Employees with good performance can provide maximum contribution to an organization, while low performance may hinder the achievement of organizational goals. This study examines the effect of budgetary participation on employee performance at Sam Ratulangi University, and the moderating role of work motivation in that relationship, grounded in Goal Setting Theory. A quantitative survey approach was used. The population comprised all 357 employees of Sam Ratulangi University, and a sample of 35 employees directly involved in the budget preparation process at their respective work units was selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with SPSS. The results show that (1) in Model I, budgetary participation alone has no significant effect on employee performance (t = 0.258; p = 0.798); and (2) in Model II, when work motivation and the interaction term were included in the model, budget participation, work motivation, and their interaction collectively had a significant effect on employee performance (F = 9.122; p < 0.001; Adjusted R² = 0.417), with the participation × motivation interaction term itself showing significance (p = 0.472). These findings indicate that budget participation is insufficient to enhance employee performance; nor is its effect amplified by the moderating influence of adequate work motivation levels.