For Australian households
LedgerLine Budget
A clean, reliable budget spreadsheet for Australian households. Simple enough to start in three minutes, powerful enough to run your whole year. One file, one-off purchase, no subscription.
The difference
What makes it different
Built for the Australian financial year
One switch flips the entire workbook between Financial Year (Jul to Jun) and Calendar Year (Jan to Dec), and every month re-orders itself. Amounts are in AUD, and the categories suit Australian life: rent or mortgage, groceries, petrol, private health, childcare, HECS or HELP, and Buy-Now-Pay-Later.
Simple or powerful, your choice
Beginners can use the one-page Simple Budget tab on its own. When you want more, the Transactions tab feeds a full dashboard automatically. Same file, you pick your depth.
The 50/30/20 guide, explained on the sheet
It shows your real spending against the 50/30/20 split (Needs, Wants, Savings) and explains in plain English what that means. You can re-assign any category to a different bucket.
A dashboard that builds itself
Savings rate, money left, projected balance, spending by category, and income versus expenses by month. No setup, it just fills in as you enter your numbers.
Debt and savings, tracked
List your debts and savings goals and watch the progress bars move as balances fall and goals fill.
Nothing to trip you up
Plain .xlsx, no macros, no add-ons, no security warnings. Works in free Excel or free Google Sheets, on Windows, Mac, phones and tablets.
What you get
The 9 connected tabs
Welcome
The quick start, version and free update signup.
Setup
Your balance, budget basis and year type. These drive the whole workbook.
Simple Budget
A clean one-page budget. Use this on its own if you want nothing else.
Categories
Your master category list. Add, rename or delete anything.
Transactions
Log money in and out. The engine behind your numbers.
Monthly Budget
Planned versus actual for every category, every month. Over budget shows red, under shows green.
Dashboard
Auto charts: savings rate, 50/30/20, spending by category, income versus expenses by month.
Debt & Savings
Track loans and cards, plus savings goals with progress bars.
Help & FAQ
Quick answers, on the sheet itself.
How it works
Three simple steps
- 1
Make your own copy. In Google Sheets use File then Make a copy. In Excel just open it.
- 2
On the Setup tab, enter your starting balance and choose Financial Year or Calendar Year.
- 3
Use Simple Budget for the easy one pager, or Transactions to log everything and let the dashboard do the rest.
Technical requirements
- Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, or a free Google Sheets account.
- Works on Windows, Mac, phones and tablets.
- Plain .xlsx, so it opens quickly everywhere.
What this product is not
- Not financial advice. It is a budgeting tool; make decisions based on your own situation, or speak to a registered professional.
- Not a business bookkeeping system. For GST, BAS and invoices, see the Sole Trader or Multi-Entity workbooks.
Questions
Frequently asked
Will this work in Excel and Google Sheets?
Yes. It is a plain .xlsx that works in free Excel or free Google Sheets, on Windows, Mac, phones and tablets. To use Google Sheets, upload the file to your Drive and open it.
Is it hard to set up?
No. It ships with a realistic sample month so it looks right the moment you open it, and the example data is clearly marked and easy to clear. Setup is three yellow cells and takes about three minutes.
Can I change the categories?
Yes. Every category is editable, and the dropdowns never block a custom entry. Add, rename or delete anything, anytime.
Are there macros?
No. Everything is live formulas, so it calculates the moment you open it. No macro warnings and nothing to enable.
Is this for a business?
No. This is a household budget. If you run a business, look at the Sole Trader or Multi-Entity bookkeeping workbooks instead.
Your whole year, one honest budget
A one-off purchase of $12 inc GST. Instant download, with your free rate update every July.