Free budget vs actual template
What was planned against what was spent, by month and category, with the difference worked out.
Use this templateOpens as a card of your own. Free, no account needed.
What it looks like
| Month | Category | Budget | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | Marketing | $4,000.00 | $4,650.00 |
| 2026-06-01 | Payroll | $28,000.00 | $27,800.00 |
| 2026-06-01 | Software | $1,200.00 | $1,340.00 |
| 2026-06-01 | Travel | $1,500.00 | $900.00 |
| 2026-07-01 | Marketing | $4,000.00 | $3,720.00 |
| 2026-07-01 | Payroll | $28,000.00 | $28,400.00 |
| 2026-07-01 | Software | $1,200.00 | $1,410.00 |
| 2026-07-01 | Travel | $1,500.00 | $2,280.00 |
| 2026-08-01 | Marketing | $4,500.00 | $5,120.00 |
| 2026-08-01 | Payroll | $29,000.00 | $28,900.00 |
| 2026-08-01 | Software | $1,300.00 | $1,290.00 |
| 2026-08-01 | Travel | $1,500.00 | $1,650.00 |
Sample rows. Replace them with your own by pasting a table, dropping in a CSV or Excel file, linking a Google Sheet, or photographing the receipts.
What each column holds
- Month
- the month
- Category
- what the money was for
- Budget
- what was planned
- Actual
- what was spent
Questions to ask it
Type these into the card, in these words or your own. Each comes back as an answer, a chart, and the calculation behind it.
- “Actual minus budget by category”
- “Which categories went over budget?”
- “Total budget vs total actual by month”
Why a card and not a spreadsheet
A spreadsheet holds the rows. A card holds the rows, what you worked out from them, and what you concluded, in one place. Put a total into a sentence and it stays right when you add a row. Share it read-only, with the rows hidden if they are nobody else's business.
Start with this template
It opens as your own card with these rows in it. Change anything; nothing is shared until you share it.