Does Google Sheets Have a Ledger Template? (Recommendations)

Written by: Stewart Gauld

Published on September 5, 2024

Time to read 6 min

Does Google Sheets have a ledger template? What is a ledger template? What are the different types of ledgers? Can you create your own Google Sheets ledger template? How to create a ledger in Google Sheets? Does Google Sheets have a ledger template? Best Google Sheets Ledger Template - Sheetify Bookkeeping (Video Guide) Popular Google Sheets Toolkits Recent Posts

Does Google Sheets have a ledger template?

To answer this question quickly….Yes, Google Sheets technically does have a ledger template.

However, you won’t find a Google Sheets ledger template within the Google Sheets template gallery or ‘Table’ function.

To use a Google Sheets ledger template, you have two options:

Get a Google Sheets expert to design one for you.
Download a Google Sheets ledger template designed by a third-party app.

I highly recommend the second approach. It delivers the same results without the high costs or the need for complex Google Apps Script development.

The best Google Sheets ledger templates I recommend using are:

Or use Sheetify Bookkeeping, an all-in-one Google Sheets ledger template as a complete small business accounting spreadsheet solution.

What is a ledger template?

A ledger (also known as a general ledger) is essentially a document that tracks all financial transactions within your business.

This includes your revenue, expenses, debts, assets, etc.

Financial transactions within a ledger are typically categorized into groups:

Assets (what the company owns).
Liabilities (what the company owes).
Equity (owner's interest in the company).
Revenue (income from different sources).
Expenses (cost of operating the business).

These Google Sheets ledger templates come with pre-made headers, columns, and rows to help you effectively record and track your business financial transactions.

Essentially, a Google Sheets ledger template is a structured spreadsheet for tracking money coming in and going out, what you owe, and what you own.

These templates are helpful because they save time and ensure you include all important financial information.

Spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets are perfect ledger tools as they’re structured, customizable, and offer formulas to automate financial metrics quickly.

Personally, I find a Google Sheets ledger template designed the right way is much more practical than an Excel ledger template.

What are the different types of ledgers?

There are three key ledger types:

Sales Ledger: Focuses on customer transactions (accounts receivable).
Purchase Ledger: Focuses on supplier transactions (accounts payable).
General Ledger: An accumulation of all the ledger accounts within the business (assets, revenues, expenses, liabilities, etc).

By using these ledgers, businesses can streamline and manage their financial

Can you create your own Google Sheets ledger template?

Is it possible to create your own Google Sheets ledger template? Absolutely!

Building your own custom Google Sheets ledger from scratch is the perfect way to take control of your finances.

Instead of getting bogged down by tabs you don't need, you can map out a clean system to track your income, expenses, and view your real-time balance at a glance.

To get started, a 'DIY' Google Sheets ledger template only requires a few essential columns, including:

The basics: Date, Transaction Description, and any reference numbers (invoice number, receipt ID, etc).
Cash flow data: Different columns for Debits (money out) and Credits (money in).
Automations: A running balance column that uses a recurring formula to add credits and subtract debits as you type them in.

By taking control of your own sheet, you can easily add custom drop-down menus for expense categories that suit your business type.

Additionally, simply use basic conditional formatting to color-code your spending.

It’s a completely free, flexible way to stay on top of your financial health without buying pricey accounting software!

However, with that being said, unless you know your way around Google Apps Script, you'll only be able to build a basic ledger template inside Google Sheets.

How to create a ledger in Google Sheets?

To create a Google Sheets ledger template, follow these simple steps:

Open a new Google Sheets spreadsheet
Label the first columns within your spreadsheet with headers (‘Date,’ ‘Description,’ ‘Reference,’ ‘Debit,’ ‘Credit,’ ‘Balance' etc).
Adjust the width of your columns to ensure your data is visible.
Select ‘Format > Number > Date’ to format the ‘Date’ column to display dates correctly.
Select ‘Format > Number > Currency’ to format the ‘Debit,’ ‘Credit,’ and ‘Balance’ columns as ‘Currency.’
Enter your starting balance in the first row under the ‘Balance’ header.
Input your transactions as they occur and add a date and a brief description.

Note: You should add the amount to the ‘Debit’ or ‘Credit’ section depending on whether it's an expense or income.

Create a ‘=SUM’ formula to calculate the running balance within the second row of the' Balance' column.

For example, let’s say ‘B’ is your Balance column, and ‘D’ and ‘E’ are Debit and Credit columns for row 2.

Your formula in B2 would look like =B1 + E2 - D2

Drag the small square at the bottom-right of the cell below the ‘Balance’ column to copy the formula to subsequent rows.
Add data validation rules if you like.
Format the style and readability of your ledger by changing text colors, bolding or highlighting text, adding borders, and more.

You can also add drop-down lists, pivot tables, or charts to further visualize and enhance your data if you know your way around Google Sheets’ advanced features.

Does Google Sheets have a ledger template?

Sure, you can create your own Google Sheets ledger template using the above method.

But this can be pretty time-consuming unless you understand Google Sheets more deeply.

Leveraging a ready-made ledger template in Google Sheets can streamline the entire process, reducing the time spent crafting tables, formatting calculations, and more.

Luckily, plenty of free Google Sheets ledger templates are available online to download and use.

Some of the best free Google Sheets ledger templates are:

Template	Key Description	Best For	Pricing
Spreadsheet Point	Basic one-sheet template that helps keep track of your credit, debit, and balance across multiple accounts.	Keeping track of credit, debit, and balance across multiple accounts	Free
Smartsheet	8 ledger templates for different needs (simple, small business, accounting, etc)	Users looking for a wide variety of ledger templates	Free
Coefficient	Three ledger templates (Annual budget comparison, startup ledger, and an account reconciliation ledger)	Startups, or those looking for an annual budget comparison/ account reconciliation	Free

These ledger templates are equipped with automated calculations to reduce human errors and can be easily modified to suit your business needs.

However, if you’re looking for a simple yet fully functional Google Sheets ledger template and entire bookkeeping system, I have the answer for you.

Enter… Sheetify Bookkeeping: Our all-in-one Google Sheets ledger template for small businesses.

"I have to say I love the simplicity of this system for the user. As a charity we needed a bookkeeping system introduced, to drive through our financial improvement programme. From day 1, I have been supported. I suggested some improvements, whichif added would enable us to compare our income streams in greater detail, rather than just income and expenses. But excellent system and excellent value for money. keep up the good work Stewart"

Sue Cliffe

Best Google Sheets Ledger Template - Sheetify Bookkeeping (Video Guide)

Sheetify Bookkeeping is not just your standard Google Sheets ledger template! It’s an incredible all-in-one Google Sheets bookkeeping template that packs a punch.

Sure, you can easily track your income, expenses, and assets within the tool.

But with Sheetify Bookkeeping, you can also manage:

Your business goals.
Tax calculations.
Tasks, and more.

All within this dynamic Google Sheets ledger template.

And you don't even need to create any formulas, functions, automations, or charts!

This Google Sheets ledger template is the best low-cost, adaptable, one-stop Google Sheets small business accounting spreadsheet.

Honestly, this Google Sheets ledger template can completely transform how you manage your business finances.

And guess what? It’s super easy to use.

Designed specifically for small and micro businesses, this innovative tool includes built-in Google Apps Script automations and ready-to-use sheets, columns, and headings.

You seriously don’t have to lift a finger!

Just add in your business data, and the rest is done for you on one single Google Sheets ledger template.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Sheetify Bookkeeping boasts 8 powerful dashboards that offer a comprehensive overview of your financial status, whether monthly, annually, or over a 5-year period.

These dashboards include:

Monthly dashboard.
Annual dashboard.
5-year projection dashboard.
Custom dashboard (choose your own dates).
Performance comparison dashboard.
Sales tax dashboard.
Balance sheet.
Profit & loss.

But the best part? You can send a PDF version of any of the above dashboards to an email of your choice without leaving the Google Sheets accounting template.

This Google Sheets ledger template also seamlessly integrates with other Google Apps like Google Docs and Forms for invoice creation and Google Tasks for management of accounting tasks.

Essentially, I designed this tool as an all-in-one solution for elevating your financial monitoring capabilities.

The best part? Your entire financial management remains within Google Sheets!

Get your lifetime access to Sheetify Bookkeeping today for a one-time payment of only $57.

Learn more about Sheetify Bookkeeping template's features and tools here.