3030 · Departments and budgets
Budget guardrails
Autessa Accounting budget guardrails act on cards automatically. Every 15 minutes it compares each department’s card spending this month with its budget; at the warning line it notifies the owner, and at 100% it notifies, tightens each Mercury card’s limit to what is left, or freezes the department’s Mercury cards. Guardrail changes undo themselves next month.
The problem
Budgets that only report are budgets that get blown
A dashboard that turns red after the money is spent is too late. Guardrails turn a budget into a control: the department’s own cards respond to its budget, with the owner told first and every action recorded in the activity log.
What you get
- Checked every 15 minutes against this month’s card spend.
- At the warning line (default 80%), the department shows on Home as near budget and the owner is notified.
- At 100%, Notify: it shows as over budget and cards keep working.
- At 100%, Tighten: each Mercury card’s limit is lowered to what is left in the budget, never below zero; the original limit is remembered.
- At 100%, Freeze: the department’s Mercury cards are frozen.
- Changes undo themselves when a new month starts or the budget is raised above spending: limits go back and guardrail freezes lift.
- Accounting never unfreezes a card a person froze, and a card someone unfroze in Mercury is not frozen again that month.
- Tracked cards can only be notified (Home says “Freeze this card at Amex”); agent cards default to Notify.
How it works
How does budget guardrails work in Autessa Accounting?
Choose per department
In the department or step 6 of Getting started, set the warning line and what happens at 100%.
Spend crosses the line
The 15-minute check sees the department pass its warning line and tells the owner.
Budget is reached
The chosen action runs on the department’s Mercury cards and is written to each card’s guardrail history.
It resets
On the first of the month, or when you raise the budget above spend, tightened limits are restored and guardrail freezes lifted.
Every option
Guardrail settings
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Warn at | A share of the monthly budget; default 80%. |
| Notify only | Flag on Home and alert the owner; cards keep working. |
| Tighten card limits | Lower each Mercury card’s limit to what is left; restored next month or when the budget is raised. |
| Freeze cards | Freeze the department’s Mercury cards until next month or the budget is raised above spend. |
| Tracked cards | Notify only; Home asks a person to freeze at the issuer. |
| Agent cards | Never tightened; freezing can only be undone in Mercury, so they default to Notify. |
Permissions
Who can do what?
| Role | Can |
|---|---|
| Controller and Admin | Choose guardrails per department. |
| Department owner | Receives near-budget and over-budget alerts. |
| Everyone | See a card’s guardrail state on the cards they hold. |
Connected
How it connects to the rest of Accounting
ACCOUNTING FEATURE
Corporate cards
Card pages show “Frozen by guardrail” or “Limit tightened” with history.
ACCOUNTING FEATURE
Department budgets
The budget guardrails compare against.
ACCOUNTING FEATURE
Activity log
Records what guardrails did on their own.
ACCOUNTING FEATURE
Home
Near-budget and over-budget departments appear first.
FAQ
Questions about budget guardrails
Can Autessa Accounting freeze cards when a team goes over budget?
Yes, Mercury cards. Choose Freeze for the department and its Mercury cards are frozen at 100% of budget, then unfrozen automatically next month or when the budget is raised above spend.
What does tighten do?
It lowers each Mercury card’s limit in the department to what is left in the budget, never below zero, and restores the original limit next month.
Will a guardrail unfreeze a card I froze myself?
No. Accounting only lifts freezes it made, and never re-freezes a card a person unfroze in Mercury that month.
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