Rental income and expense spreadsheet: a free ledger template
Pick the language, currency and first month, and download a ledger with fixed categories and a rent row for each month, ready for your rent and costs.
Your files
| Date | Type | Category | Description | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Income | Rent | January 2026 rent | … |
| 2026-02-01 | Income | Rent | February 2026 rent | … |
| 2026-03-01 | Income | Rent | March 2026 rent | … |
and 9 more rows
UTF-8 with a BOM, so accents show up right in Excel. Dates are YYYY-MM-DD. The first lines say how to write amounts and list the categories.
Want an Excel workbook whose monthly summary adds itself up? It comes with the full version.
Categories are for organizing, not tax advice. Ask an accountant where the property is.
The full version adds
- An Excel workbook with a monthly summary worked out by formulas
- Up to 10 properties in one ledger
- Your own categories
- Printable blank sheets for writing by hand
- Your setup saved in this browser
The categories, explained
Use the same list every month, so months and properties compare. If your accountant uses other names, rename them when a new year starts, so the year stays comparable.
Income
- Rent
- Rent paid by the tenant, one row per payment.
- Late fees
- Fees for paying late, when the lease allows them.
- Other income
- Parking, laundry, a pet fee and other income from the property.
Expenses
- Repairs and maintenance
- Plumbers, electricians, parts and regular upkeep.
- Cleaning and turnover
- Cleaning, paint and small fixes between tenants.
- Utilities you pay
- Water, power, gas or internet that you pay, not the tenant.
- Building or HOA fees
- Building, condo or HOA fees.
- Property tax
- Property tax bills for this property.
- Insurance
- Property and liability insurance premiums.
- Mortgage interest
- The interest part of each loan payment. Ask your accountant how to treat the rest.
- Management fees
- What a property manager or agent charges.
- Supplies and small purchases
- Light bulbs, filters, keys, smoke alarm batteries.
Security deposits aren't income. They belong to the tenant until the lease ends, so keep them in a separate list with the date, the amount and where you hold them.
How to use it in 10 minutes a month
- Add a row the day money comes in or goes out. If a tenant pays in two parts, that's two rows.
- Save the receipt the same day, named with the date, property and amount, and set Receipt to Yes.
- Two days after rent is due, check the rent rows against your bank app. An empty amount is rent you haven't received.
- At the start of each month, compare income, expenses and net for each property with the month before.
- At the end of the year, send the file and the receipts folder to your accountant.
Rental income and expense spreadsheet
Why it matters
One ledger with the same categories every month shows which property pays for itself and which one costs you money.
When your accountant asks for a receipt, you find it in a minute. When rent is late, you see it the same week.
Use it safely
Risks and how to avoid them
- Categories are for organizing, not tax advice. Ask an accountant where the property is which ones your tax return uses.
- Excel reads numbers by country, so the CSV uses the separators you pick, and its first lines say how to write amounts.
- In the workbook, the summary sits on its own protected sheet with its formulas explained, so a stray edit doesn't break the totals.
- Security deposits aren't income. Keep them in a separate list until the lease ends.
Free and full versions
What the full version adds
Free version
For everyone, no email
- One property
- A CSV ledger with date, type, category, description, amount, receipt and notes, plus a rent row for each of 12 months
- The category list, and the number format your country uses
Full version
With your confirmed waitlist email
- An Excel workbook for up to 10 properties: Ledger, Monthly summary and Categories sheets
- Income, expenses and net for each property and month, worked out by formulas, plus totals by category for your accountant
- Your own categories, added before you download
- Printable blank sheets for writing by hand, and your setup saved in this browser
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Early access
Unlock the full Rental income and expense spreadsheet with your email
Join the RentalThread waitlist and confirm your email: the full version opens on this device. No card, no payment.
- 30% off your first year of a paid plan for the first 100 to confirm
- Access before the public launch
- A say in what we build next
- Free to join, no payment details
- 300 AI credits for inviting 3 friends
Questions
Questions about this tool
Does it work in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers?
Yes. The CSV opens in any spreadsheet app. The workbook (.xlsx) opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice, and its formulas recalculate when you open it.
Why is there a rent row for every month?
So missing rent stands out. Type the amount when the rent arrives. A rent row that's still empty after the due date is rent you haven't received.
Are these the categories for my tax return?
They're a common way to organize rent and costs. Tax forms and deductible costs differ by country, so ask an accountant where the property is and rename or add categories to match.
Are the tools free?
Yes. The free versions work for everyone, without an email. The full versions are free too: join the waitlist with your email and confirm it to unlock them on that device. No card, no payment.
What does the full version add?
More depth and convenience, such as every template instead of the most common ones, or several properties side by side. Each tool lists what its full version adds.
Do you save what I type?
No. The tools run in your browser, and what you type isn't sent to us. If a full version saves your inputs, they stay in that browser, and "Clear my data" removes them.
Is this the RentalThread app?
No. The free tools work today and are separate from the RentalThread app, which isn't open yet. Joining the waitlist also gets you early access when it opens, in waves.
Is this advice?
No. Results are drafts and estimates from what you enter, not financial, tax, legal or real-estate advice. Rules differ from place to place: check the ones where the property is.