Church Budget Template
Plan income and spending for the year. Keep your numbers on this device and download an Excel workbook with monthly actuals and formulas.
This free tool is made by Church Posting.
How to use it
Start with income, because every spending decision rests on it. Enter what the church expects to receive in a year in each income line. Use last year's actual giving as the base and write down any change you can name, such as a family that moved or a new campaign. Then enter each cost. The Excel file adds a monthly column, each line's share of income, and a second sheet for the actual amounts each month so you can compare spending with the plan as the year goes on.
Two lines need care. A pastor's housing allowance has to be designated before the year starts and in a definite amount, and the housing allowance and minister W-2 guide explains the rule. Online giving fees come out of every gift, and the giving fee calculator shows what each platform keeps. The church staff salary calculator gives posted pay for the personnel lines, and the software cost calculator prices the software lines.
This template does not suggest a percentage for any line. No survey this site cites publishes one, and each church sets its own. It does show personnel as a share of spending, so you can watch that number from one year to the next.
What is in the Excel file
- A Budget sheet with the lines you filled in, a per-month amount, each line's share of income and totals for every section.
- A Monthly actuals sheet with twelve yellow columns for the real amounts, a year total and the difference from the budget.
- Live formulas. Change a number and every total updates in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.