Monthly Budget Template
Plan a month, record what actually happened, and see the gap on every line.
Free · no email, no sign-up · built in your browser · works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice
What is in the file
The Budget sheet, exactly as you will get it. Cells shown as=… are live formulas in the download, not text. A second tab, How to use, explains what to change first.
| Category | Budgeted | Actual | Difference | % used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent / mortgage | 1200 | 1200 | =B2-C2 | =IF(B2=0,"",C2/B2) |
| Groceries | 450 | 512 | =B3-C3 | =IF(B3=0,"",C3/B3) |
| Transport | 150 | 128 | =B4-C4 | =IF(B4=0,"",C4/B4) |
| Utilities | 180 | 196 | =B5-C5 | =IF(B5=0,"",C5/B5) |
| Subscriptions | 45 | 61 | =B6-C6 | =IF(B6=0,"",C6/B6) |
| Savings | 400 | 300 | =B7-C7 | =IF(B7=0,"",C7/B7) |
| Total | =SUM(B2:B7) | =SUM(C2:C7) | =SUM(D2:D7) | =IF(B8=0,"",C8/B8) |
How this template works
Most budget spreadsheets fail because they only hold the plan. This one holds the plan and the outcome side by side, and computes the difference so overspending is visible on the row where it happened rather than at the end of the month. The percentage column shows how much of each budget line you have used.
Use it for
- Running a household budget month to month
- Comparing planned against actual spending by category
- Finding which category actually caused an overspend
Related calculators
Free to use, share and republish — including commercially. Attribution isn't required, but it's what keeps these free to make, and there's one ready to paste below.
Questions
Is this monthly budget template free?
Yes — free to download and free to use, personally or commercially. There is no email gate, no account and no watermark.
Do the formulas work, or are they just shown?
They work. The file contains live formulas, so editing a value recalculates everything that depends on it. The "How to use" tab lists which cells are formulas so you know what you are typing over.
Which apps open it?
Any spreadsheet that reads .xlsx: Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc and Apple Numbers. To use it in Sheets, upload the file to Drive and open it with Google Sheets.
Where does the file come from?
Your browser builds it when you click download. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and no request leaves the page — which is also why there is nothing to sign up for.