UK Household Budget & Bills Planner: Google Sheets & Excel

See where your money goes, month by month, without starting from a blank spreadsheet.

This UK household budget planner puts your income, bills, direct debits, subscriptions, everyday spending, savings and debts in one place, then pulls it all together on a dashboard with charts. Set it up once with your regular payments and they fill in across the year for you. After that, log what you actually spend and see how each month compares with the plan.

It's written for UK households: pounds, UK dates, council tax in 10 monthly instalments from April, the TV licence, MOT and vehicle tax, and a budget year that can start in any month, including April.

What's inside (13 tabs)

• Start Here: a quick set-up guide inside the spreadsheet
• Settings: start month and year, plus your own categories (up to 40)
• Dashboard: 10 colour-coded headline figures and 6 charts. Income, spending and saving by month · where the money went · top spending categories, actual and plan · total debt over 5 years · sinking funds and savings goals · what's left each month
• Month View: pick any month to see plan, actual and what's left for each category
• Budget: the 12-month plan against actual for every category
• Transactions: room for 1,500 entries, and you can paste from your bank's CSV download
• Income: up to 15 sources, paid weekly, fortnightly, every 4 weeks, monthly and more
• Bills and direct debits: up to 40, with contract end dates highlighted 45 days ahead
• Subscriptions: up to 30, with renewal dates and a Keep / Review / Cancel column that shows the yearly cost of the ones you're unsure about
• Sinking Funds: Christmas, car costs, birthdays and more, with a suggested amount to put aside each month
• Savings Goals: up to 8 goals with progress and a suggested monthly amount
• Debt Payoff: up to 8 debts. Compare snowball and avalanche, add an extra monthly payment, and see an estimated debt-free date and total interest
• Debt Schedule: the month-by-month workings behind the debt planner

What you'll download

• Budget-Planner_Start-Here_Google-Sheets-Link_LifeAdminDeskStudio.pdf (PDF guide, 4 pages, with the link to make your own Google Sheets copy)
• UK-Household-Budget-Bills-Planner_LifeAdminDeskStudio.xlsx (Excel .xlsx spreadsheet)

How it works

• Digital download: a PDF guide with a link to make your own copy in Google Sheets, plus the .xlsx file for Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc. Nothing physical is posted.
• Straight after you pay, you'll be taken to your download page, and you'll also get an email with your download link.
• Google Sheets needs a free Google account. Your copy is private to you; I can't see it.
• Pale yellow cells are for typing; everything else works itself out.
• The images show a filled-in example household with made-up figures. You get a blank planner.
• Works best on a computer or tablet. You can view and update it on a phone, but the set-up is easier on a bigger screen.
• Not tested in Apple Numbers. On a Mac, use Google Sheets or Excel.

Please note

This is a budgeting tool for your own records. It doesn't calculate tax, National Insurance or benefits, and it isn't financial or debt advice. The debt payoff dates are estimates that assume fixed rates and payments. If you're worried about money or debt, MoneyHelper (moneyhelper.org.uk) offers free, impartial guidance and can point you to free debt advice.

The figures in the images are made-up examples.

How this was made

I designed this spreadsheet and chose what goes in it. I used AI tools to help write some of the formulas and wording and to help build the file. Every sheet was checked, and the spreadsheet formulas were tested, before release. There are no AI-generated photos or illustrations; the images show the spreadsheet itself.

Digital download and cancellations

This is digital content, available to download straight after purchase. At checkout, you'll be asked to agree that the download can start immediately and to acknowledge that you then lose your 14-day right to cancel under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations. If the file is faulty or won't open, email lifeadmindesk@gmail.com and I'll put it right.

Personal use

For personal use by you and your household. Please don't resell, share or redistribute the file or the copy link.

From LifeAdminDeskStudio: practical, UK-specific organisers for the paperwork side of life.