Guide

The Best Free Savings Tracker Spreadsheet (2026)

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

A good savings tracker turns 'I should save more' into specific goals with deadlines, monthly amounts and visible progress. Here is what to look for in 2026 - and why sinking funds are the feature that makes it work.

What it must do

  • Multiple goals at once. Most people save for several things - emergency fund, holiday, car, house deposit. Each needs its own bucket (a sinking fund), not one blurred total.
  • A target and a deadline per goal. So the sheet can tell you the monthly amount needed to hit it on time.
  • Progress percentage and months-to-goal. A bar filling up is the simplest, strongest motivator there is.
  • A monthly contribution total across all goals, so you know what to set aside each month.
  • Works on your phone in Microsoft Excel.

What to avoid

  • A single 'savings' line you can never quite attribute to anything.
  • No deadline math - without it you cannot know if you are on track.
  • View-only freebies you cannot adapt.

Start tracking

The Plannful Savings & Sinking Funds Tracker gives every goal its own bucket, the monthly amount it needs, and a progress percentage and months-to-goal - in Microsoft Excel.

See the Savings Tracker →

Let the spreadsheet do the math

The Plannful Savings & Sinking Funds for Microsoft Excel turns this into real working formulas — clean dashboards, instant download, yours to keep.

See the Savings & Sinking Funds →

Frequently asked questions

What should a savings tracker spreadsheet include?
It should let you track multiple goals at once, each with a target, a deadline, the monthly amount needed, and a progress percentage and months-to-goal. A combined monthly contribution total tells you exactly what to set aside each month.
What are sinking funds?
Sinking funds are separate savings buckets for specific planned expenses - a car, a holiday, the holidays, a house deposit - each with its own target and monthly contribution, so goals do not blur into one vague savings pile you never reach.
How do I stay motivated to save?
Give each goal a deadline and a visible progress bar. Seeing a goal go from 40% to 60% funded is far more motivating than a single growing number, and the months-to-goal figure keeps the finish line in sight.

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