Templates
Build a Monthly Budget Sheet You Can Reuse Every Month
Lay out income, fixed bills, variable spending, and savings on one tab with SUM formulas and a running balance row.
Copy this layout once. Each month, duplicate the tab, change the month label, and enter actuals. No app subscription required.
Sheet layout
Tab name: 2026-03 (duplicate for each month).
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monthly Budget | March 2026 | |
| 3 | Income | Budget | Actual |
| 4 | Paycheck 1 | 2200 | |
| 5 | Paycheck 2 | 2200 | |
| 6 | Other | 0 | |
| 7 | Income total | ||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | Fixed bills | Budget | Actual |
| 10 | Rent | 1650 | |
| 11 | Utilities | 140 | |
| 12 | Insurance | 125 | |
| 13 | Subscriptions | 45 | |
| 14 | Fixed total | ||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | Variable | Budget | Actual |
| 17 | Groceries | 420 | |
| 18 | Transport | 160 | |
| 19 | Dining | 200 | |
| 20 | Variable total | ||
| 21 | |||
| 22 | Savings transfer | 400 | |
| 23 | |||
| 24 | Leftover (Actual) |
Column B = planned. Column C = what really happened.
Formulas
Income total (B7 and C7):
=SUM(B4:B6)Copy B7 to C7, or write =SUM(C4:C6) in C7.
Fixed total — B14:
=SUM(B10:B13)Variable total — B20:
=SUM(B17:B19)Leftover (Actual) — C24:
=C7-SUM(C14,C20,C22)This is: total income minus fixed, variable, and savings actuals.
Optional Budget leftover — B24:
=B7-SUM(B14,B20,B22)Running comparison row
Row 25 — label Over / under variable:
=C20-B20Negative means you spent less than planned on variable lines (good). Positive means over.
Formatting tips
- Select B4:C22 → Home → Number → Currency
- Freeze header: select row 4 → View → Freeze → Up to current row (Excel) or View → Freeze → 3 rows (Sheets)
- Conditional format C24: Home → Conditional Formatting → Less than 0 → light red fill
For deadline-style rules on bill due dates, see conditional formatting for deadlines.
Duplicate for next month
Excel: right-click tab → Move or Copy → check Create a copy.
Google Sheets: right-click tab → Duplicate. Clear column C actuals, update the month title in B1.
Protect formulas
Once the sheet works, lock formula cells so only Actual column C is editable: protect formulas while editing inputs.
Summarize several months with a pivot: pivot table intro.