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Tools / Managing freelance money

Working record · Downloadable XLSX workbook

Freelancer Money Tracker.

See what came in, what went out, and what you plan to set aside—all in one spreadsheet you own.

Get the Money Tracker — $3 ↗

One-time purchase · One XLSX workbook · Five connected tabs

Personal or one-organization use. Team and paid client work included; share completed work. Reusable product distribution requires separate permission. Read the product license

Follow two months of freelance money
Illustrative entries calculated using the workbook’s formulas. Your download starts blank.
What to bring
Payments received and costs paid, with dates and categories, a reporting year and your chosen reserve percentage. The workbook uses USD.
What you keep
One editable workbook with five connected tabs, 500 rows per cash log, monthly totals and a reserve planning rule based on positive monthly surplus.
Keeping & returning
Save your edited XLSX in Excel, or import it into Google Sheets using the included instructions. Keep a backup. It is a cash log, without bank connections or full bookkeeping.
Reading, related tools & help

Read the guide

Make business spending easier to act on.

Use the guide for the decisions around costs; this workbook records money that actually moved.

Choose related work

  • Business Spending Planner

    For the first order that needs materials, the costs you covered personally, and the recurring charges worth reviewing. Keep the money movements and next decisions clear.

  • Cash Timing Planner

    For the receipts and payments ahead. Map eight weeks, see where cash may run short, and compare a change in timing.

Find outside help

Find relevant people & guidance

Explore resources and help with business records and bookkeeping.

Start with the money that actually moved.

Record payments received in Income and costs paid in Expenses. Add a date, client or vendor, description, category, and amount. Each log has room for 500 entries.

Editable category lists keep entries consistent. Use a negative amount in the same log for a refund, and keep your source invoices and receipts separately.

See the year, one month at a time.

Choose a reporting year in Settings. The Dashboard shows recorded income, expenses, their difference, and a twelve-month breakdown for that year.

Entries from other years stay out of those totals. A used row needs a real date and numeric amount; the dashboard flags incomplete entries before showing totals.

Give the surplus a reserve rule.

Choose your own set-aside percentage. The workbook applies it to each positive monthly cash surplus and adds the results. A loss month contributes zero; it does not undo earlier reserves.

This is a planning rule, not an estimate of tax owed. The separate deductible total reflects expenses you marked Y; it does not determine whether those costs qualify. Confirm your rate and deductions with a qualified professional.

What you receive.

  • Start Here: opening instructions and the monthly routine.
  • Dashboard: selected-year totals and the monthly breakdown.
  • Settings: year, reserve rate, and editable category lists.
  • Income: 500 payment entries.
  • Expenses: 500 cost entries with a deductible flag.

One editable XLSX file. Open in Excel, or import into Google Sheets using the included instructions. No macros or subscription. The workbook uses USD and does not convert currencies.

Keep the routine straightforward.

Add your payments and costs, check the dashboard, and make any reserve transfer yourself. The file does not connect to your bank, reconcile an account, issue invoices, move money, or file taxes.

Keep a backup. For a fresh year, save a clean workbook copy and set the year. Each log includes rows 2–501; entries beyond that range are not counted.

Money Tracker / A worked illustration

Two months. One clear record.

Mira is a fictional freelance designer. Follow her entries through the same calculations used in the workbook.

01 / Payments received + costs paid

Start with four cash entries.

Mira logs a brand project and a smaller follow-up project in Income. She records her paid business costs in Expenses.

JAN 15Brand project payment+$2,400
JAN 20Tools and contractor costs−$600
FEB 10Small project payment+$400
FEB 15Equipment purchase−$700
Use the actual payment date. An invoice waiting to be paid is not received cash. Record costs as positive amounts in Expenses; they are subtracted on the Dashboard.

Illustration, not an embedded spreadsheet. The download contains the blank five-tab workbook and its instructions.

Keep your open draft?

Continuing will discard your unsaved changes. You can return to the draft and save or download it first.

Inside a real tool

The Cash Timing Planner

A screenshot from the working planner, using fictional figures. This example starts with $2,000, reaches a low of $300, and ends the eight weeks at $900.

Swipe across the preview to read the details.

Eight-week cash balance chart from October 1 to November 25, 2026. The lowest balance is $300; the expected end balance is $900. The dotted line marks the example's chosen $500 cash level.

The full tool lets you enter receipts and payments, try a change, and keep an editable copy.