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How to Make a Budget in Google Sheets

To make a budget in Google Sheets, list your income and expenses, total each with SUM, subtract to find your balance, and group spending by category with SUMIF. Here is how to build a simple, free budget from scratch.

By The GridDojo Team Published 2 min read

A budget is just income minus expenses — and Google Sheets is a perfect, free place to build one. It works on any device, updates its totals automatically, and you can shape it exactly how you want. This guide builds a simple monthly budget from a blank sheet, step by step, using only a few formulas.

Step 1: Set up the layout

Open a blank sheet and create two small tables. At the top, an Income table with two columns — Source and Amount. Below it, an Expenses table with three columns — Category, Description, and Amount. Give each a clear header row so it is easy to read and total later.

Step 2: Total your income and expenses

Under each Amount column, add a total with SUM. If your income amounts are in B2:B6, the total is:

=SUM(B2:B6)

Do the same for your expenses column. These totals update on their own as you add or change rows, so you never re-add anything by hand.

Step 3: Find your balance

Your balance is simply total income minus total expenses. If income totals in B7 and expenses total in E20, put this in a clearly labeled cell:

=B7-E20

A positive number means you came out ahead this month; a negative one means you overspent. This single cell is the heart of your budget.

Step 4: Group spending by category

To see where your money actually goes, total each category with SUMIF. If your categories are in D2:D20 and amounts in E2:E20, the total for "Food" is:

=SUMIF(D2:D20, "Food", E2:E20)

List each category in a small summary table and copy the formula down, changing the category name in each row. For a larger budget, a pivot table can build this category summary for you automatically.

Step 5: Make it easy to read

  • Use conditional formatting to turn the balance red when it goes below zero, so overspending jumps out.
  • Add a pie chart of your category totals to see your spending at a glance.
  • Flag any single expense over a limit with an IF function, such as =IF(E2>200, "Review", "").

Frequently asked questions

Does Google Sheets have a budget template?

Yes. In the Google Sheets home screen, open the Template gallery and look under Personal for budget templates like "Monthly budget" and "Annual budget". They are a quick starting point, but building your own gives you full control over the categories.

How do I total expenses by category in Google Sheets?

Use SUMIF, like =SUMIF(D2:D20, "Food", E2:E20), where column D holds the categories and column E holds the amounts. For many categories at once, a pivot table groups and totals them automatically.

Can I use my Google Sheets budget on my phone?

Yes. Install the Google Sheets app on iPhone or Android and your budget syncs automatically, so you can add expenses on the go and see your totals update everywhere.

Sources and references

  1. Google Docs Editors Help — Google Sheets