Reserve Fund Planning
Funding the renewals before they arrive.
A healthy reserve is the difference between a planned renewal and a surprise levy. These guides cover how the funding forecast works and when your study needs attention.
Reserve fund planning, from forecast to funding
Why a long-range forecast matters and what good planning looks like across a 30-year horizon, not just the next budget year.
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The critical year, explained
Every funding forecast has a year where the reserve is most stretched. What the critical year means and why it shapes your contribution rate.
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How often should a reserve fund be renewed?
Legislation sets a minimum cadence, but buildings change. How to tell when your study is genuinely due for an update.
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Update vs renewal: which does your study need?
Not every refresh is a full renewal. The difference between updating an existing study and commissioning a new one, and when each is appropriate.
Read the guide →Depreciation Reports
Reading and commissioning the report.
Whether you are reviewing a report you already have or choosing who should prepare the next one, these guides help you judge the work on its merits.
What to look for in a Depreciation Report
How to read a report critically: the signs of a thorough inventory, a defensible inspection, and a forecast your Council can rely on.
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The guide to choosing a provider
Credentials, methodology, and the questions worth asking before you engage anyone to prepare your reserve study.
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Depreciation Report vs Building Condition Assessment
Two documents that sound similar and serve different purposes. When you need each, and how they work together.
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Compare funding paths yourself.
Interactive Tool
Capital Funding Calculator
The question every Council eventually faces: save toward the next big renewal, borrow when it lands, or blend the two. This free calculator models all three side by side, with year-by-year projections, key indicators, and Net Present Value. Figures are illustrative planning estimates, not a quote.
What it does
- Save first, borrow later, or a measured mix, as separate scenarios.
- Reserve and loan balances, contributions, interest, and principal, year by year.
- Net Present Value and headline indicators, side by side.