Guide

The Best Free Landlord Bookkeeping Spreadsheet (2026)

Written by Oscar Sanfelix, founder of Plannful. · Published 11 July 2026

Landlord bookkeeping does not need expensive software - a well-built spreadsheet tracks income, expenses and profit per property and makes tax time painless. Here is what a good one must do in 2026.

What it must track

  • Rent income per unit, month by month, including late or partial payments.
  • Every deductible expense - repairs, maintenance, management, insurance, taxes, mortgage interest, supplies - categorised the way your tax return wants them.
  • Net profit per property, not just a single combined total.
  • Year-to-date totals ready for tax season.
  • Multiple properties if you own more than one.

What to avoid

  • A single column of transactions with no category roll-up - useless at tax time.
  • No per-property split - you cannot tell which rental actually makes money.
  • Tools that lock your data behind a monthly fee.

Keep clean books

The Plannful Landlord Toolkit tracks rent, categorised expenses and net profit per property with year-to-date totals - in Microsoft Excel, a one-time purchase, with no subscription.

See the Landlord Toolkit →

Analysing a deal before you buy? Use the Rental Property Analyzer.

Let the spreadsheet do the math

The Plannful Rental Property Analyzer for Microsoft Excel turns this into real working formulas — clean dashboards, instant download, yours to keep.

See the Rental Property Analyzer →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need accounting software to be a landlord?
Not for a small portfolio. A well-structured spreadsheet that tracks rent, categorised expenses and net profit per property, with year-to-date totals for taxes, handles most landlords' needs without a monthly software fee.
What expenses can landlords track for taxes?
Common deductible categories include repairs and maintenance, property management, insurance, property taxes, mortgage interest, supplies, and travel related to the rental. A bookkeeping spreadsheet should categorise these the way your tax return expects.
How should I track multiple rental properties?
Keep income and expenses separated per property so you can see which rental actually makes money, with a combined portfolio total on top. Per-property net profit and year-to-date figures make both decisions and tax filing far easier.

Related guides & free tools

Free cheat sheet

Get the 1-page wedding budget cheat sheet

Join the Plannful list for a simple breakdown of how to split your wedding budget by guest count — plus the occasional template discount. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.