--- title: "Free Small Business Bookkeeping Template | Ledgerbrook" source: https://ledgerbrook.com/templates/small-business-bookkeeping-template/ description: "Free small business bookkeeping template with a monthly P&L, Schedule C totals and quarterly tax estimates. Online or in Excel." --- Free template # Small Business Bookkeeping Template A free bookkeeping template for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs. Log income and expenses, and it builds your **monthly profit and loss**, a **Schedule C summary**, **quarterly estimated tax** amounts and **account reconciliations**. Use it right here with nothing to install, or download it for Excel and Google Sheets. [Use it on this page](#bk-app)[Download Excel (.xlsx)](/downloads/templates/ledgerbrook-small-business-bookkeeping-template.xlsx)[or with sample data](/downloads/templates/ledgerbrook-small-business-bookkeeping-template-sample.xlsx) No sign-up. Your numbers stay in your browser and are never uploaded. Bookkeeping workbook Loading… Download my ExcelQuickBooks CSVPrintReset Load the sample businessReplaces your entries with example dataErase everythingStart a blank template Full screen You're looking at **sample numbers** for a small design studio. Click around, then start with your own. Start with my business DashboardIncomeExpensesProfit & lossSchedule CEstimated taxSales taxAccountsSetup Loading the template… Saved automatically in this browser only. Use _Download my Excel_ or the backup on Setup to keep a copy. Ledgerbrook The books behind these numbers, kept for you. US small business bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online. Fixed prices, agreed before any work starts. [Get a free file review](/contact/?from=templates%2Fsmall-business-bookkeeping-template) Bookkeeping or CPA firm? [We work under your name](/for-bookkeeping-firms/). - [Behind on the booksCleanup and catch-up$99per month of backlog20% off 6+ monthsSee what's included](/quickbooks-cleanup/) - [Every monthMonthly bookkeeping$149a month and upReconciled and closed every monthSee what's included](/monthly-bookkeeping/) - [At year endCPA handoff pack$199a client, one-timeA file your CPA can file fromSee what's included](/for-cpas/) How to use it ## Six habits that keep the books clean A template only helps if the entries are complete. These are the habits we check first when we take over a set of books. 1. 01 Set up once Add your business name, the accounts you use and their January 1 balances, and your tax rates. The categories already follow Schedule C. 2. 02 Log income Every payment you receive: date, customer, category and the account it went into. 3. 03 Log expenses Every purchase or bill. Paying your credit card or moving money to savings is a Transfer, not an expense. 4. 04 Separate yourself from the business Money you take out is an Owner draw. Money you put in is an Owner contribution. Neither changes profit. 5. 05 Reconcile monthly Type each statement's ending balance on the Accounts tab. Zero difference means nothing is missing. 6. 06 Check before each tax date The Estimated tax tab shows what to pay by April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. What's inside ## Everything a sole proprietor needs, nothing more Setup Business name, tax year, accounts with opening balances, tax rates, and categories you can rename. Income and Expenses One row per transaction: date, who, category, account, amount. Sales tax split out if you collect it. Dashboard Income, expenses, profit and margin for the year, a month-by-month chart and your biggest costs. Monthly profit and loss Every category by month with totals, so you can see slow months and creeping costs. Schedule C summary Totals arranged by line of the IRS form, with meals already cut to 50%. Estimated tax What to set aside for each quarterly payment, with the IRS due dates and what you've paid. Sales tax Collected versus sent to the state, month by month, with a running balance owed. Accounts Month-end balance for every bank and card account, next to your statement, so you can reconcile. Categories ## Small business expense categories, mapped to Schedule C The template starts with these. Rename them or add your own; as long as each keeps its Schedule C line, your year-end totals land on the right line of the form. | Category | Schedule C line | | --- | --- | | Cost of goods sold | 4 · Cost of goods sold | | Advertising | 8 · Advertising | | Car and truck | 9 · Car and truck expenses | | Commissions and fees | 10 · Commissions and fees | | Contract labor | 11 · Contract labor | | Depreciation | 13 · Depreciation and section 179 | | Employee benefits | 14 · Employee benefit programs | | Insurance | 15 · Insurance (other than health) | | Interest: mortgage | 16a · Interest: mortgage | | Interest: other | 16b · Interest: other | | Legal and professional | 17 · Legal and professional services | | Office expense | 18 · Office expense | | Retirement plans | 19 · Pension and profit-sharing plans | | Equipment rental | 20a · Rent or lease: vehicles, machinery, equipment | | Rent | 20b · Rent or lease: other business property | | Repairs and maintenance | 21 · Repairs and maintenance | | Supplies | 22 · Supplies | | Taxes and licenses | 23 · Taxes and licenses | | Travel | 24a · Travel | | Meals (50% deductible) | 24b · Deductible meals | | Utilities | 25 · Utilities | | Phone and internet | 25 · Utilities | | Wages | 26 · Wages | | Software and subscriptions | 27a · Other expenses | | Bank and merchant fees | 27a · Other expenses | | Education and training | 27a · Other expenses | | Other expenses | 27a · Other expenses | | Business use of home | 30 · Business use of home | When the spreadsheet gets heavy ## Rather hand the books to someone? Ledgerbrook keeps small business books in QuickBooks Online: categorized, reconciled every month, and ready for your tax preparer. Fixed monthly price, no contract. [See monthly bookkeeping](/monthly-bookkeeping/)[Pricing](/pricing/) Frequently asked ## Bookkeeping template FAQ ### How do I do bookkeeping for a small business in a spreadsheet? Keep one list of money in and one list of money out, and give every row a date, a category and the account it moved through. Use categories that match Schedule C so your year-end totals line up with the tax form. Then reconcile each account against its statement every month. This template does the totals, reports and reconciliation math for you. ### What should a small business bookkeeping spreadsheet include? At minimum: an income log, an expense log, a category list, a monthly profit and loss, and account balances you can check against bank statements. For a sole proprietor it also helps to see totals by Schedule C line and how much to set aside for quarterly estimated taxes. All of those are in this template. ### Is this bookkeeping template really free? Yes. There's no sign-up and no email gate. Use it on this page or download the Excel file and keep it. ### Where is my data stored when I use the online version? Only in your own browser, using local storage on your device. Nothing is sent to Ledgerbrook. That also means it won't follow you to another device: use Download backup on the Setup tab, or Download my Excel, to move it. ### Does it work in Google Sheets? Yes. Download the .xlsx file, then in Google Sheets choose File, Import, Upload. The formulas use functions that work the same in Excel and Google Sheets. ### Can I use it for an LLC? Yes, if it is a single-member LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship, which files Schedule C. Multi-member LLCs and S corporations file different returns, so the Schedule C and estimated tax tabs won't apply, though the income, expense, profit and loss and account tabs still work. ### How much should I set aside for taxes when self-employed? Self-employment tax alone is about 14.1% of profit (15.3% on 92.35% of it), before any income tax. Many sole proprietors set aside 25% to 30% of profit in total. The Estimated tax tab works out a figure from your actual profit and your own rates, quarter by quarter. ### Can I just use Excel instead of QuickBooks? Yes, until you outgrow it. That usually happens when you pass about 100 transactions a month, hire employees, carry inventory, or need statements a lender or buyer will rely on. At that point bookkeeping software with bank feeds, or a bookkeeper, saves more time than it costs.