Budget Spreadsheet for Excel, Monthly Planner, Paycheck Budget, Sinking Funds Tracker

A zero-based budget spreadsheet for the whole year: plan each month, log what you spend once and watch the actuals fill themselves in, budget by paycheck, save for known costs, and see your year on one dashboard. Ships with a filled example and a blank Start Fresh copy.

BUDGET SPREADSHEET
- Setup: pick your currency (USD, GBP, CAD, AUD, EUR), budget year, pay frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly), take-home pay
- Your own categories (up to 40) as Income, Expense, Savings or Debt, each with a default monthly amount
- 12 monthly tabs, zero-based: planned vs actual per category, "left to budget" turns green at 0, overspends turn red
- Transaction log on every month (200 rows): pick a category from the drop-down and the Actual column adds itself up; a CHECK flag catches a misspelt category
- Paycheck budget: your paydays for any month, worked out from one date, and which bills each paycheck must cover, with what's left
- Sinking funds: up to 12 goals with target, date, monthly contributions, progress bar and "save per month"
- Year dashboard: income, spending, savings, debt payments and savings rate for all 12 months, with charts, plus planned vs actual per category for the year

WHAT'S INCLUDED (3 files, instant download)
- Budget-Spreadsheet.xlsx
- Budget-Spreadsheet-Start-Fresh.xlsx
- README.pdf

HOW TO USE
1. Setup: currency, year, pay frequency, one payday, take-home pay.
2. Setup: edit the categories and default amounts until 'Left to budget' is 0.
3. Each month: log transactions; the Actual column fills in.
4. Paycheck, Sinking Funds and Dashboard update by themselves.
Each workbook has a Start Here tab with full instructions and the method behind every number.

WORKS WITH
A script opened this file in Microsoft Excel for Mac 16.114.3 and ran a full recalculation. Every cell matched the values stored in the file, with no error cells. That test did not type new data. Excel for Windows, older Excel versions and Google Sheets have not been tried. The formula tests ran in LibreOffice.
- No macros, no add-ons. Formula cells are locked without a password so you can't break them by accident.
- Easiest on a computer; phone and tablet apps work for viewing.

FAQ
Q: Does it work in Google Sheets?
A: Google Sheets has not been tried. Everything is built from standard functions; there are no macros.

Q: Do I need Microsoft 365?
A: No subscription-only functions are used. Excel for Mac 16.114.3 was tested. Other Excel versions and Google Sheets have not been tried.

Q: Can I use my own currency?
A: Pick USD, GBP, CAD, AUD or EUR on the setup sheet; the symbol updates in the headers. Amounts are plain numbers, so any other currency works too.

Q: Is the example data real?
A: No, it is made-up example data so you can see every feature. Use the Start Fresh copy for your own numbers.

Q: Refunds?
A: Digital files can't be returned once downloaded. If a file doesn't open or something looks wrong, message us and we will fix it.

NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE
This is a planning and record-keeping tool. Results depend on the numbers you enter and on a simplified method (monthly interest = balance x APR / 12). Your lender's statements are the real figures. No promise of any financial outcome; for advice about your situation, speak to a qualified adviser.

HOW THIS WAS MADE
The spreadsheets were designed and built with the help of AI tools (formula drafting, layout code and listing text). Scripts recalculated each workbook in LibreOffice and compared it with a separate Python calculation (the debt plans match to the cent across 8 test cases, the budget across 7). The listing images are screenshots of the real spreadsheets; no AI-generated images are used.

For your personal use. Please do not resell, share or redistribute the files.