Virtual Assistant Bookkeeping Spreadsheet

About this template

This virtual assistant bookkeeping spreadsheet handles retainers, hourly work and projects without three separate spreadsheets. It is for VAs juggling retainers, hourly tasks and set-up projects across several clients who want one clear set of books.

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).

Retainer, hourly and project income, kept apart

Retainer, hourly and project income are separate categories, so you can see which kind of work actually pays. For a VA business, or any freelancer selling time in more than one way, that answer is the start of better pricing.

One ledger, every report

You enter money in on one tab and money out on another, pick a tax rate for each line, and everything else reads those two. The monthly view, the quarterly view, the profit and loss statement, the sales tax worksheet and the dashboard all recalculate. Nothing is typed twice, and no number on a report can disagree with the ledger it came from. Your client tracker and invoice tracker are read from the same ledger, and the profit and loss shows each income type's share.

Sixteen connected tabs

Two registers do the work, and every other tab reports on them.

• Income: 500 rows, with the tax split out on every line
• Expenses: 500 rows, split the same way
• Setup: your categories, your tax rates and your set-aside percentage
• Monthly, Quarterly and Profit and Loss: all calculated
• Sales Tax: collected against paid, by rate and by quarter
• Estimated Tax: four quarterly set-asides at your own rate
• Custom Range: pick any two dates and everything follows
• Comparison: this year against last, month by month
• Balances: what each account took in and paid out
• Dashboard: six live figures and the four quarters
• Start Here: walks you through setup in a few minutes

Two years of demo data

The filled copy holds two full years of demo data, so the comparison view has something real to compare. Click through a full VA year before you enter your own clients.

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365, on Windows and Mac, and LibreOffice. No Microsoft 365 subscription needed, and no Google account needed for the Excel files.
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. You get real spreadsheet files, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No add-ins, no macros, no subscription and no bank connection

What you download

• The Excel workbook, filled with a worked example
• The same workbook, blank and ready for your own numbers
• The instruction guide, with one-click links to the Google Sheets versions (filled and blank)
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready as soon as payment clears. The template is for use in your own business; 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

Does it work in Excel and Google Sheets?

Yes. The Excel workbook runs in Excel 2016 or later on Windows and Mac with no Google account needed, and the instruction guide holds two one-click links to the Google Sheets versions.

Can I see which type of work pays best?

Yes. Retainer, hourly and project income are separate categories, and the profit and loss shows the share of each.

Does it work for several clients?

Yes. Every income line carries the client, and all reports read from the same ledger.

How much should I put aside for tax?

The Estimated Tax tab turns your profit into four quarterly set-asides at the percentage you choose. It is a bookkeeping tool, not tax or accounting advice.

Does it handle sales tax or VAT on my invoices?

Pick a tax rate on each line and the tax is split out, then netted against tax paid by rate and by quarter.