Free Google Sheets Budget Template (2026)

A budget only works if you actually use it. This guide covers every free Google Sheets budget template worth using in 2026 — monthly, family, zero-based, and simple one-tab — so you can pick the one that fits how you actually manage money.

Part of the Google Sheets expense tracking guide — all Google Sheets finance and productivity templates in one place.

Which Google Sheets budget template is right for you?

The best budget template is the simplest one that covers your situation. Adding complexity does not improve the budget — it increases the chance you abandon it. Pick based on your situation, not your aspirations.

Your situation	Best template
Single person, straightforward income and expenses	Simple budget planner template
Want to plan each month's spending in advance	Monthly budget template
Family with multiple income sources and shared expenses	Family budget template
Household bills, mortgage, and running costs	Household budget planner
Want every pound assigned to a category (zero-based)	Zero-based budget planner
Need to track spending that already happened	Expense tracker (not a budget)
Using Notion, not Google Sheets	Notion budget templates

What every good Google Sheets budget template needs

Whatever type of budget you use, the template should have these four components:

Income section. Total monthly income from all sources — salary, freelance, rental, benefits. This is the number everything else is planned against.
Fixed expenses. Costs that are the same every month: rent or mortgage, insurance, loan repayments, subscriptions. These come off income first.
Variable expenses by category. Day-to-day spending: groceries, transport, eating out, clothing, entertainment. These are the categories you are actually trying to manage.
Remaining balance. Income minus all expenses. In a zero-based budget, this number should be zero — every pound is assigned somewhere, including savings. In any budget, it should never be negative.

Free monthly budget template for Google Sheets

The monthly budget template is the most commonly used format. It gives you one sheet per month — or one tab per month in a single spreadsheet — where you plan spending in advance and then compare actuals at the end of the month.

The core structure:

Income rows at the top
Fixed expenses listed below income
Variable expense categories with a budget target column and an actual column
Variance column showing the difference between planned and actual
Summary row: total income, total expenses, remaining balance

The variance column is what makes a monthly budget more powerful than a simple tracker. When you can see that you budgeted £300 for food and spent £420, the question becomes: is £420 the real number, and should the budget be revised? Or was this an unusual month, and £300 is still the right target? That conversation — which a tracker alone cannot prompt — is where financial control actually comes from.

Full guide: Monthly Budget Template for Google Sheets →

Free family budget template for Google Sheets

A family budget template differs from a personal budget in two important ways: it needs to handle multiple income sources cleanly, and it needs expense categories that reflect household spending rather than individual spending.

Family-specific additions include:

Childcare and school costs as a fixed-expense category
Groceries split from eating out (family grocery bills are often two to three times individual spend)
Family activity and holiday saving as a savings goal row
A shared vs individual spending split for couples where each person has some personal spending

For families on a single income, the budget needs tighter variable spending categories and a clear emergency fund row — one income means one failure point, and a three-month emergency fund changes that risk profile significantly.

Full guide: Family Budget Template for Google Sheets →

Zero-based budget template in Google Sheets

A zero-based budget assigns every pound of income to a category before the month starts. Income minus all outgoings — including savings — equals zero. Nothing is unallocated. Nothing "just happens" to be spent.

It is the most effective budgeting method for people who consistently overspend in variable categories, or who reach the end of the month not sure where the money went. The discipline of pre-assigning every pound forces decisions about priorities before emotions or impulse spending enter the picture.

The zero-based budget template structure:

List total income
List all fixed expenses (subtract from income)
List all savings goals as categories (treat savings like a bill — subtract it next)
Assign remaining income to variable categories until the balance reaches zero

The remaining balance should be exactly £0.00. If it is positive, assign the surplus to savings or a specific spending category. If it is negative, reduce variable spending categories until it is zero.

Full guide: Budget Planner Template (free, zero-based) →

Simple one-tab Google Sheets budget template

If you have never used a budget before, start with the simplest version possible: one tab, three sections, no formulas to build yourself.

Section 1 — Monthly income (one cell).
Section 2 — Fixed expenses (list, auto-sum).
Section 3 — Variable categories with a target amount (list, auto-sum).
Section 4 — One formula: income minus total expenses.

That is it. No variance columns, no monthly tabs, no charts. Just the number that tells you whether you are living within your means this month. Add complexity only when you find you need it — and many people never do.

Google Sheets budget template vs Excel

Google Sheets wins for budgeting for one reason: it is always accessible. Budget templates that live in Excel on a work computer or home laptop only get updated when you are at that computer. A Google Sheets budget is on your phone, your tablet, and any browser — which means you can check the remaining food budget when you are standing in the supermarket.

The formulas are identical between the two. If you have an existing Excel budget you want to move, copy-paste it into Google Sheets — 95% of formulas work without any changes.

How to set up your Google Sheets budget (step by step)

Step 1 — Open the template (1 minute). Click the template link below, select "Make a copy" to add it to your Google Drive. Do not edit the original.

Step 2 — Enter your monthly income (2 minutes). Add every source of income you reliably receive. If income is variable, use the average of the last three months.

Step 3 — List fixed expenses (5 minutes). Every commitment that comes out automatically — rent, mortgage, loans, subscriptions, insurance. Check your bank statement from last month to catch anything you might forget.

Step 4 — Set variable spending targets (10 minutes). For each category, set a realistic target. If you have expense tracking data from the past two months, use those averages. If you are starting fresh, estimate and plan to revise after month one.

Step 5 — Check the balance (1 minute). If income minus all expenses is negative, reduce variable spending targets until it is positive. If it is positive, assign the surplus to savings or a specific goal.

Step 6 — Update actuals weekly (5 minutes/week). Open your bank statement once a week and enter what you actually spent in each category. The variance column shows you where you are tracking over or under budget.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free Google Sheets budget template?
Yes — every template on this site is free to copy and use. No sign-up required, no watermarks, no locked cells. Make a copy to your Google Drive and edit freely.

What is the best budget template for Google Sheets?
It depends on your situation. For individuals: the simple budget planner or the monthly budget template. For families: the family budget template. For tracking spending that already happened rather than planning: the expense tracker.

Should I use a budget template or an expense tracker?
Use a tracker first. Two to three months of tracked spending gives you the real data you need to set meaningful budget targets. Starting with a budget before you know your actual spending patterns means the targets will be guesses — and guesses tend to be optimistic. Track first, then budget.

How do I share a Google Sheets budget with my partner?
Open the template, click Share in the top right, and enter your partner's email with Edit access. Both of you can update the sheet from any device in real time. Use a shared Google account if you want to avoid the permission step entirely.

Can I use a Google Sheets budget template on my phone?
Yes — the Google Sheets app on iOS and Android opens any Sheets file. The app supports editing, formula viewing, and basic formatting. For a complex template with many columns, a tablet gives a better experience than a phone screen, but the data is accessible on any device.

How many categories should a budget have?
Seven to ten broad categories is the practical range for most households. More than ten creates categorisation friction — every transaction becomes a decision. Broad categories (Food, Transport, Entertainment) capture enough detail to be useful without the overhead of fifteen specific sub-categories.

Get the free Google Sheets budget template

All templates are free to copy and use immediately:

If you are not sure which to start with, the monthly budget template covers most situations and can be customised to any household.