How to Make a Monthly Budget in Google Sheets Step by Step

To make a monthly budget in Google Sheets, create separate income and expense tables, enter planned and actual amounts, and use SUM formulas to total them and calculate what is left. You will need a Google account, a web browser, and estimates or records of your monthly income and spending. The instructions below are for Google Sheets in a browser; Excel has different menus and is not covered here.

What You’ll Need

A Google account and access to Google Sheets.
Estimates for income and planned spending, plus recent account statements, bills, receipts, or transaction records for actual amounts.
A list of categories that fit your household. The examples use dollars, but you can set the currency for your own location.

Step-by-Step

Create and label a sheet. Open Google Sheets, choose Blank spreadsheet, and rename the file by clicking its title at the top left. In cell A1, enter Monthly Budget. In A2, type Month and in B2 enter a label such as November 2026. A text label is convenient if you plan to duplicate the tab for each month. Rename the sheet tab at the bottom to match the month so you can find it later.
Set up the income table. In A4:D4, enter the column headings Income, Planned, Actual, and Difference. Use rows 5 through 8 for income sources such as Paycheck, Side work, Benefits, and Other income. In row 9, enter Total income in column A. Put your expected amounts in column B and the amounts received in column C. Enter numbers only; you can apply currency formatting afterward. Use zero where a category does not apply, or leave it blank if you prefer.
Add the expense table. In A12:D12, enter Expense, Planned, Actual, and Left. Add categories in A13:A25. For example: Housing, Utilities, Groceries, Transport, Insurance, Debt payments, Health, Subscriptions, Dining, Personal, Savings, Gifts, and Other. Put Total expenses in A26. Enter the amount you intend to spend in column B and the amount you actually spend in column C. Treat savings as a planned allocation if that is useful for your budget, and avoid counting a transfer twice if you also record it elsewhere.
Calculate income differences. For income categories with planned amounts in B5:B8 and actual amounts in C5:C8, enter =C5-B5 in D5, then copy or drag the fill handle down through D8. A positive result means you received more than planned; a negative result means you received less. For example, if row 6 has $200 planned and $250 actual, D6 displays $50. Use the same meaning for the income Difference column throughout the month.
Calculate expense amounts left. With planned expense amounts in B13:B25 and actual expenses in C13:C25, enter =B13-C13 in D13 and fill down through D25. A positive amount is still available in that category; a negative amount means spending exceeded the plan. If groceries are budgeted at $600 and actual spending reaches $640, the result is -$40. This sign convention makes it easier to spot overspending without manually subtracting each category.
Total the two tables. With planned income in B5:B8, enter =SUM(B5:B8) in B9; the illustrative planned amounts $4,800, $200, $0, and $0 return $5,000. With actual income in C5:C8, enter =SUM(C5:C8) in C9; actual amounts of $4,800, $250, $0, and $0 return $5,050. With income differences in D5:D8, enter =SUM(D5:D8) in D9; in this example the total difference is $50.

With planned expenses in B13:B25, enter =SUM(B13:B25) in B26; the example category amounts add to $4,660. With actual expenses in C13:C25, enter =SUM(C13:C25) in C26; the example amounts add to $4,790. With the planned and actual expense totals in B26 and C26, enter =B26-C26 in D26; the result is -$130, meaning actual expenses exceeded the planned total by $130.
Show what remains after expenses. Add Net planned in A29 and Net actual in A30. With total planned income in B9 and planned expenses in B26, enter =B9-B26 in B29; the example gives $340 ($5,000 minus $4,660). With actual income in C9 and actual expenses in C26, enter =C9-C26 in B30; the example gives $260 ($5,050 minus $4,790). These are simple budget comparisons, not a forecast of every bill or account balance, so include the categories that matter to your situation.
Format the sheet for easy reading. Select the money cells, then choose Format > Number > Currency. If you need another currency or number style, use the number-format options under Format > Number. Bold the table headings and totals, and widen columns by dragging the boundary between column letters. To highlight over-budget expense categories, select D13:D25 and choose Format > Conditional formatting. Set the rule to format cells if they are less than 0, then choose a noticeable text or fill color. Check that the rule applies only to the expense difference range.
Use the budget during the month. Enter actual income and expenses as they happen, or update them on a regular schedule. Keep planned numbers unchanged unless you intentionally revise the plan; otherwise, you may lose the comparison between the original budget and actual spending. At month-end, review categories with negative amounts, note unusual one-time costs, and duplicate the tab for the next month. Update the month label and clear only the previous month’s actual entries before you start entering new transactions.

The sample figures are illustrative and use dollars only to demonstrate the arithmetic. This is a budgeting example, not financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. For loan or debt details, confirm the actual terms with your lender or a qualified professional.

Common Mistakes

Mixing planned and actual figures: Keep the two amounts in separate columns and enter each transaction in Actual, not Planned. If you change the plan after seeing your spending, record the change deliberately so you still understand what was originally expected.

Leaving out irregular costs: Annual renewals, gifts, car repairs, school costs, and seasonal bills can make a monthly budget look inaccurate when they arrive. Add a relevant category or set aside a monthly amount for those costs. Use the amount and timing that suit your records rather than assuming every month is identical.

Counting money twice: A credit-card purchase and the later card payment are not two separate expenses in the same budget. Likewise, avoid treating a transfer between your own accounts as income or spending unless your chosen method intentionally tracks transfers. Pick a consistent approach and apply it to every month.

Overwriting formulas: Typing a number into a total or difference cell replaces its formula. Keep entered amounts in the planned and actual columns, and check that calculated cells still show a result after edits. A blank or unexpected total may mean a formula was deleted.

Using the wrong sign for a difference: Income differences use actual minus planned, while expense amounts left use planned minus actual. The different order is intentional. Label the columns clearly, and do not interpret a negative expense amount as money remaining.

Tips

Start with a manageable number of categories. Combine small or infrequent items under Other at first, then split them into separate categories if you need more detail to make decisions.
Use the same category names every month. Consistent labels make it easier to compare tabs and spot changes. If you share the sheet, agree on what each category includes so two people do not record similar purchases differently.
Keep a short note beside unusual entries, or add a Notes column if you need to explain a one-off amount. A short explanation such as annual fee or repair can prevent confusion when you review the month later.
Protect the structure by making a clean template tab before entering a new month. Duplicate the template, rename the copy, and clear only the previous actual values. Do not clear formula cells or headings; check the totals and difference columns after copying.
Choose a check-in routine you can maintain, such as updating the sheet once a week. Comparing actual spending with the plan before the end of the month gives you time to understand a variance and adjust other planned spending if appropriate.
Keep a separate copy or use Google Sheets version history if you want to recover an earlier layout. A monthly budget is most useful when it is understandable and maintained; elaborate charts are optional, not a requirement.

Troubleshooting

A total displays zero or does not change: Click the cell and look at the formula bar. Confirm that the formula begins with an equals sign and references the intended range, such as B5:B8 for planned income. Make sure the amounts are numeric values rather than text pasted with extra symbols or spaces. Re-enter a value in the relevant input cell and see whether the total updates.

A formula appears as text: Check whether the cell was set to plain text or whether an apostrophe was entered before the equals sign. Change the cell’s number format through Format > Number, remove the extra apostrophe if present, and enter the formula again. Do not add a currency symbol inside the formula; apply currency formatting to the cell instead.

The total is too high: Verify that the SUM range includes only the intended detail rows. Check for duplicate transactions, especially a purchase and a payment for the same credit-card balance. Also confirm that a subtotal has not been included inside a second total range.

The total is too low or a category is missing: Check whether the category falls outside the formula’s range. For example, a new expense placed on row 26 would not be included in a formula that totals rows 13 through 25 if row 26 has been repurposed. Add categories above the total row or update the range carefully, then verify the result against a hand calculation.

Currency looks wrong: The displayed currency and separators can depend on spreadsheet locale. Select the cells and use Format > Number to choose an appropriate currency format. If you change the spreadsheet locale, review date and number displays too; formatting changes how values appear, not the underlying budget categories.

A copied month has old numbers or broken formulas: Duplicate a clean template rather than a completed month when possible. If you copy a used tab, select only the previous actual input cells and clear their contents; avoid selecting the total or difference cells. Check several formulas and totals in the new tab before relying on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a Google Sheets budget template instead of starting from blank?
Yes. Open the Google Sheets template gallery from the Sheets home page and choose a budget template if one fits. Review its categories, formulas, and month assumptions before entering private financial information. You can also use the layout above to build a simpler sheet yourself.

How do I make a budget for a different currency?
Enter numeric amounts in the currency you use, then select the cells and choose Format > Number > Currency. If the currency option shown is not right, use the number-format choices or spreadsheet locale settings and confirm that amounts display as expected. Do not mix currencies in one total unless you convert them consistently first.

Should I include savings in the expense table?
You can list a planned savings contribution as an allocation so it is included when calculating what remains. Use a consistent method: if you include the contribution here, do not also count the same transfer as another expense. The best layout depends on what you want the net figure to represent.

Can I track more than one month?
Yes. Keep a template tab, duplicate it for each month, and update the month label. For a year-long overview, add a separate summary tab that links to each month’s totals. Check the cell references when copying or building links so they point to the intended monthly tabs.

Can two people update the budget?
Yes. Google Sheets supports sharing through the Share button. Choose access carefully, since editors can change values and formulas. Agree on who records transactions and how to handle shared purchases, and review the sheet together so the same expense is not entered twice.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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