Free Monthly Budget Template
Free monthly budget template for tracking business income and expenses month by month. Includes cash flow summary, department budgets, and year-to-date rollup. Simple enough for any business owner.
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Know Your Numbers Every Month
A monthly budget is the most practical financial tool most businesses never use. It takes 30 minutes to set up and 15 minutes per month to maintain — and it tells you whether your business is trending toward profit or pain before the problem arrives.
Monthly Budget Layout
- Income section — All revenue sources, broken down by product/service/client type
- Fixed expenses — Costs that don't change month to month (rent, salaries, insurance)
- Variable expenses — Costs that fluctuate with business activity
- One-time expenses — Equipment purchases, legal fees, non-recurring costs
- Net income — The bottom line, automatically calculated
- Cash on hand — Running cash balance after accounting for all flows
Month-by-Month View
| Column | Purpose |
|---|
| Budget | What you planned to spend at the start of the month |
| Actual | What you actually spent (entered at month end) |
| Variance | Difference (red = over budget, green = under) |
| YTD Budget | Cumulative planned spend January through this month |
| YTD Actual | Cumulative actual spend year-to-date |
3 Signs You Need This Template Now
- You're surprised by your bank balance at the end of the month
- You don't know which months are your slowest (and can't plan for them)
- You make spending decisions based on gut feel rather than a number
How to Set Up in 30 Minutes
- Download the Excel or Google Sheets version
- Enter last month's actual income and expenses to calibrate your baseline
- Set budget targets for each category for the next 3 months
- Update actuals at the end of each month (or connect your bank with a tool like QuickBooks)
- Review the variance column monthly — anything over 15% needs attention