Couples Money Conversation Worksheet

Who this is for

The money talk, written down by both of you. Each partner answers the same prompts in their own column, from income, debts and habits to accounts, bills and goals; a third column records what you agree, and actions close the sheet.

Couples moving in together, marrying or merging their money after years of keeping it apart, and any pair who have never sat down and compared notes on money.

What this helps you track

• Where each of you stands on income, debts, savings and pensions
• The habits and worries each of you brings to shared money
• Joint or separate accounts, and how shared bills are split
• Who looks after which money job, and the goals you share
• The actions you agreed and the date you will look again

How to use it

1. Write both names, the date of the talk and a date to come back to it at the top.
2. Each of you fills in your own column for every prompt, ideally before you talk, so neither answer is shaped by the other.
3. Go through the prompts together, one at a time, and write in the last column only what you both accept.
4. Leave a prompt open rather than force it; turn it into an action with a name and a date instead.
5. Fill it in on paper or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser, and keep it with your household budget.

Formats

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

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 online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

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

How is this different from the monthly money check-in sheet?

This is the first, bigger conversation: where each of you starts from and how your money will work together. The monthly check-in is the short meeting that follows, about what happened last month and what falls due next.

Should we fill in our columns separately?

It often helps. Writing your own answers before you compare them stops one person's view setting the tone, and the gaps between the two columns show what needs talking about.

Does it tell us whether to have a joint account?

No. Joint, separate or a mix of the two all work for different couples, and the sheet takes no side. It records what each of you prefers and what you decide; the shared expenses split calculator can then do the figures.

What if a prompt turns into an argument?

Park it. Write it as an action with a date to come back to, and move on to the next prompt. The look-again date at the top is there so open questions are returned to rather than dropped.

Is any of this legally binding?

No. It is a record of what you discussed. Who owns a shared home, savings or debts is set by the rules where you are and by any agreement you sign, so take advice if that matters to you.