---
title: "Variance Tab"
description: "The Variance tab compares actual spent time against planned time or member budgets to identify overages and underages."
url: https://support.mosaicapp.com/en/articles/692-variance-tab
collection: "Budget Modal Info"
updated: 2026-09-22
language: en
---

# Variance Tab

The Variance tab compares actual spent time against planned time or member budgets to identify overages and underages.

## Overview

The Variance Tab is designed for retrospective analysis. It shows you where actuals diverged from the plan — on a phase level, a member level, or a role level. Use it to identify problem areas, investigate cost overruns, and improve future planning accuracy.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/TQlD4YrPMwoS5IwkxQY14dYkDJ9PWhV0oJZRhnKmG2P1NrmtUdzVSuxq7cfONJJVImJo0q8yorJ.png)

## What You See

-   **Project view** — Phases and sub phases listed with spent, planned (or member budget), variance amount, and variance percentage.
    
-   **Member view** — Individual members listed with the same metrics, expandable to show which phases contributed to their variance.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/YrBjAIEjg73RCchFY0mDExkAYB1DJg0bFeBdSfWQZLF9Tzw2Sadi1LI1c4QRngkVr4GVAACAY98.png)

## How To Compare Spent vs Planned

1.  Open the Budget and click the **Variance** tab.
    
2.  The default view is **Project** with **Plan Time** selected.
    
3.  Each phase row shows:
    
    -   **Plan Time** — The total planned hours (or currency) for the period.
        
    -   **Spent** — The actual hours (or currency) spent.
        
    -   **% of Plan** — What percentage of the plan has been used.
        
    -   **Variance** — The difference. Negative values (over plan) appear in red.
        
4.  Expand any phase to see the breakdown by member.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/TgTwFlWUgHWhI7jgGEvg8toYqUxhRoIH8K18X4N4IV3WFq40sIeGQmoiGvbukySAW0idBoiwLve.png)

## How To Compare Spent vs Member Budget

1.  Click the dropdown that says **Plan Time**.
    
2.  Select **Member Budget**.
    
3.  The comparison now shows spent time against the member budget estimates you set on the Time tab.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/d5NOQrpasEcbYUpPQ8sLxBuhUMWwwzpA9zFTaCYXRhuk6j1wenyU5FzwX4SxoVD5wWnZz8y4oKH.png)

This view is most useful when you have entered member budget estimates. Without them, the comparison will show all members as over budget.

## How To Switch Between Project and Member Views

1.  Click the **Member** tab at the top of the Variance tab.
    
2.  Members are listed with their total variance across all phases.
    
3.  Expand any member to see the phase-by-phase breakdown.
    
4.  Click the **member icon** next to the dropdown to switch to a **role view**, which groups members by their assigned role.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/omhFrmA2sgOJOuN6unUTSqlNXLKaaCmt6sSWwkLmEX3APJPys16acmCcK86OGCEhnx0DuJUzZ91.png)

## How To Adjust the Time Period

1.  The default date range runs from today backwards.
    
2.  Click the **date range** selector to choose a preset (last week, last month, etc.) or select **Custom** to pick specific dates.
    

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/CvPo2o3P8Nbqrc9mxPjiyWAxk7dxjDWimdc8Uh2lGZ6MtY7j31PI9REQKOR4gJfTcICTrRsCghB.png)

## How To Toggle Hours vs Currency

Click the **hours/currency toggle** at the top of the tab. The same toggle used on the Time tab works here as well.

![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/iY6ck5yzihqxiE5XqZCAtxfNHEsaxzPT1BZ4CeHLBOC3z9DS9hETU6T5qZLMiAidvJjwLfRFef8.png)

## Tips

-   **Use variance to investigate overruns:** If a phase went over budget, expand it in the Variance tab to see which members drove the overage.
    
-   **Role view reveals patterns:** If a particular role consistently exceeds planned hours across projects, it may indicate the need to adjust rate assumptions or planning estimates.
    
-   **Compare on a monthly basis:** Use the custom date range to review variance for a single month, which is useful for monthly project reviews.
    

## Related Articles

-   [Budget Overview](#budget-overview)
    
-   [Time Tab](#tier-2-time-tab)
    
-   [Progress Tab](#tier-2-progress-tab)