Ultimate Budget Dashboard Spreadsheet

About this template

This budget spreadsheet turns one list of transactions into a full year of answers. Type each purchase and paycheck once, and a single dashboard shows what came in, what went out, where it went, what you saved and whether you stayed on budget, for the whole year or any month you pick.

Please read: This is a tracker tool only, not financial, tax, legal, medical or any other professional advice or advisory service. It records and calculates what you enter; you are solely responsible for checking all figures, rates, dates and results and for every decision you make. By purchasing, downloading or using it, you accept these terms (your statutory consumer rights are not affected).

The dashboard

Nothing on the dashboard is typed. It fills itself from your transactions and redraws when you choose a different month.

• Five live cards: money in, money out, saved, left over and savings rate
• The change against last month on every card, shown as an up or down arrow in green or red
• A twelve-month mini chart in every card, with the month you picked highlighted
• Cash flow: income against spending for every month, with a running total
• Where it went: spending by group, with each share as a percentage
• Budget against actual for every group, turning red when you go over
• A daily heat map of the month, shaded by how much you spent each day
• Your top five categories, savings goals, debts, net worth and the 50/30/20 split

Twenty-eight connected tabs

Every tab reads from the same transactions, so you never copy a number from one place to another.

• Transactions: 2,000 rows and the single source of truth for everything else
• Income: every paycheck, on weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly cycles
• Recurring and Bill Calendar: the bills that repeat, and all twelve months showing what is due on which day
• Accounts: checking, savings, cards, cash and investments, with balances
• January to December: budget against actual against variance for every category, so you can start in any month
• Annual Summary: forty categories by twelve months on a single page

Plan ahead and build savings

Beyond the monthly budget tracker, the workbook covers the longer-term side of your money.

• 50/30/20: needs, wants and savings against the rule of thumb, every month
• Expense Breakdown by group and by category for the year
• Sinking Funds for once-a-year bills, saved for monthly
• Debt payoff with the snowball or avalanche method: pick one and the payoff order calculates itself
• Savings Goals with the target, the amount saved and the month you reach it
• Net Worth, what you own less what you owe, tracked monthly
• A No-Spend Challenge to tick off the days you spent nothing

Light and dark editions

Every download includes a light edition and a dark mode budget edition. Every tab is restyled, not just the dashboard, and both use the same formulas. Each comes filled with a worked example and as a blank copy, in Excel and as a Google Sheets budget.

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365, on Windows and Mac, and LibreOffice
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. The Google Sheets version is a real workbook, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No macros, no add-ins, no subscription and no bank connection

What you download

• Light edition: the Excel workbook filled with a worked example, and a blank one
• Dark edition: the same two files in the dark design
• The instruction guide, with one-click links to the Google Sheets versions (light and dark, filled and blank)
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready to download as soon as payment clears. The template is for your own household. Please do not share or resell the files. Questions before or after you buy? Use our contact page and we will help.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Excel, or can I use Google Sheets?

Either. The download includes Excel workbooks for Excel 2016 or later on Windows and Mac, and the instruction guide has one-click links to make your own copy in Google Sheets with a free Google account.

Do I have to start in January?

No. Each month has its own tab and the dashboard reads whatever you have entered, so you can start budgeting in any month.

Can I track more than one income?

Yes. The Income tab takes every paycheck and handles weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly and monthly pay cycles.

Can I rename the categories?

Yes. The Setup tab holds your categories and currency, and the rest of the workbook follows your names.

What is the difference between the light and dark editions?

Only the look. Both have the same 28 tabs and the same formulas, and both are included in every download.