Free Monthly Budget Spreadsheet (Excel & Google Sheets)

A free monthly budget spreadsheet that does the math for you.

Plan your month, log what you spend, and see what's left, all on one dashboard. It works in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. There are no macros, no add-ins and no account to sign up for.

What you get

• Dashboard: income, spending and what's left over this month, plus budget used, savings rate and your biggest expense.
• 50/30/20 check: your needs, wants, and savings and debt as a share of income, compared with the guide.
• Budget vs actual: every category shows what you planned, what you spent, the difference and a status (On track, Close, On budget or Over).
• Last 6 months: income vs spending month by month, with a chart.
• Top 5 spending categories: see where the money really goes.
• Transactions log: 500 rows. Pick a category from the dropdown and the group, type and month fill in for you.
• Up to 30 categories: rename them, add your own, or delete the ones you don't need.
• Start Here tab: five quick steps and a colour key, so you'll know where to type.
• Sample data: six months of example transactions show how it works. Clear them in two clicks.

How it works

1. Set your categories and a monthly amount for each on the Budget tab.
2. Log money in and money out on the Transactions tab.
3. Check the Dashboard. Change the month any time to look back.

Works in: Excel 2010 or newer (Windows and Mac) and Google Sheets. To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Drive, open it, and choose File, then Save as Google Sheets.

Want to go further? This tracker is part of the Iota Pulse spreadsheet line. If you're paying off cards or loans, running a side hustle, freelancing, or job hunting, The Spreadsheet Bundle (all 5) gives you all five paid trackers for $29.99: the Debt Snowball & Avalanche Payoff Planner, Small Business Profit & Loss Tracker, Freelancer Invoice & Income Tracker, Quarterly Estimated Tax Tracker and Job Application Tracker. They have the same look, the same Start Here tab, and they also work in Excel and Google Sheets.