HI, is it possible to open a budget which doesnt coincide with books financial year? Books is calendar year, Budget is fiscal year (school)

Hi there, John.

Creating budgets that don’t align with the financial year directly isn’t possible.

However, you can temporarily adjust the financial year on your Account and settings to match your desired budget, create the budget, and then revert to the original financial year. Keep in mind that this process will affect your report, so proceed carefully. I'll add a screenshot on how you can update your financial year. 

Refer to this article to learn more: Create or import budgets in QuickBooks Online.

I'm still available if you have further questions about managing your budgets.