header field before building the budget. Image: Media Announcement

Build the cost ledger row by row

Split each package into one charging unitper hour, per asset, per release or per endpoint.
Record fixed or variable, one-off or recurring, quantity and timing date.
Attach an evidence ID to every populated row.
Keep net, VAT and gross in separate columns.

Package	Charging unit	Quantity	Net	VAT	Gross	Evidence ID
Approval and fact-checking	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Copy, assets and rights	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Accessible formats	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Newsroom publication	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Manual outreach	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Technical transmission	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Paid placement and labelling	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

Add rows for contact provenance, monitoring, correction, security and exit where the contract covers them. A quote supports a supplier charge, a time record supports internal labour, a rights schedule supports a licence, and a contract supports renewal and exit. Settle that wording with the contract issues to settle before you sign.

Example: manual outreach filled in

Manual outreach filled in

Package	Charging unit	Quantity	Net	VAT	Gross	Evidence ID
Manual outreach	hour	6	£270	£54	£324	Quote 2026-014

Illustrative arithmetic only. Six hours at £45 an hour gives £270 net, £54 VAT at the standard rate of 20%, and £324 gross. HMRC's guidance on VAT rates for different goods and services confirms that rate, but treatment follows the precise supply, so record the review rather than a typed default.

Sensitivity columns and what to put in them

Each driver gets three values and one named owner. The disconfirming event is the observation that would retire the base case, the field most templates leave blank.

Sensitivity columns

Driver	Low	Base	High	Assumption owner	Disconfirming event
Eligible recipients and endpoints	40	120	300	comms lead	two named editors decline in writing
Correction workload	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

A higher contact count adds provenance and suppression work, so link dependent rows instead of flexing the transmission charge alone. State confidence in the source, not in the outcome.

Comparison table of low, base, and high buyer scenario drivers (A blank announcement budget with fields for VAT, timing, sensitivity and reforecast) — Compare low, base, and high values for each scenario driver to test budget sensitivity. Image: Media Announcement

VAT, cash timing and reforecast rules

Do not type a default percentage into the template. HMRC ties treatment to the precise supply, and businesses must keep specified VAT and invoice records. Record the tax review; leave recoverability to the buyer's adviser.

Cash timing needs its own date fields. Record the deposit, the invoice date, the payment date, the renewal decision and any credit note separately.

Rights work belongs in the ledger before procurement. The IPO's ownership of copyright works guidance explains why paying for commissioned material does not settle every ownership question.

Release controls and when to reopen

Hold spend if a mandatory fee, unit or VAT basis lacks evidence.
Hold spend if the accessible route, security control, correction process or exit term lacks evidence.
Reopen the template when the job, quote, edition or volume changes.
Reopen it for timing or contract changes.
Require finance, tax and specialist reviewers to sign the populated version. An empty form gives no assurance.

At close, reconcile ordered quantity, accepted quantity, rejected units, credit notes and cash paid. Keep readership and revenue out of that table. The wider announcement budget guide shows how this job form sits inside a multi-ledger budget.

Common questions

What fields should the blank template carry?

The job header, a ledger with separate net, VAT and gross columns, sensitivity fields with a named owner, and cash timing dates. No field carries a price.

How should VAT appear in the template?

As a presentation field plus a review record, never a fixed percentage. HMRC ties treatment to the supply, so hold spend until the VAT basis is written down.

What goes in the sensitivity fields?

A low, base and high value for each driver, the person who owns the assumption and the disconfirming event that would retire the base case.

When should I reopen the template?

When the job, quote, edition, volume or contract changes, or when a mandatory row loses its evidence.