What's inside
Three tabs, already wired together:
- Dashboard — one row per category showing budget, spent, remaining and % used, plus a total row. Every figure is a live formula; you never type here. The heading shows the current month automatically.
- Categories — 14 starter categories with monthly budgets. Rename them, change the amounts, add your own. The dashboard and the dropdown both follow this tab.
- Transactions — where you log spending: date, category (from a dropdown), amount, note. Room for 1,000 entries, which is roughly a year for most households.
The automation you're getting
- SUMIFS category totals. Every transaction lands in its category the moment you type it — no sorting, no pivot tables, no monthly rebuild.
- Category dropdowns. Data validation stops "Groceries" / "groceries" / "food" from splitting one category into three.
- Overspend alerts. Remaining balances turn green, amber (under 20% left) or red (over budget), so the sheet tells you where to look.
- An automatic month reset. The dashboard uses
EOMONTHandTODAY, so it always shows the current calendar month. Nothing to rebuild in January.
If you'd rather understand the machinery than inherit it, the build is written up step by step in how to make a budget in Google Sheets and how to automate your budget spreadsheet.
How to use it in 3 minutes
- 1. Download the file above.
- 2. Open the Categories tab and set your own categories and monthly budgets — the blue cells are the ones to edit. Not sure how to split them? The 50/30/20 calculator gives you a starting allocation from your take-home pay.
- 3. Delete the grey example row on the Transactions tab and start logging. Ten seconds per purchase, or paste your bank's CSV export once a week.
- 4. Check the Dashboard whenever you like. It's already up to date.
Using it in Google Sheets
Download the file, then in Google Drive choose New → File upload, right-click the uploaded file and pick Open with → Google Sheets. Every formula, dropdown and colour rule carries over.
Frequently asked questions
Is this budget template really free?
Yes — free to download and use, with no email signup, no account and no watermark. Use it personally or share the link with anyone.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes — use the Make a copy in Google Sheets button above and it lands straight in your own Drive, dropdowns and formulas intact. You need to be signed in to a Google account; the copy is yours and we never see it. The .xlsx download opens directly in Excel and Apple Numbers.
Do I have to rebuild it every month?
No. The dashboard uses EOMONTH and TODAY, so it always shows the current calendar month and rolls over on its own. You keep logging into the same transactions tab all year.
Can I change the categories?
Yes — rename anything in the Categories tab and set your own monthly budgets. The dropdown list and the dashboard both update automatically from that tab.
Next steps
50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Get your starting category budgets from your take-home pay.
Open calculator →2026 Budget & Finance Tracker
18 tabs: debt payoff, savings goals, net worth and subscriptions, all automated.
Get it on Etsy →