Annual Budget Spreadsheet

Who this is for

The whole year on a single sheet. One row per month — income, fixed, variable, set aside — with the net worked out, so the tight months show before they arrive.

Households that want the year's shape rather than the month's detail: when the big bills land, which months run tight, and whether the year as a whole balances.

What this helps you track

• Income and outgoings for every month of the year in one view
• The net position for each month, so a thin month is seen in advance
• How much went to savings across the year, not just in a good month
• Annual and one-off bills placed in the month they fall, so they are planned not discovered

How to use it

1. Write the year at the top. The twelve month rows are already filled in.
2. Enter the expected income for each month, then the fixed costs (rent or mortgage, insurance, loans) and an estimate for variable spending.
3. Put whatever you intend to set aside each month in the savings column; leave it blank for months where nothing is possible.
4. Add annual and one-off costs — a holiday, a renewal, an insurance premium — into the fixed or variable figure for the month they fall in, and name them in the note column.
5. The net column and the year totals are calculated in the browser and the workbook; on paper, subtract across each row and total the columns at the foot.
6. Revisit the sheet as months pass and overwrite estimates with what actually happened.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is this a plan or a record?

Either. Fill it before the year starts as a plan, then overwrite each month's figures as the real ones come in. Some people print two copies and keep the original plan for comparison.

What counts as fixed and what as variable?

Fixed is anything that arrives at the same amount whether or not you think about it — rent, loan repayments, insurance. Variable is what you have some say over month to month — food, fuel, going out. The split is yours to decide.

Where do annual bills go?

Into the fixed column of the month they are due, with the name in the note column so you remember why that month is heavier. The sinking funds tracker is the place to spread them across the year.

Can it show more detail per month?

No — that is deliberate. For line-by-line detail use the monthly budget spreadsheet; this sheet is for the overview.