The Best Google Sheets Budget Template: Full Guide

Yes. Google Sheets includes budgeting templates in its template gallery, and availability can vary by account and region. If the built-in options do not fit your needs, you can use one of the free templates above.

Yes. Spreadsheets are effective for budgeting because you can customize categories, automate calculations, and share the sheet with others. Google Sheets is especially useful if you want collaboration and access across devices.

The easiest approach is to start with a template, then customize categories to match your real spending. If you want to build your own, use income and expense categories, totals with SUM, and a simple variance section for budget vs actual.

Yes. You can use any spreadsheet software for budgeting. Excel templates can work well too, but Google Sheets makes sharing and collaboration simpler.

Yes. The templates above are free to copy. You can also find free options in other tools such as Excel, Notion, and Smartsheet, depending on how you prefer to budget.

Do not insert rows in the middle of a formula range unless you confirm the formula will expand. The safest approach is to add new categories inside the existing category block, then copy an existing row that already has the correct formulas and paste it into the new row. If your totals use SUM across a fixed range, update the range once to include the new rows. If you want it to scale automatically, use an open-ended range where it makes sense, for example =SUM(B5:B) instead of =SUM(B5:B25), then keep blanks below the last category.

Select the entire sheet (click the top-left square above row 1 and left of column A), then go to Format > Number > Custom currency and choose the symbol you want. If you want it consistent across multiple tabs, repeat on each sheet. If the symbol still appears as $, check the spreadsheet locale under File > Settings and set a locale that matches your currency, then apply the custom currency format again.

First, find the list that powers your dropdowns, it is usually on a tab named Categories, Settings, or Lists. Rename the category in that source list (change Food to Groceries there). Then check any data validation rules: select a dropdown cell, go to Data > Data validation, and confirm it points to the category list range, not typed values. If your dropdown is pulling from a named range, update the named range list under Data > Named ranges. Once the source list is updated, the dropdown options will update automatically.

Yes. The easiest method is to keep the monthly summary and add a Weekly or Bi-Weekly tab that feeds it. Create a new tab with weeks as rows (Week 1, Week 2, and so on) and categories as columns, then total each category to the monthly sheet using SUM. If you want a single view instead, replace the month columns with week columns, then update any formulas and charts that reference the old month ranges. For most people, adding a weekly tab is faster and less likely to break formulas.

Treat savings as its own section, not part of variable spending. Add a Savings block under Income or in a separate Savings section, then exclude it from your Expense totals. For example, keep your Expense total as =SUM(ExpenseRange) and your Savings total as =SUM(SavingsRange). If you want a single net number, calculate Net cashflow = Income – Expenses – Savings. This keeps spending analysis clean while still making savings visible and measurable.

Direct, automatic imports depend on your bank. The most reliable no-code approach is to export a CSV from your bank and paste or import it into a Transactions tab on a regular schedule. If you want automation, you typically need a connector or an integration tool, or you can use Apps Script with a supported source. In practice, many people start with a CSV-based workflow because it is fast, consistent, and does not break when banks change authentication.

Create a dedicated Categories list (one column), then apply data validation to your entry cells. In Google Sheets, select the cells where you choose a category, go to Data > Data validation, set criteria to Dropdown (from a range), and select your category list range. If you also work in Excel, this guide shows the same concept step by step: drop down list in Excel.

Yes. Add a Year-to-Date section that sums each month to date, then chart it. If you have one tab per month with consistent category placement, you can sum across sheets. If your data is in a single Transactions tab, a pivot table is usually best: rows as Category, values as Sum of Amount, and a filter for Date set to this year. A simple YTD metric many people like is YTD spending by category plus YTD savings rate as savings divided by total income.

Use a Transactions tab with at least Date, Category, and Amount. Then filter by Category for Order-in or Food Delivery, and filter Date to the last 3 months. If you want it to update automatically, use FILTER with a date condition. For example, if Date is in column A and Category is in column C, you can filter like:

=FILTER(A:E, (C:C=”Order-in”)+(C:C=”Food Delivery”), A:A>=EDATE(TODAY(),-3))

This returns only matching rows for the last three months. If your category labels are different, update the text conditions to match your sheet.

Yes, and it is worth separating from your day-to-day spending categories. Add a Debt tab that lists each debt, balance, interest rate, and minimum payment. Then choose Snowball (pay smallest balance first) or Avalanche (pay highest interest first), and track your extra payment allocation each month. If you want a dedicated sheet designed for this, use the debt snowball spreadsheet, then link the monthly payment totals back to your budget so your plan stays realistic.