> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getnovaplan.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# FAQ

> Quick answers to the questions finance teams ask most when getting started with Novaplan.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is the difference between Budget, Forecast, and Actuals?">
    Budget is the plan you committed to at the start of the period. Actuals are what really
    happened, pulled from your GL and HRIS. Forecast is your current best estimate, normally
    actuals for the months that have closed plus a projection for the rest of the year. Each
    lives in its own budget version, so you can compare any two of them in the Comparison Center.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is a budget version, and when should I create a new one?">
    A budget version is a named container for one set of plan numbers. Create a new version when
    you want a stable reference you will not overwrite, for example an approved annual budget or a
    board-approved target. Keep editing your live Rolling Forecast in place rather than spawning a
    version per change. See [Core concepts](/concepts) for the full model.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I create my first open position?">
    Open Planning, then Headcount, then Open Positions, and add a role. Give it a department, a
    start month, and a salary, and the forecast picks up its fully loaded cost in the months it is
    active. There is a step-by-step in the [headcount tutorial](/tutorials/plan-headcount).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I load my data?">
    Connect a source from the Admin area (HiBob, NetSuite, Salesforce, Snowflake), or upload a CSV.
    The first sync lands automatically and Novaplan curates the raw rows into canonical records.
    See [Connect your data](/connect-data) and the per-connector guides under Admin.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does my number look different from my GL?">
    The headcount model and the GL measure overlapping but not identical things. The GL P\&L includes
    accruals, contractor spend, and recruiting fees posted to people accounts, while the per-employee
    headcount model is built from salary components. A gap between the two is usually this difference
    in scope, not an error. The [troubleshooting guide](/troubleshooting) walks through how to
    reconcile them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I edit this cell?">
    The most common reasons are that the budget version is locked, the month has been closed, or
    your role does not have write access to that field. A locked version is a deliberate freeze;
    switch to your live version to keep planning.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does fully loaded cost include?">
    Base salary plus fringe (benefits and payroll taxes), merit (planned raises), bonus, commission,
    and recruiting fees. Each component is configured in the Headcount assumptions and rate models.
    See the [headcount page](/planning/headcount).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the difference between ARR, CARR, and recognized revenue?">
    CARR is the annualized value of signed contracts at their booking date. Live ARR is the part of
    that CARR which has activated after any go-live delay. Recognized revenue is what actually posts
    to the P\&L in a period, derived from the active ARR balance. See
    [recognized revenue](/planning/recognized-revenue).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Novaplan handle multiple currencies?">
    Yes. Spending and revenue can be entered in native currency and are translated to your base
    currency using FX rates, so every total is summable. See [Currency](/planning/currency).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who can see salary and other sensitive numbers?">
    Access is role based, and sensitive fields such as salary are masked from roles that should not
    see them, even in exports. Admins manage this from [Permissions](/admin/permissions).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I compare two plans?">
    Open the [Comparison Center](/reporting/comparison-center), pick any two versions, and read the
    variance on every line. You can drill the biggest driver down to the underlying transactions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What can Nova actually do?">
    Nova is your in-app analyst. It can explain any number on screen, build a chart, table, or
    finished brief on your real data, walk you through a workflow, point you to the right demo, and
    jump you to the right page. See [Ask Nova](/nova/ask-nova) and
    [example prompts](/nova/example-prompts).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  Still stuck? Ask Nova in the app, use the feedback button in the bottom corner, or email
  [support@getnovaplan.com](mailto:support@getnovaplan.com).
</Note>