Free Accounting Templates for Excel & Google Sheets
Bookkeeping, invoicing, cash books, profit and loss statements, and receipt templates for small businesses, freelancers, and accountants in Excel and Google Sheets.
Every business needs three basic accounting records: who owes what (invoices), where money went in and out (cash book), and whether the business actually made money (profit and loss). This category gives you a working template for each — with live formulas so totals, balances, and net profit calculate as you enter data.
These templates are designed for small businesses, freelancers, consultants, and anyone who wants clean books without paying for accounting software. Use them stand-alone, or as a pipeline: invoice a client → log the receipt in the cash book → summarise everything at month-end in the P&L.
Templates in this category
A free rent receipt template for Excel and Google Sheets — designed for House Rent Allowance (HRA) tax claims in India. Includes a printable single receipt and a 12-month rent log with auto totals. Every field the employer or income-tax officer expects: landlord PAN, revenue stamp note, mode of payment, and signature block.
A free profit and loss statement (income statement) template for Excel and Google Sheets. Enter your revenue and expenses and the gross profit and net profit calculate automatically.
A free fully automatic cash book template for Excel and Google Sheets. Record every cash receipt and payment — the running balance, totals, and closing balance update automatically with built-in formulas. Ideal for small businesses, shops, freelancers, clubs, and anyone tracking daily cash.
A free, professional invoice template for Excel and Google Sheets. Add your items and the line amounts, subtotal, tax, and total calculate automatically — ready to send in minutes.
What to look for in a accounting template
- Live formulas — running balance, subtotals, tax, and grand total update automatically
- Auditor-friendly columns: date, particulars, voucher/reference, amounts
- Sensible starting layout with sample rows you can edit
- Supports both cash-based and accrual bookkeeping approaches
- Print-ready formatting, save-as-PDF friendly, and clean when handed to an accountant
- Works in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, and Apple Numbers
Frequently asked questions
Which accounting template should a small business start with?+
Start with three: an Invoice Template (to bill customers), a Cash Book Template (to record daily receipts and payments with a running balance), and a Profit and Loss Statement (to summarise revenue vs expenses monthly). Together these cover 90% of what a small business needs before graduating to accounting software.
Do I need Tally or Zoho Books, or is Excel enough?+
Excel is enough for most businesses under ~200 transactions per month, especially in the first year. Move to accounting software when reconciliation becomes tedious, you need GST return automation, or multiple people edit the books. Until then, well-designed spreadsheet templates give you the same clarity with zero subscription cost.
Can I use these accounting templates for tax filing?+
Yes. Print the completed Profit and Loss Statement and Cash Book at year-end to hand to your CA — they contain exactly the columns needed for computing business income under the Income Tax Act. Individual Invoice and Rent Receipt records also serve as source documents.
Are these templates suitable for accountants and CAs handling client books?+
Yes. Many CAs use spreadsheet-based cash books and P&L formats for small clients who don't justify full software. These templates are clean, well-labelled, and produce printable, auditor-friendly output.