50 Best Google Sheets Templates (+ Excel) for 2027

A good spreadsheet template saves you the boring part: deciding on columns, writing the formulas, getting the totals to line up. You type your own numbers and the sheet does the rest. A bad one looks pretty in a screenshot and falls apart the first time you add a row.

This guide collects the best Google Sheets templates (and their Excel equivalents) for 2027, organised by what you actually need to do: budget, run a small business, send invoices, count stock, manage projects, look after rentals, plan content, run an event, teach, study, train or travel. For each one you get what it does, who it suits, the features worth insisting on, and a short build it yourself tip with real formulas, so you can make a free version if you prefer.

Where we sell a ready-made version at Create Digital Tools, you’ll see it in a highlighted box with its real price and a setup video. Every one of our spreadsheets works in both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets and runs on formulas only, with no macros, add-ons or subscription. Where we don’t sell one, the build tip is the whole recommendation.

Browse all Excel + Google Sheets templates →

If you run a small business and want the short version focused on budget, P&L and cash flow, read our earlier guide to Excel and Google Sheets templates for small business. This article is the bigger map that covers personal, business and everyday use cases.

Quick picks: the best template for each job

Short on time? Here is the template type that fits the most common jobs. Each one links to its full write-up further down.

If you want to…	Use this template
Plan a whole year of personal money	Annual budget spreadsheet
Get out of debt faster	Debt snowball and avalanche calculator
See if your business is actually profitable	Profit and loss statement
Avoid running out of cash	13-week and 12-month cash flow forecast
Bill clients and chase late payments	Invoice template plus receivables tracker
Know when to reorder stock	Inventory tracker with reorder points
Run projects with a small team	Team project manager with Kanban and Gantt
Collect rent and track arrears	Rent ledger and tenant ledger
Plan social media posts	Content calendar
Plan an event or wedding	Event planning tracker
Grade a class	Weighted gradebook
Build a habit	Monthly habit tracker

What makes a spreadsheet template good

Before the list, here is the checklist we used. It is also what we build our own templates against, so you can hold us to it.

1. You enter data once. Transactions, tasks or orders go into a single log. Every summary, chart and dashboard reads from that log with formulas such as SUMIFS or QUERY. If a template makes you type the same number on three tabs, it will drift out of sync within a month.
2. Inputs and outputs are clearly separated. A good template colours the cells you type in differently from the cells that calculate. That way you never overwrite a formula by accident.
3. Dropdowns, not free text. Data validation on categories, statuses and names keeps the totals honest. “Groceries”, “groceries ” and “Grocery” are three different categories to a formula.
4. Flags that tell you what needs attention. Overdue invoices, tasks due this week, a budget line that is over. Conditional formatting does this quietly so you do not have to hunt.
5. Room to grow. Enough rows for a year of real use, and formulas that reference whole columns or tables rather than a fixed range that stops at row 50.
6. Works where you work. Some templates rely on features only one app has. If you might switch between Excel and Google Sheets, or share with someone who uses the other, check this first.
7. Instructions you can follow. A Start Here tab or a short video matters more than it sounds. Most abandoned templates were abandoned on day one.

Free templates are great for simple jobs such as a to-do list or a basic monthly budget. Both apps ship with a template gallery (in Google Sheets: File > New > From template gallery; in Excel: File > New) with plain starters like budgets, schedules and invoices. Paid templates earn their price when the job has moving parts that depend on each other: a cash forecast that pulls late invoices into the right week, a Gantt chart that skips weekends, a debt plan that rolls one payment into the next.

Personal budget and money templates

Budgeting is the most searched spreadsheet job of all, and for good reason: a spreadsheet shows you exactly how the numbers are calculated, which most apps do not. These eight cover the full picture, from this month’s spending to retirement.

1. Annual budget spreadsheet

An annual budget plans all twelve months up front, then compares what you actually spend against the plan. Unlike a monthly budget, it catches the costs that only hit a few times a year: insurance, car servicing, gifts, holidays and yearly subscriptions.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to see the whole year at once, not just the current month, and anyone who has been surprised by an annual renewal.

Key features to look for:

• A 12-month plan where you can type over any single month
• One transactions log that feeds every report
• Budget vs actual by category and by month
• Bills, subscriptions, debt and savings goals in the same file
• A dashboard with savings rate and net worth

Build it yourself: Put transactions on a tab with Date, Category and Amount. On a summary tab, list categories down column A and months across row 1 (as real dates, the first of each month). Each cell is then =SUMIFS(Tx!$C:$C, Tx!$B:$B, $A2, Tx!$A:$A, ">="&B$1, Tx!$A:$A, "<"&EDATE(B$1,1)). Add a conditional formatting rule that turns a cell red when actual is above plan.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Annual Budget Spreadsheet:

For a walkthrough of how to plan a yearly budget step by step, see our annual budget spreadsheet guide.

2. Monthly zero-based budget

A zero-based budget gives every unit of income a job before the month starts, so income minus planned spending (including savings) equals zero. It is the simplest way to stop money disappearing into “miscellaneous”.

Who it’s for: People paid monthly who want a short, focused sheet for the month ahead rather than a full-year plan.

Key features to look for:

• Income at the top, planned categories below
• A live “left to assign” number that should reach zero
• Planned vs spent per category
• Space to roll last month’s leftovers forward

Build it yourself: Put income in B2 and planned amounts in B5:B30. “Left to assign” is =B2-SUM(B5:B30). Add a rule that turns it green when it equals 0 and red when it is negative. For “spent so far” use =SUMIFS(Tx!C:C, Tx!B:B, A5) beside each category.

3. Expense tracker

An expense tracker is a single running log of what you spend, with a summary that groups it by category and month. It is the foundation every other money template builds on, and the most common thing people search for when they look for a budget sheet.

Who it’s for: Anyone starting out with budgeting, or anyone who wants to know where the money went before deciding where it should go.

Key features to look for:

• Date, description, category, account and amount columns
• Category dropdown from a settings list
• Month column filled in from the date
• A pivot table or chart by category

Build it yourself: Create a Settings tab with your categories, then select the Category column and add data validation (Data > Data validation) pointing at that list. Add a Month helper column with =TEXT(A2,"yyyy-mm"). Then insert a pivot table with Month in columns, Category in rows and SUM of Amount as values. In Google Sheets you can skip the pivot and write =QUERY(A:E, "select C, sum(E) where A is not null group by C order by sum(E) desc", 1).

4. Bills calendar and subscription tracker

This template lists every recurring bill and subscription with its due date, amount and status, and warns you before something renews or goes overdue.

Who it’s for: Anyone with more than a handful of direct debits and subscriptions, or anyone who has paid a late fee because a bill slipped through.

Key features to look for:

• Due date and frequency for each bill
• Status: paid, due soon, overdue or on autopay
• Next renewal date worked out from the start date
• Yearly cost of each subscription, so you can see what to cancel

Build it yourself: For a monthly subscription that started on the date in B2, the next renewal is =EDATE(B2, DATEDIF(B2, TODAY(), "m")+1). A status column can read =IF(E2="Paid","Paid",IF(C2<TODAY(),"Overdue",IF(C2-TODAY()<=7,"Due soon","Upcoming"))). Colour each status with conditional formatting. Our Annual Budget Spreadsheet includes both a bills calendar and a subscription tracker with renewal alerts.

5. Debt snowball and avalanche calculator

A debt payoff calculator lists your debts and shows how long it takes to clear them with a fixed monthly amount. The snowball method pays the smallest balance first for quick wins; the avalanche method pays the highest interest rate first to pay less interest overall. When one debt is cleared, its payment rolls into the next.

Who it’s for: Anyone paying off several cards or loans who wants a debt-free date and a clear answer to “what do I pay on each debt this month?”.

Key features to look for:

• Balance, APR and minimum payment per debt
• Snowball and avalanche plans side by side
• Roll-over of cleared payments into the next debt
• Total interest and debt-free date for each plan
• A warning when a minimum payment does not cover the interest

Build it yourself: For a single debt, months to pay off is =NPER(B2/12, -C2, A2) where A2 is the balance, B2 the APR and C2 the monthly payment. For several debts with roll-over you need a month-by-month schedule: one row per month, one column per debt, each cell paying the minimum plus any freed-up money from debts already at zero. It is a satisfying weekend project, and a fiddly one.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Debt Snowball & Avalanche Calculator:

Not sure which method suits you? Our debt snowball vs avalanche guide explains the trade-off with an illustrative example.

6. Savings goals tracker

A savings goals tracker lists each goal (emergency fund, holiday, new laptop) with a target, a deadline and what you have saved, then tells you how much to put aside each month to get there on time.

Who it’s for: Savers with more than one goal who want a monthly number instead of a vague intention.

Key features to look for:

• Target, saved so far and deadline per goal
• Monthly amount needed to hit the deadline
• Progress bar per goal
• Emergency fund measured in months of spending

Build it yourself: Monthly amount needed: =MAX(0,(B2-C2)/MAX(1,DATEDIF(TODAY(),D2,"m"))). In Google Sheets, a quick progress bar is =SPARKLINE(C2/B2,{"charttype","bar";"max",1}); in Excel, use Conditional Formatting > Data Bars on a % column.

7. Net worth tracker

A net worth tracker records what you own and what you owe once a month and charts the difference over time. It is the slowest-moving number in personal finance, and the most encouraging one to watch.

Who it’s for: Anyone paying down debt or building savings who wants to see long-term progress rather than month-to-month noise.

Key features to look for:

• Assets and debts listed by account
• One column per month (a snapshot, not a transaction log)
• Net worth row and a line chart
• Optional split between cash, investments and property

Build it yourself: List accounts down column A with a Type column (Asset or Debt). Each month’s net worth is =SUMIFS(C:C, B:B, "Asset") - SUMIFS(C:C, B:B, "Debt") with the month’s column in place of C. Select the net worth row and insert a line chart. Update it on the same day each month.

8. Retirement planner

A retirement planner projects your savings forward to retirement age using your own assumptions for contributions, returns and inflation, then estimates how long the money lasts once you start drawing on it.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to test “am I saving enough?” with their own numbers, for one or two people.

Key features to look for:

• Current savings, monthly saving and employer match
• Return, inflation and withdrawal assumptions you can change
• Year-by-year projection in today’s money
• Several scenarios side by side
• Other income sources such as pensions

Build it yourself: The core formula is future value: =FV(B2/12, B3*12, -B4, -B5) where B2 is the yearly return, B3 years to retirement, B4 the monthly saving and B5 savings today. Divide by (1+inflation)^years to see it in today’s money. A projection table with one row per year makes the assumptions visible.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Retirement Planner:

Prefer to budget in Notion rather than a spreadsheet? Our Notion budget template guide compares the options.

Small business finance templates

For a small business, spreadsheets are often the right tool for the first few years: flexible, cheap and easy to hand to an accountant. These templates cover the questions owners ask most: am I profitable, will I have enough cash, and where does the money go?

The templates below are organising and planning tools. They are not tax, accounting or legal advice; check rates and rules for your country with a qualified professional.

9. Small business budget and profit tracker

A combined budget and profit tracker is the all-rounder for a business that is just getting organised: log sales and expenses, set a monthly budget, and see profit, cash flow and unpaid invoices without needing three separate files.

Who it’s for: Sole traders and small businesses that want their first proper money spreadsheet.

Key features to look for:

• Income and expense categories you can rename
• Budget vs actual with overspend flags
• Monthly profit and margin
• Simple cash flow and invoice status
• A dashboard with a few key numbers

Build it yourself: Start with a Transactions tab (Date, Type, Category, Amount) and a Settings tab for categories. Monthly profit is =SUMIFS(D:D, B:B, "Income", E:E, G$1) - SUMIFS(D:D, B:B, "Expense", E:E, G$1) where column E holds the month. Keep tax set-aside as a separate line: profit multiplied by a rate you choose in Settings.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Small Business Budget & Profit Tracker:

We compared budget spreadsheets for business owners in more depth in the best budget spreadsheet for small business.

10. Profit and loss statement

A profit and loss (P&L) statement, also called an income statement, shows revenue, costs and profit for a period. A good P&L template builds monthly, quarterly and annual views from one transactions list, and shows gross and net margin.

Who it’s for: Owners who want to know which months and which costs drive profit, and anyone preparing figures for a lender or accountant.

Key features to look for:

• Categories grouped into revenue, cost of sales and operating costs
• Monthly P&L across 12 columns
• Quarterly and annual statements with % of revenue on each line
• Budget vs actual
• Expenses ranked largest first

Build it yourself: Give each category a Group (Revenue, COGS, Opex) on a Settings tab and pull it into the transactions with =XLOOKUP(C2, Settings!A:A, Settings!B:B, ""). Gross profit for a month is revenue minus COGS, and net profit is gross profit minus Opex, each built with SUMIFS on Group and Month. Divide by revenue for the margins.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Profit and Loss Statement:

11. Cash flow forecast (13-week and 12-month)

A cash flow forecast looks forward, not back. It starts with the cash you have today, adds expected money in, subtracts expected money out, and shows the closing balance for each week or month. The 13-week view is the one that catches a tight spot early.

Who it’s for: Any business with uneven income, slow-paying clients, seasonal sales or a big upcoming cost.

Key features to look for:

• Opening cash and a minimum buffer you choose
• Receivables and payables placed in the week they fall due
• Best, base and worst-case scenarios
• Runway in months
• Forecast vs actual so the forecast gets better over time

Build it yourself: Weeks across row 1 (each a Monday date). Money in for a week is =SUMIFS(Recv!$C:$C, Recv!$B:$B, ">="&B$1, Recv!$B:$B, "<"&B$1+7), and money out works the same from a payables list. Closing cash is opening + in − out, and the next week’s opening equals this week’s closing. Flag low weeks with =IF(B10<$B$2,"Below buffer","OK").

Watch the setup and tour video for the Cash Flow Forecast:

12. Bookkeeping ledger (income and expenses)

A simple bookkeeping ledger is a dated list of every sale and expense with a category, a payment method and a reference to the receipt. It is what most accountants ask for if you do not use accounting software.

Who it’s for: Very small businesses, side hustles and anyone who needs tidy records more than reports.

Key features to look for:

• One row per transaction with a receipt reference
• Categories that match the ones your accountant uses
• Running balance per account
• A yearly summary by category

Build it yourself: A running balance for each account, in a ledger sorted by date, is =SUMIFS($E$2:E2, $C$2:C2, C2) (the range grows as you copy it down, so each row sums everything above it for the same account). Freeze the header row and turn the range into a table (Excel: Ctrl+T) so new rows pick up the formulas.

13. Sales tracker

A sales tracker logs each sale with date, customer, product, quantity and value, then summarises by product, customer and month. It answers “what sells, to whom, and when?”.

Who it’s for: Product businesses, B2B sellers and anyone who needs a simple sales report without a CRM.

Key features to look for:

• Product and customer dropdowns
• Revenue and units by month
• Top products and top customers
• Optional target vs actual per month or per salesperson

Build it yourself: In Google Sheets, a ranked product report is one formula: =QUERY(Sales!A:F, "select C, sum(F) where A >= date '2027-01-01' group by C order by sum(F) desc label sum(F) 'Revenue'", 1). In Excel, insert a PivotTable with Product in rows and Sum of Value, then sort descending. Add a column chart for the top ten.

14. Break-even calculator

A break-even calculator tells you how many units (or how much revenue) you need to cover your fixed costs at a given price. It is the quickest sanity check before you set a price or take on a new cost.

Who it’s for: New businesses, product launches and anyone deciding whether a price change makes sense.

Key features to look for:

• Fixed costs per month
• Price and variable cost per unit
• Break-even units and revenue
• A small table showing profit at different volumes

Build it yourself: Break-even units: =B1/(B2-B3) where B1 is fixed costs, B2 price and B3 variable cost per unit. Break-even revenue is units multiplied by price. Add a column of volumes (50, 100, 150…) with profit = volume × (price − variable cost) − fixed costs, and chart it to see where the line crosses zero.

15. Small business finance bundle

If you need more than one of the finance templates above, a bundle gives you a matched set that shares the same layout and colour key, so you learn the pattern once.

Who it’s for: Owners who want the full picture: planning, history, invoicing and, if they sell on Etsy, every fee per order.

Key features to look for:

• Forecast and history in separate, focused files
• The same Start Here and colour key in each workbook
• Sample data in every file
• Any currency

Build it yourself: Building five linked workbooks from scratch is a big job. If you do, keep the category list identical across files so totals compare cleanly.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Small Business Finance Bundle:

Read the full walkthrough in our small business finance spreadsheet guide.

Invoice and getting-paid templates

Sending an invoice is easy. Getting paid on time is the hard part. These two templates work best together: one to create the invoice, one to track it.

16. Invoice template

An invoice template lays out your business details, the client, line items, tax and total in a printable format, with an invoice number and due date.

Who it’s for: Freelancers, consultants and small service businesses that invoice a few clients a month.

Key features to look for:

• Your logo and business details set once
• Line items with quantity × rate
• Automatic invoice number and due date
• Optional tax line at a rate you set
• Prints cleanly to PDF

Build it yourself: Line total: =C12*D12. Subtotal: =SUM(E12:E25). Due date: =B5+30 for 30-day terms. A simple running invoice number is ="INV-"&TEXT(B3,"0000") with B3 increasing by one each time. Set the print area (Excel: Page Layout > Print Area; Sheets: File > Print > Selected cells) so the PDF has no gridlines. The Freelancer Finance Kit includes a printable invoice template linked to its invoice tracker.

17. Invoice and receivables tracker

A receivables tracker lists every invoice you have sent with amount, due date and status, and works out how many days late each unpaid one is.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever had to scroll through sent emails to work out who still owes them money.

Key features to look for:

• Status worked out from dates: paid, due, overdue
• Days overdue per invoice
• Total owed and total overdue
• Owed by client

Build it yourself: Days late: =IF(F2<>"","",MAX(0,TODAY()-D2)) where F2 is the paid date and D2 the due date. Status: =IF(F2<>"","Paid",IF(TODAY()>D2,"Overdue","Due")). Total overdue: =SUMIFS(C:C, G:G, "Overdue"). Sort by days late each Monday and chase from the top.

Inventory and online seller templates

Inventory is the second most common spreadsheet search after budgets. A spreadsheet works well until you have many locations or need live sync with a shop, at which point dedicated inventory software starts to make sense.

18. Inventory tracker with reorder points

An inventory tracker records stock in and stock out for each item and shows what is on hand right now, with a flag when an item falls to its reorder point.

Who it’s for: Small shops, makers, online sellers and anyone keeping supplies for a business.

Key features to look for:

• Product list with SKU, cost and reorder point
• A movements log (in, out, adjustment) rather than overwriting quantities
• Stock on hand worked out from the log
• Reorder flag and stock value

Build it yourself: Keep two tabs: Products (SKU, name, cost, reorder point, opening stock) and Movements (date, SKU, type, quantity). On hand is =E2 + SUMIFS(Mov!D:D, Mov!B:B, A2, Mov!C:C, "In") - SUMIFS(Mov!D:D, Mov!B:B, A2, Mov!C:C, "Out"). Flag with =IF(F2<=D2,"Reorder","") and colour it red. Stock value is on hand × cost.

19. Etsy seller profit spreadsheet

An Etsy profit spreadsheet itemises every fee on each order (listing, transaction, payment processing, Offsite Ads where they apply) and subtracts your material, packaging and labour costs to show real profit per order and per product.

Who it’s for: Etsy sellers who know their revenue but are not sure what they keep after fees and costs.

Key features to look for:

• Fee rates you can edit when the platform changes them
• Full cost per product including labour time
• Break-even price and a price that hits your target margin
• Profit per order and per product, ranked
• Monthly P&L for the shop

Build it yourself: Price that hits a target margin, before percentage fees: =Cost/(1-Margin). To include a percentage fee and a fixed fee, use =(Cost+FixedFee)/(1-Margin-FeePct). Always keep the fee rates on a Settings tab so you change them in one place.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Etsy Seller Profit Spreadsheet:

20. Product pricing calculator

A pricing calculator works out a selling price from your costs and target margin, and shows the difference between markup and margin, which trips up a lot of sellers.

Who it’s for: Makers, resellers and service businesses setting or reviewing prices.

Key features to look for:

• Materials, packaging, labour and overhead per unit
• Target margin and the price that achieves it
• Markup vs margin shown side by side
• Wholesale and retail price columns

Build it yourself: Margin is =(Price-Cost)/Price; markup is =(Price-Cost)/Cost. A 50% markup is only a 33% margin. Labour cost per unit is =Minutes/60*HourlyRate. Round prices with =CEILING(B8,1)-0.01 if you like prices ending in .99.

21. Purchase order log

A purchase order log records what you ordered from each supplier, when it is expected and whether it has arrived, so stock and cash both stay predictable.

Who it’s for: Businesses that buy stock or materials regularly from several suppliers.

Key features to look for:

• PO number, supplier, items, quantity and unit cost
• Expected and received dates
• Open orders and money committed
• Supplier price lookup from a product list

Build it yourself: Pull the unit cost from a product list with =XLOOKUP(C2, Products!A:A, Products!C:C, "Not found"). Open POs: =COUNTIFS(G:G, "", A:A, "<>") (G is the received date). Highlight rows where the expected date has passed and nothing has been received.

Project management templates

Spreadsheets are underrated for project management. Everyone can open them, there is no per-seat price, and a well-built one gives you a Kanban board, a Gantt chart and a workload view from a single task list. These seven cover most project styles.

22. Team project manager (Kanban, Gantt and workload)

A team project manager keeps every project and task in a single list and builds the views from it: a Kanban board by status, a Gantt timeline, a calendar of deadlines and a workload view that shows who is overloaded.

Who it’s for: Small teams and managers who want structure without a subscription tool, or who need to share a plan with people outside the company.

Key features to look for:

• One task list with owner, dates, status and priority
• Kanban and Gantt views that update from the list
• Recurring tasks
• Hours vs capacity per person per week
• A risks and issues log and meeting notes

Build it yourself: In Excel 365 or Google Sheets, a Kanban column is =FILTER(Tasks!A:A, Tasks!D:D="In progress"). Workload for a person in a week is =SUMIFS(Tasks!F:F, Tasks!C:C, $A2, Tasks!E:E, ">="&B$1, Tasks!E:E, "<"&B$1+7), and a conditional formatting rule turns it red when it is above that person’s capacity.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Team Project Manager:

23. Gantt chart with dependencies

A Gantt chart template draws a bar for each task across a timeline. The better ones handle dependencies (a task that waits for another), skip weekends and holidays, and shade the part of each bar that is done.

Who it’s for: Anyone planning a project where order matters: launches, renovations, research, events, software releases.

Key features to look for:

• Start date, duration and “depends on” per task
• Working days only, with your own holidays
• Daily and weekly views
• A today line and a behind-plan flag
• Milestones listed by date

Build it yourself: Finish date in working days: =WORKDAY(B2, C2-1, Holidays). A dependent task starts the next working day after its predecessor: =WORKDAY(XLOOKUP(D3, A:A, F:F), 1, Holidays). For the bars, put dates across row 1 and use a conditional formatting rule =AND(H$1>=$E2, H$1<=$F2) with a fill colour.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Gantt Chart Project Timeline:

24. Agile sprint tracker

A sprint tracker holds a product backlog of stories with points, assigns them to sprints, and builds a sprint board, a burndown chart and a velocity history.

Who it’s for: Scrum and agile teams who want the basics without a paid tool, and small teams trying agile for the first time.

Key features to look for:

• Backlog with points, priority, epic and status
• Sprints with dates, goals and committed vs done
• A board for the current sprint
• Burndown of ideal vs actual points left
• Velocity and a retro log

Build it yourself: Points remaining on a given day: =SUMIFS(Backlog!D:D, Backlog!F:F, Sprint) - SUMIFS(Backlog!D:D, Backlog!F:F, Sprint, Backlog!H:H, "<="&A2) where H is the done date. The ideal line falls evenly from committed points to zero across the sprint’s working days. Chart both as lines.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Agile Sprint Tracker:

25. Simple to-do list and task tracker

Sometimes you need a list, not a project plan. A simple task tracker has a checkbox, a due date and a priority, and moves finished items out of the way.

Who it’s for: Individuals, students and anyone who finds full project templates too heavy.

Key features to look for:

• Checkbox to mark done
• Due date with overdue highlighting
• Priority dropdown
• A filter view that hides done items

Build it yourself: Insert checkboxes in column A (Google Sheets: Insert > Checkbox; recent Microsoft 365 versions also have Insert > Checkbox). Add a conditional formatting custom formula =$A2=TRUE with strikethrough and grey text, and a second rule =AND($A2=FALSE, $C2<TODAY()) in red for overdue items. A filter on column A then hides everything done.

26. Kanban board

A spreadsheet Kanban board shows tasks as cards in columns such as To do, Doing and Done. Built from a task list, it updates when you change a status.

Who it’s for: Visual thinkers, content teams and anyone managing work in stages.

Key features to look for:

• Status dropdown on the task list
• Columns that fill themselves from that list
• A work-in-progress limit warning
• Optional colour by owner or priority

Build it yourself: One FILTER per column: =FILTER(Tasks!B:B, Tasks!D:D=B$1) with the status name in B1. Count work in progress with =COUNTIF(Tasks!D:D, "Doing") and colour the header red when it is above your limit. In older Excel versions without FILTER, use a helper column that numbers matching rows and INDEX/MATCH to pull them out.

27. Agency client project tracker

An agency tracker adds the client side to project management: retainers and rates, billable time, fee vs hours spent, and deliverables waiting on client approval.

Who it’s for: Agencies, studios and consultants running several client projects at once.

Key features to look for:

• Clients with retainers and hourly rates
• Time log with billable value
• Budget vs hours with a health status
• Approvals with rounds and days waiting on the client

Build it yourself: Budget health per project: =IF(H2/G2>1,"Over budget",IF(H2/G2>0.8,"Watch","Healthy")) where H is billable value of time logged and G the fee. Days waiting for approval: =IF(E2="Approved","",TODAY()-D2).

Watch the setup and tour video for the Agency Client Project Tracker:

28. Construction project tracker

A construction tracker combines a job schedule with the money and paperwork that make construction different: cost against budget, change orders, a punch list and inspections and permits.

Who it’s for: Contractors, builders, remodelers and trades running several jobs at once.

Key features to look for:

• Schedule and crew workload per job
• Cost log and job budget vs actual
• Change orders that update the budget
• Punch list by area and trade
• Inspection and permit dates with alerts

Build it yourself: Permit alert: =IF(AND(D2-TODAY()>=0, D2-TODAY()<=30),"Expires soon",""). Revised contract: =B2 + SUMIFS(CO!D:D, CO!B:B, A2, CO!E:E, "Approved"). Projected margin is revised contract minus actual and committed costs.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Construction Project Tracker:

Landlord and rental property templates

Small landlords are some of the heaviest spreadsheet users: rent, deposits, repairs and returns all need tracking, and property software is often priced for large portfolios.

These are organising tools for your own records, not legal, tax or financial advice. Late-fee and deposit rules vary by location, so check the rules where your property is.

29. Landlord rental property manager

A rental property manager covers the whole portfolio: properties and units, a rent roll with lease dates, rent payments and arrears, expenses, maintenance, deposits and the returns on each property.

Who it’s for: Landlords with a handful of properties or units who want everything in a single workbook.

Key features to look for:

• Rent roll with lease-end warnings
• Rent status by month with late fees from your own rules
• Expenses and maintenance by property
• NOI, cap rate and cash-on-cash per property
• A security deposit register

Build it yourself: Lease-end flag: =IF(E2-TODAY()<=30,"30 days",IF(E2-TODAY()<=60,"60 days",IF(E2-TODAY()<=90,"90 days",""))). NOI is rental income minus operating costs (not mortgage). Cap rate is NOI ÷ property value; cash-on-cash is yearly cash flow after the mortgage ÷ cash you put in.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Landlord Rental Property Manager:

If you prefer Notion for property management, compare it with our Notion template for landlords.

30. Rent ledger and tenant ledger

A rent ledger records every charge and payment per tenant with a running balance, like a bank statement for each tenancy. It is the document you want when a tenant asks “what do I owe?” or a dispute comes up.

Who it’s for: Landlords and property managers who need clean per-tenant records, statements and receipts.

Key features to look for:

• Charges, payments, credits and deposits on separate rows
• Running balance per tenant
• A 12-month rent grid showing paid, short and late
• Printable tenant statements and rent receipts

Build it yourself: Running balance per tenant, with the ledger sorted by date: =SUMIFS($D$2:D2, $B$2:B2, B2) - SUMIFS($E$2:E2, $B$2:B2, B2) where D is charges and E is payments. For a statement, use FILTER on the tenant name to pull their rows onto a print-ready tab.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Rent Ledger + Tenant Ledger:

31. Maintenance request log

A maintenance log records each repair request with the property, issue, vendor, cost and dates, so nothing is forgotten and you can see what each property costs to keep up.

Who it’s for: Landlords, property managers and facilities teams.

Key features to look for:

• Date reported, date closed and days open
• Priority with urgent flags
• Vendor and cost
• Cost per property per year

Build it yourself: Days open: =IF(F2="", TODAY()-B2, F2-B2). Colour urgent rows still open after 2 days with =AND($D2="Urgent", $F2="", TODAY()-$B2>2). Yearly cost per property is a SUMIFS on property and year.

32. Rental property analysis calculator

A rental analysis calculator tests a property before you buy: expected rent, vacancy, operating costs and financing, giving NOI, cap rate, monthly cash flow and cash-on-cash return.

Who it’s for: Prospective landlords and investors comparing several properties.

Key features to look for:

• Purchase price, deposit and loan terms
• Rent, vacancy allowance and operating costs
• Monthly mortgage payment
• NOI, cap rate, cash flow and cash-on-cash
• Side-by-side columns for several properties

Build it yourself: Monthly mortgage payment: =PMT(Rate/12, Years*12, -Loan). Effective rent: =Rent*12*(1-Vacancy). Cash-on-cash: =(NOI-Mortgage*12)/CashInvested. Put each property in its own column so the same formulas compare them. These are estimates from your own assumptions, not investment advice.

Freelancer and consultant templates

Freelancers juggle two jobs: the work and the business. These templates handle the business side so the work gets more of your attention.

Any tax figures below are planning estimates, not tax advice.

33. Freelancer finance kit (invoices, time, tax and rates)

A freelancer finance workbook brings clients, hours, invoices, income and expenses, tax set-aside and a rate calculator together, with the tabs linked so you enter things once.

Who it’s for: Freelancers and solo consultants who invoice clients and set aside their own tax.

Key features to look for:

• Clients with rate, billing type and terms
• Time log with billable amounts
• Invoices with due date, status and days late
• Monthly tax set-aside and quarterly reminders
• A rate calculator for hourly, day and project prices

Build it yourself: Minimum hourly rate: =(IncomeTarget+Expenses)/(BillableHoursPerWeek*WorkingWeeks). Tax set-aside each month: =MAX(0, Profit*TaxRate). Keep the rate on a Start Here tab so every formula uses the same number.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Freelancer Finance Kit:

34. Freelancer project tracker (real hourly rate)

A freelancer project tracker logs clients, projects, hours and invoices, and works out your real hourly rate on each project: the fee divided by the hours you actually spent.

Who it’s for: Freelancers who quote fixed fees and want to know which clients and project types are worth it.

Key features to look for:

• Fixed, hourly and retainer projects together
• Time log with start and end times
• Real hourly rate per project
• Money owed and income vs goal
• Flags for late, under-priced or uninvoiced projects

Build it yourself: Real hourly rate for a fixed-fee project: =IFERROR(C2/SUMIFS(Time!E:E, Time!B:B, A2), ""). Flag under-priced work with =IF(D2<Settings!$B$3,"Under-priced","") against your target rate.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Freelancer Project Tracker:

35. Timesheet

A timesheet records start and end times per day or per task and totals hours by week, client or project. Simple, and essential if you bill by the hour.

Who it’s for: Hourly freelancers, contractors and small teams that report hours.

Key features to look for:

• Date, client or project, start and end time
• Breaks subtracted
• Weekly totals
• Billable vs non-billable

Build it yourself: Hours worked: =(C2-B2)*24 - D2 with D2 as break hours. For shifts that pass midnight use =MOD(C2-B2,1)*24. Weekly total: =SUMIFS(E:E, A:A, ">="&H1, A:A, "<"&H1+7). Format the time columns as time and the hours column as a number.

Content creator and marketing templates

A content plan in a spreadsheet is easy to share, easy to sort, and easy to report on. These four cover planning posts, running campaigns, launching products and tracking brand deals.

36. Content calendar

A content calendar lists every planned post with date, platform, format, content pillar and status, then shows a monthly view and how each platform performs.

Who it’s for: Content creators, social media managers, small businesses and anyone posting on more than one platform.

Key features to look for:

• Dropdowns for platform, pillar, format and status
• A month view by day
• Engagement worked out from views, likes, comments, shares and saves
• A posting streak and best day to post
• An idea bank and hashtag sets

Build it yourself: Posts per platform this month: =COUNTIFS(Cal!C:C, A2, Cal!B:B, ">="&EOMONTH(TODAY(),-1)+1, Cal!B:B, "<="&EOMONTH(TODAY(),0)). Engagement rate: =IFERROR(SUM(F2:I2)/E2, "") with views in E. Colour rows by status so drafts and scheduled posts stand out.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Content Planner 2027:

37. Marketing campaign planner

A campaign planner tracks each campaign’s tasks, content, spend and results, then calculates cost per lead, conversion rate and ROI so you know which campaigns paid off.

Who it’s for: Small marketing teams, founders who do their own marketing, and agencies reporting to clients.

Key features to look for:

• Campaigns with goals, dates and budget
• Content calendar of posts, emails and ads
• Spend log by campaign and channel
• CTR, cost per lead, conversion rate and ROI

Build it yourself: Cost per lead: =IFERROR(Spend/Leads, ""). ROI: =IFERROR((Revenue-Spend)/Spend, ""). Total spend per campaign is a SUMIFS on the spend log. A combo chart with spend as columns and revenue as a line makes the comparison obvious.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Marketing Campaign Planner:

38. Product launch planner

A launch planner works backwards from launch day: a dated task timeline, the assets you need, a launch content calendar, a budget, and launch-week numbers against your goal.

Who it’s for: Creators, course makers, digital product sellers and small brands launching something new.

Key features to look for:

• Every task dated from the launch date
• Asset tracker to “ready”
• Launch content calendar
• Daily visitors, sign-ups and sales vs goal
• A review of results vs goals

Build it yourself: Date each task as an offset from launch: =Setup!$B$2 + C2 with negative numbers for tasks before launch. Move the launch date and the plan moves with it. Days to launch: =Setup!$B$2-TODAY().

Watch the setup and tour video for the Product Launch Planner:

39. Brand deal and sponsorship tracker

A brand deal tracker lists each collaboration with the brand, deliverables, fee, due dates and payment status, so you never miss a deliverable or an unpaid invoice.

Who it’s for: Creators and influencers working with brands, and managers handling several creators.

Key features to look for:

• Brand, contact and deliverables
• Content due date and post date
• Fee and payment status
• Income by month and by brand

Build it yourself: Paid this year: =SUMIFS(F:F, H:H, "Paid", G:G, ">="&DATE(YEAR(TODAY()),1,1)). Flag overdue deliverables with =AND($E2<TODAY(), $I2<>"Posted") in conditional formatting. The Content Planner 2027 above includes a collabs and brand income tracker if you want it alongside your calendar.

Wedding and event templates

Events have a fixed date, lots of moving parts and a budget that likes to grow. Spreadsheets handle them well because guest lists, vendors and costs are all naturally tables.

40. Event planning tracker

An event planner holds the checklist, budget, vendors, guest list, seating and the run of show for the day itself, all working from the event date and budget you set once.

Who it’s for: Event planners, office managers, and anyone organising a conference, launch party, fundraiser, workshop, birthday or wedding.

Key features to look for:

• Checklist with due dates counted back from the event
• Budget: estimated vs actual vs paid
• Vendor deposits and final payment dates
• Guest list with RSVP, meal and table
• Seating capacity per table and a minute-by-minute run of show

Build it yourself: Due date counted back from the event: =Setup!$B$2 - C2 where C2 is “days before”. Seats used at a table: =SUMIFS(Guests!E:E, Guests!G:G, A2, Guests!C:C, "Yes") with party size in E and table in G; colour it red when it is above the table’s capacity.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Event Planning Tracker:

41. Wedding budget and guest list

If you only need the two things most people track first, a lighter wedding sheet with a budget and a guest list is enough. The budget shows what is left in each category; the guest list gives a live headcount for caterers.

Who it’s for: Anyone planning a wedding who wants a quick start before the detailed planning begins.

Key features to look for:

• Budget by category with estimated, quoted and paid
• Remaining budget and % used
• Guest list with invite group, RSVP, meal choice and dietary notes
• Live headcount and meal counts

Build it yourself: Remaining: =B2-SUM(D2:D40). Confirmed headcount: =SUMIFS(E:E, D:D, "Yes") with party size in E. Meal counts: =COUNTIFS(D:D, "Yes", F:F, "Vegetarian"). Share the guest list with view-only access if others need to see it.

Teacher and student templates

Teachers and students search for spreadsheet templates every autumn. These four are free to build and will save hours across a term.

42. Weighted gradebook

A gradebook records each student’s scores, applies the weight of each assignment type, and returns a final percentage and letter grade.

Who it’s for: Teachers, tutors and course instructors.

Key features to look for:

• Students down the side, assignments across the top
• A weight per assignment or category
• Final weighted percentage
• Letter grade from a scale you control
• Missing work highlighted

Build it yourself: Weighted percentage: =SUMPRODUCT(C2:H2, $C$1:$H$1)/SUM($C$1:$H$1) with weights in row 1. Letter grade: =XLOOKUP(I2, {0,60,70,80,90}, {"F","D","C","B","A"}, , -1) (match mode −1 finds the next lower boundary; adjust the scale to your school’s). Highlight blanks with a conditional formatting rule “cell is empty”.

43. Attendance tracker

An attendance tracker marks each student or member present, absent or late for each session and works out attendance rates.

Who it’s for: Teachers, coaches, club leaders and trainers.

Key features to look for:

• Dates across the top, names down the side
• P / A / L dropdown
• Attendance % per person
• Colour coding for absences

Build it yourself: Add data validation with the list P, A, L to the grid. Attendance rate: =COUNTIF(C2:Z2,"P")/COUNTA(C2:Z2). Colour A red and L amber with two conditional formatting rules on the whole grid.

44. Student assignment and study planner

A study planner lists every assignment and exam with course, due date and status, then shows what is due next so nothing sneaks up.

Who it’s for: High school, college and university students, and adult learners on courses.

Key features to look for:

• Course, task, type and due date
• Days left and an overdue flag
• A “next 10 due” list
• Hours planned vs studied per course

Build it yourself: Days left: =C2-TODAY(). Next ten due: =SORT(FILTER(A2:D200, (E2:E200<>"Done")*(C2:C200>=TODAY())), 3, TRUE) and wrap it in TAKE (Excel 365) or ARRAY_CONSTRAIN (Google Sheets) to show only the first ten rows.

45. College and grad school application tracker

An application tracker lists each school or programme with deadlines, required documents, fees, recommenders and decisions.

Who it’s for: Students applying to college, graduate school or scholarships.

Key features to look for:

• Deadline countdown
• Checklist of documents per application
• Recommender status
• Fees paid and decisions received

Build it yourself: Countdown: =D2-TODAY(). Documents complete: =COUNTIF(F2:K2, TRUE)/COLUMNS(F2:K2) using a checkbox per document. Sort by deadline and colour anything within 14 days.

Habit, fitness, travel and career templates

The last group is personal: building habits, training, going on a trip and finding a job. Small sheets, big difference.

46. Monthly habit tracker

A habit tracker is a grid of habits against the days of the month. Tick a box when you do it and the sheet shows your completion rate.

Who it’s for: Anyone building a routine: reading, walking, journaling, water, sleep.

Key features to look for:

• Habits down the side, days across the top
• Checkboxes
• Completion % per habit
• A colour that fills in as you go

Build it yourself: Completion rate: =COUNTIF(B2:AF2, TRUE)/DAY(EOMONTH(A$1,0)) with the month’s first date in A1. Make the day headers with =A$1+COLUMN()-2 and format them as “d”. Colour ticked cells green with =B2=TRUE.

47. Workout log

A workout log records exercise, sets, reps and weight per session, and charts your progress on each lift or activity.

Who it’s for: Gym-goers, runners and anyone following a training plan.

Key features to look for:

• Date, exercise, sets, reps and weight
• Estimated one-rep max
• Best per exercise
• A progress chart per exercise

Build it yourself: Estimated one-rep max (Epley formula): =D2*(1+C2/30) with weight in D and reps in C. Best so far: =MAXIFS(E:E, B:B, "Squat"). Use a filter or a QUERY by exercise to feed a line chart.

48. Meal planner and grocery list

A meal planner sets meals for the week and turns the ingredients into a combined shopping list.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to spend less time deciding what to eat and less money on unplanned shopping.

Key features to look for:

• A week grid of meals
• A recipe tab with ingredients and quantities
• Grocery list combined automatically
• Optional cost per meal

Build it yourself: Keep recipes on a tab (Recipe, Ingredient, Qty, Unit). In Google Sheets, combine the week’s ingredients with =QUERY(Recipes!A:D, "select B, sum(C), D where A matches '"&TEXTJOIN("|",TRUE,Plan!B2:H4)&"' group by B, D", 1). In Excel, a PivotTable on a filtered recipe list does the same job.

49. Travel planner

A travel planner keeps itinerary, bookings, budget, packing and a checklist together, and for group trips works out who owes whom.

Who it’s for: Anyone planning a trip with several bookings, more than one currency or several people sharing costs.

Key features to look for:

• Day-by-day itinerary
• Bookings with confirmation numbers and cancellation deadlines
• Budget vs booked vs spent
• Multi-currency expenses and a group cost splitter
• Packing list with progress

Build it yourself: Convert spending to your home currency with =C2*XLOOKUP(D2, Rates!A:A, Rates!B:B). Each traveller’s balance in a split is =SUMIFS(Exp!F:F, Exp!E:E, A2) - SUMIFS(Exp!F:F, Exp!G:G, "Shared")/Setup!$B$4 (paid minus their share). Positive means they are owed.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Travel Planner:

50. Job application tracker

A job application tracker treats a job search like a project: every application with status and next step, follow-up reminders, interviews, contacts and an offer comparison.

Who it’s for: Job seekers, career changers and graduates applying to many roles at once.

Key features to look for:

• Applications with status, source and follow-up date
• Interview countdowns and thank-you reminders
• Interview prep notes
• Recruiter and networking contacts
• Weighted comparison of offers

Build it yourself: Follow-up flag: =IF(AND(F2="Applied", TODAY()-E2>=Setup!$B$3), "Follow up", ""). Response rate: =COUNTIFS(F:F, "<>Applied", F:F, "<>")/COUNTA(F:F) (adjust for your header row). Weighted offer score is SUMPRODUCT of your scores and your weights.

Watch the setup and tour video for the Job Application Tracker:

Prefer a Notion workspace for your search? See our Notion job search tracker.

Comparison table: our Excel + Google Sheets templates

All of these are one-time purchases, work in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, use formulas only (no macros or add-ons) and include a setup guide.

See all spreadsheets in the shop →

How to choose the right template

A template is only useful if you open it next week. These questions help you pick one you will keep using.

1. What single question do you need answered? “Can I afford this?”, “Who owes me money?”, “Will we finish on time?” Pick the template built around that question, not the one with the most tabs.
2. How often will you update it? Daily logging suits a transaction or time log. If you will only open it monthly, choose a snapshot-style template such as a net worth tracker or a monthly budget.
3. Who else needs to see it? If you share with a partner, a team or an accountant, choose the app they use and check the template works there.
4. Free or paid? Free gallery templates are fine for simple lists and one-tab budgets. Pay for a template when the logic is the hard part: forecasts, schedules with dependencies, fee calculations, running balances.
5. Is there sample data and a guide? Sample data shows you how the sheet behaves before you add your own. A setup video is the fastest way past the first ten minutes, which is where most templates are abandoned.
6. Can you change it? Avoid locked sheets you cannot adjust. You will want to rename categories, add a column or change a rate.
7. Does it need macros? Macros (VBA) do not run in Google Sheets or in Excel on the web, and many workplaces block them. A formulas-only template is the safer choice if you might switch apps.

An illustrative example: imagine a freelance designer who has been tracking invoices in their email. They need answers to two questions: “who owes me?” and “how much should I set aside for tax?”. A receivables tracker answers the first; a freelancer finance workbook answers both. A full project management template would be overkill for them, however good it looks.

Google Sheets vs Excel: which should you use?

Both are excellent, and for most templates in this list either will do. The differences matter at the edges.

Choose Google Sheets if you share with other people often, work across several devices, or want something free and simple. Choose Excel if you work with large data, need Power Query or advanced PivotTables, work offline a lot, or your workplace already runs on Microsoft 365.

Opening an .xlsx template in Google Sheets: create a blank sheet, then File > Import > Upload, and choose “Replace spreadsheet”. Alternatively upload the file to Google Drive, open it and use File > Save as Google Sheets. Formulas carry over; macros do not, which is why formulas-only templates convert cleanly.

Opening a Google Sheets template in Excel: File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). Sheets-only functions such as QUERY or GOOGLEFINANCE will not work in Excel, so check for them before you switch.

How to set up a template so you keep using it

1. Make a copy first. Keep the original untouched so you can start again if you break something.
2. Do the settings tab before anything else. Currency, year, categories, team names, rates. Ten minutes here saves hours of fixing later.
3. Clear the sample data only after you understand it. Click a few calculated cells and read the formula. Then delete the sample rows, never the formulas.
4. Enter one real week of data. Check the dashboard reacts the way you expect before you load months of history.
5. Pick a routine. Ten minutes every Friday is better than an hour once a quarter. Put it in your calendar.
6. Protect formula ranges. In Google Sheets use Data > Protect sheets and ranges; in Excel use Review > Protect Sheet with input cells unlocked.
7. Back it up. Google Sheets keeps version history (File > Version history). In Excel, save to OneDrive for AutoSave and version history, or keep dated copies.

FAQ

What are the best free Google Sheets templates?

For simple jobs, the built-in gallery (File > New > From template gallery) has plain starters such as budgets, schedules, to-do lists and invoices. Every template in this guide also has a build it yourself tip, so you can make a free version of any of them with a few formulas.

Do Excel templates work in Google Sheets?

Most do. Import the .xlsx file (File > Import > Upload > Replace spreadsheet) and the formulas carry over. Templates that rely on VBA macros will not run in Google Sheets. All of our spreadsheets use formulas only, so they work in both.

Are paid spreadsheet templates worth it?

They are worth it when the logic is the hard part: cash flow forecasts, debt payoff with roll-over, Gantt charts with dependencies, fee calculations or running balances. For a simple list or a one-tab budget, a free template or your own build is usually enough.

What is the best spreadsheet template for a small business?

Start with the question you most need answered. For profit, a P&L statement; for cash, a 13-week cash flow forecast; for both plus a budget, a combined budget and profit tracker. Our small business spreadsheet guide goes deeper.

Can I use these templates on my phone?

Yes for quick updates, using the Google Sheets or Excel mobile apps. For setup and bigger edits a computer is much easier, especially for settings tabs and dashboards.

Is my data private in a downloaded template?

A downloaded template is just a file. Your data stays in your own copy, in your own Google Drive or on your own computer or OneDrive, and is not shared with the template seller.

Can a spreadsheet replace accounting software?

For many very small businesses and side hustles, a spreadsheet is enough to keep tidy records and understand profit and cash. As you grow, add staff or need payroll and bank feeds, accounting software becomes worth it. Spreadsheets are organising tools, not tax or legal advice, so check your obligations with a qualified professional.

How do I stop formulas breaking when I add rows?

Use whole-column references (A:A) or turn the data into a table (Excel: Ctrl+T) so formulas extend automatically. Insert new rows inside the data range, not below it, and protect the formula columns.

Final thoughts

The best spreadsheet template is the one that answers your question with the least typing. Start with a single job, set it up properly, and use it for a month before adding another. If you want a head start, every template we sell comes with a setup guide and a walkthrough video, and works in both Excel and Google Sheets.

Browse Excel + Google Sheets templates →

Microsoft Excel is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation and Google Sheets is a trademark of Google LLC. Create Digital Tools is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by either. Templates are organising and planning tools and are not financial, tax, legal or investment advice.