A plan or estimate of expenditure for a future period of time.
It may be linked to a statement of the financial resources for carrying out a program of activities or for running a service during a defined period of time or for a specific purpose.
Some budgets are linked to the nature and volume of the services to be provided, some to the cost of the inputs for a facility; others are largely derived from the size of the budget in the previous year.
Some budgets are adjusted for inflation and in relation to planned developments; some are open-ended with no upper limit on expenditure, their size determined entirely by the cost of the services provided; others are capped to avoid overspending if the demand for services increases. In periods of economic restraint, budgets may include requirements for cuts on previous levels of expenditure.

World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. Terminology : a glossary of technical terms on the economics and finance of health services. Internet. Accessed on May 27, 2016.