# FP&A

> FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) is the finance function that turns accounting into decisions: management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, variances.

Updated: 2026-09-03 · Author: Santiago Viglione (Fibady) · https://www.fibady.com/en/glossary/fp-a

FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) is the finance function that turns accounting into decisions: management reporting, budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis. Accounting records what happened; FP&A explains why and projects what comes next.

## What it includes

Management close (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow), annual budget, rolling forecast, budget vs. actual, KPIs and reporting for management and investors.

## Example with numbers

Accounting says personnel expense was 120. FP&A says the budget was 100, that the variance comes from two hires brought forward in the Mexican subsidiary, and that the full-year forecast rises by 60.

## How Fibady does it

Automates the mechanical part of FP&A for groups with several entities: consolidates from the ERP, compares with budget, projects cash and lets an AI agent explain the variances.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is FP&A the same as accounting?

No. Accounting records what happened and meets the regulatory standard; FP&A analyses why it happened and projects what comes next.

### How often is FP&A done?

Monthly, with the management close: budget vs. actual, updated forecast and KPIs. The annual budget is revisited once a year.

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