Free · Google Sheets · UK
Free UK budget template
A simple monthly budget for Google Sheets, built around UK bills. Add your take-home pay and costs, and it checks your spending against the 50/30/20 rule and shows what's left to give a job.
By Gavin van Rooyen CA(SA), Chartered Accountant
Get the template free
Confirm your email and it opens straight away.
What's in the free budget template
UK spending categories
Rent or mortgage, council tax, energy, water, broadband and TV licence, childcare, sinking funds for Christmas and holidays, ISAs and pension top-ups. Rename or add your own.
An automatic 50/30/20 check
Mark each line as a Need, Want or Saving and the template shows how your spending splits, and by how much you are over or under each target.
"Left to allocate"
Income minus everything you plan to spend and save. When it reaches £0, every pound has a job, the core idea of zero-based budgeting.
A 12-month tracker
Type in what you actually spent each month. Lines where you went over budget turn red, and you get a monthly average for each category.
How to make a budget with it
- 1
Get your copy
Enter your email, confirm it, and click "Make a copy" to save the template to your own Google Drive. Only you can see your numbers.
- 2
Add your income
Use take-home pay: what lands in your bank after tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan. Paid weekly? Multiply by 52 and divide by 12.
- 3
Fill in your costs
Use monthly amounts. Divide yearly bills by 12, so a £600 car insurance bill becomes £50 a month.
- 4
Give every pound a job
Move anything left over to savings, debt or a goal until "Left to allocate" shows £0. Then track the real numbers each month.
New to budgeting? Our complete guide to budgeting in the UK walks through each step, and the budgeting hub covers methods like zero-based budgeting and sinking funds.
Free template or the full UK Budget Planner?
Start with the free template. If you want the spreadsheet to do the maths and plan years ahead, the full planner is a one-off £14.99.
| Feature | Free template | UK Budget Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly budget with UK categories | ✓ | ✓ |
| 50/30/20 check | ✓ | ✓ |
| 12-month spending tracker | ✓ | ✓ |
| UK take-home pay calculator (tax, NI, student loans, pension, Scottish rates) | – | ✓ |
| Zero-based budget that balances to £0 automatically | – | ✓ |
| Tick-box monthly tracker for bills and savings | – | ✓ |
| 5-year savings and net worth forecast | – | ✓ |
| Plan pay rises, a new baby or a house move ahead | – | ✓ |
| ISA, Lifetime ISA and pension allowance tracker | – | ✓ |
| Guidance for 22 real-life situations | – | ✓ |
Budget template FAQs
Is the budget template really free?
Yes. The UK monthly budget template is free. Enter your email to get the link, then make your own copy in Google Sheets. There is no payment and no card needed, and you can unsubscribe from our emails at any time.
Does the budget template work in Excel?
It is built for Google Sheets, which is free with a Google account and works on a computer, phone or tablet. You can download your copy as an Excel file from Google Sheets (File, then Download), though the dropdowns and colours work best in Sheets.
What is the 50/30/20 budget rule?
The 50/30/20 rule splits take-home pay into roughly 50% for needs such as rent, bills and food, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings and extra debt payments. It is a starting point rather than a strict rule: in high-rent areas needs are often more than half.
Should I budget with my salary or take-home pay?
Use take-home pay, the amount that reaches your bank account after income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and student loan repayments. Budgeting from your gross salary overstates what you actually have to spend each month.
How do I budget for bills that are yearly or irregular?
Divide each yearly or irregular cost by 12 and add it as a monthly line, then move that amount into a separate savings pot each month. These sinking funds mean Christmas, car repairs and annual insurance no longer wreck your budget.
What is the difference between the free template and the UK Budget Planner?
The free template is a simple monthly budget and tracker. The paid UK Budget Planner adds a take-home pay calculator, a budget that balances itself to £0, a tick-box monthly tracker, a 5-year forecast and allowance tracking, for a one-off payment.
Get your free budget template
Takes ten minutes to fill in. Free, private, and yours to keep.
A budgeting tool for general information, not personal financial advice.