Free Budget Templates Built for Canada
Real categories, suggested percentages and sample amounts in Canadian dollars. View every template in full, download it as an Excel file with working formulas or as a CSV, open it in Google Sheets, or start from it when you sign up for Waypoint Budget.
Monthly Budget Template
The classic starting point. Eleven categories that cover a typical Canadian month.
Sample income: $4,000 after-tax per month | 11 categories | Total budgeted $3,050/mo
Biweekly Budget Template
Built for the way most Canadians are paid: every two weeks, 26 paycheques a year.
Sample income: $2,000 after-tax per paycheque, two paycheques per month | 11 categories | Total budgeted $3,050/mo
Couples Budget Template
Shared expenses for two, with room for savings goals you set together.
Sample income: $7,000 combined after-tax per month | 11 categories | Total budgeted $4,560/mo
Student Budget Template
Rent, groceries, transit and a student loan line, sized for a part-time income.
Sample income: $2,000 per month from all sources | 12 categories | Total budgeted $2,000/mo
Newcomer Budget Template
First budget in Canada: settlement costs, interim health coverage and building from scratch.
Sample income: $3,500 after-tax per month | 11 categories | Total budgeted $3,170/mo
Use them in Google Sheets
Every Excel file imports into Google Sheets with its formulas, so totals, spent and remaining keep updating.
- 1
Download the Excel (.xlsx) file.
- 2
In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload, and pick the file. Or drag the file into Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The formulas come with it, so the totals keep updating.
January 2027 Monthly Budget
The monthly template with the month set to January 2027, plus a short list of the costs January brings: holiday statements, annual renewals and new TFSA room.
Why start from a template?
Most budgets fail in the first month because of category design, not discipline. Too many categories and tracking becomes a chore. Too few and you cannot see where the money goes. These templates use the category set that Waypoint Budget users keep after months of real use: around ten to twelve categories, specific enough to be useful and small enough to maintain.
Every template is Canadian by default: amounts in CAD, rent ratios based on Canadian cities, healthcare lines for what provincial coverage does not include, and savings notes that point at TFSA, FHSA and RRSP accounts rather than US equivalents.
Or skip the spreadsheet entirely
Waypoint Budget offers close matches to these templates during onboarding. Pick one, adjust the amounts, and your budget is live in about two minutes. Transactions sort themselves with Smart auto-categorization, rollover categories build up money for irregular costs, and Bank sync with major Canadian banks is available on paid plans.
Start free with this templateFree tier available. No credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
Are these budget templates really free?
Yes. Every template on this page can be viewed in full and downloaded as an Excel file or a CSV with no sign-up, no email and no payment. The Excel file has working formulas for totals, spent and remaining. Both open in Excel, Google Sheets or Apple Numbers.
What budget categories should a Canadian budget include?
The core set most Canadians need: Rent or Mortgage, Groceries, Utilities, Transportation, Insurance, Internet & Phone, Healthcare, Dining Out, Entertainment and Savings. Depending on your situation you may add Shopping, Subscriptions, Childcare, Student Loan or Pets. Every template here builds on that core set.
Should I budget monthly or per paycheque?
If your expenses are monthly and your income is steady, a monthly budget is simplest. If you are paid every two weeks, the biweekly template maps each expense to a per-paycheque amount and turns the two extra paycheques each year into automatic savings.
How do I open these templates in Google Sheets?
There is no separate Google Sheets file to copy yet. 1. Download the Excel (.xlsx) file. 2. In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload, and pick the file. Or drag the file into Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The formulas come with it, so the totals keep updating.
Can I use these templates without a spreadsheet?
Yes. Each template has a close match among the onboarding templates inside Waypoint Budget. Sign up free, pick it, and you start on nearly the same categories. Connect a bank on a paid plan and transactions are sorted into those categories automatically. The free plan has no bank connections, but it does include manual entry and the CSV import.