How to hire a budget analyst

How to hire a budget analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step budget analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a budget analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new budget analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a budget analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your budget analyst job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a budget analyst for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect budget analyst also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of budget analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Budget Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Budget Analyst	Budget analysts help public and private institutions organize their finances. They prepare budget reports and monitor institutional spending.	$20-36
   Finance Planner	A financial planner is responsible for handling client accounts and providing financial advice to determine the best investment options according to the clients' interests and risk appetite. Financial planners record the clients' living expenses as a part of their portfolio, identifying their long-term goals and objectives, and giving tax advice... Show more	$20-57
   Finance Consultant	A finance consultant is responsible for providing financial plans and advice for clients, managing their finances and investment decisions, and helping them achieve their long-term financial goals. Finance consultants carefully evaluate clients' financial situations, help them decide on insurance options, and patiently respond to finance-related inquiries and concerns... Show more	$25-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Management
   • Budget Analysis
   • Financial Reports
   • Financial Data
   • PowerPoint
   • Budget Estimates
   • Budget Formulation
   • Customer Service
   • DOD
   • Payroll
   • Financial Analysis
   • Budget Execution
   • HR
   • Rehabilitation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Write and document SAS, SPSS and SQL programs to automate standard processes.
   • Manage accounting data of expenditures in ledgers; ensure all transactions are re-serve for obligation.
   • Manage virtual war room database and prepare advanced PowerPoint presentations for high-level briefings.
   • Manage credit card revenue reporting and reconciliations for multiple credit card merchant accounts which include recommending and implementing process improvements.
   • Provide corporate financial support services for multiple contracts and various contract types (FFP, CPFF, CPAF, etc . )
   • Prepare and present EAC projections, customer financial reports, and documents for program reviews.

   More budget analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your budget analyst job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A budget analyst salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, budget analysts' average salary in arkansas is 52% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level budget analysts earn 45% less than senior-level budget analysts.
   • Certifications. A budget analyst with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a budget analyst's salary.

   Average budget analyst salary

   $56,598yearly

   $27.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level budget analyst salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average budget analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$81,182	$39
   2	Virginia	$71,294	$34
   3	Maryland	$65,454	$31
   4	California	$64,704	$31
   5	Massachusetts	$64,405	$31
   6	New Jersey	$63,059	$30
   7	New York	$58,863	$28
   8	Colorado	$57,316	$28
   9	Washington	$56,569	$27
   10	Pennsylvania	$55,725	$27
   11	Illinois	$55,426	$27
   12	Alabama	$55,196	$27
   13	Ohio	$55,025	$26
   14	Hawaii	$54,425	$26
   15	Texas	$52,692	$25
   16	Florida	$50,662	$24
   17	North Carolina	$50,402	$24
   18	Arizona	$49,693	$24
   19	Indiana	$48,938	$24
   20	Georgia	$45,583	$22

   Average budget analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Shenzhen Capital Group	$83,629	$40.21
   2	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research	$75,232	$36.17	1
   3	Stanford University	$74,124	$35.64	16
   4	Jacob Realty Boston	$72,666	$34.94
   5	Booz Allen Hamilton	$72,524	$34.87	34
   6	Citi	$72,403	$34.81	7
   7	SW Group, LLC	$72,403	$34.81
   8	Department of Homeland Security	$71,998	$34.61
   9	Western Digital	$71,355	$34.31
   10	American Chemical Society	$71,039	$34.15	1
   11	Standard Motor Products	$70,282	$33.79	1
   12	Boston Scientific	$70,240	$33.77	5
   13	Tech Data	$70,204	$33.75
   14	City of Detroit	$69,842	$33.58
   15	NTT Data International L.L.C.	$69,584	$33.45	1
   16	Event Services	$69,333	$33.33
   17	Food and Drug Law Institute	$69,071	$33.21
   18	University of California	$69,041	$33.19	19
   19	Morgan Stanley	$68,370	$32.87	17
   20	University of California-Berkeley	$68,153	$32.77

4. Writing a budget analyst job description

   A job description for a budget analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a budget analyst job description:

   Budget analyst job description example

   Under general supervision, responsible for providing more complex budget and financial support services. Reviews, analyses, and prepares budget-related documents, requests, and other specialized reports.
   
   Prepares operating budgets for units or departments based on actual performance, previous budget figures, estimated revenue, expense reports, and other factors.
   
   Reviews and approves expenditures of requisitioning labs/personnel to ensure conformance to budgetary limitations; analyzes, compares, and evaluates various courses of action to manage and monitor operating budgets.
   
   Maintains records of expenses, inventories, and budget balances; maintains records of actual operating figures for comparison with an estimated budget for commitments, startups, and internal pilot management.
   Audits and approves vouchers, and expense reimbursements, approve expenditures. Manages assets and annual inventory process. Works with faculty and centralized grants management team to maintain proper balance in effort commitment and salary support. Assists with T32 grant financial management and budget management.
   
   Education:
   Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance or related field is required.
   
   Experience:
   Three (3) years of budgetary experience is required. Experience working with budgets, financials, and accounting skills. Demonstrated knowledge of contracts and budgeting. Knowledge in higher education fund accounting and budgeting, and experience with grants, is preferred. Skilled in prioritizing, planning, and organizing assignments; working effectively under tight schedules, and completing tasks in a timely manner. Demonstrated ability to independently access and retrieve information from databases, and to organize and process the data for analytical purposes. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing on budget and cost issues. Attention to detail and accuracy, while maintaining a thoughtful approach to achieve higher level "big picture" goals Ability to solve problems in a creative way, thinking "outside the box" while remaining in compliance with policies, procedures, and guidelines. Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, financial systems, and databases.
   
   *Please include a Cover Letter and Resume/CV attachment with application.*

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find budget analysts for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your budget analyst job on Zippia to find and attract quality budget analyst candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting budget analysts requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new budget analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect budget analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new budget analyst. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a budget analyst?