How to use the accounting spreadsheet
- Fill in Settings. Add your business name, address, currency, default tax rate, payment terms and bank details. These appear on every printed invoice and quote.
- Add customers and products. Enter each customer once, and each product or service with its price and tax rate.
- Create a quote. Add a row on Quotes (number, date, customer), then its items on Quote Lines. Leave the price or description blank to use the product's defaults.
- Turn it into an invoice. When the customer accepts, add a row on Invoices, put the quote number in "From quote #" and add the items on Invoice Lines.
- Print or save as PDF. On Print Invoice, pick the invoice number in the yellow cell and print. Print Quote works the same way.
- Record payments and expenses. Every payment in or out goes on Transactions with an account from the Chart of Accounts. Add the invoice number to customer payments and the invoice updates to Part paid or Paid.
- Check your numbers. Summary shows profit and loss for the period you choose, a month-by-month table, overdue invoices and the value of open quotes.
The file comes with sample customers, invoices and payments so you can see how everything connects. Overwrite or delete the sample rows when you start.
Printable invoices and quotes
The Print Invoice sheet lays out a professional invoice on one A4 or Letter page: your business details, the customer's address, up to 15 line items with tax, the total, the amount already paid, the balance due and your bank details. Print Quote adds an expiry date and a signature line so your customer can accept in writing.
Need a one-off invoice without a spreadsheet? Use the free invoice generator or quotation generator, or browse invoice templates and quotation templates. For numbering, see the invoice number format guide.
A chart of accounts built in
Transactions are categorised against a simple small-business chart of accounts: income, cost of sales, expenses, and a few balance sheet accounts for owner drawings, loans and tax payments. Rename accounts or add your own, and keep the Type column so the Summary knows where each one belongs. For an industry-specific list, copy accounts from our chart of accounts templates, or read how a chart of accounts works.
Spreadsheet bookkeeping tips
- Record transactions weekly from your bank statement so nothing piles up.
- Use one invoice numbering pattern (such as INV-1001, INV-1002) and never reuse a number.
- Keep business and personal money in separate bank accounts.
- Save receipts for every expense; the expense report template shows what to keep.
- Back up the file, or keep it in Google Drive or OneDrive so you never lose a year of records.
New to bookkeeping? Start with the small business bookkeeping guide.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
A spreadsheet is a good start, but it can't pull in bank transactions, send payment reminders or produce a balance sheet your accountant can rely on. When typing up statements takes longer than the work itself, it's time to switch. See how Fastbooks compares with spreadsheets.