Microsoft Excel Expense Tracker Template

September 15, 2025

6 min read

Effective financial management plays a vital role in both personal and business growth. While Excel has been a go-to tool for years when it comes to managing tax and business expenses, many users now prefer smarter, more flexible solutions that go beyond static spreadsheets.

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Quick Read

Summary generated by AI, reviewed for accuracy.

Track & Categorize Expenses: Easily log daily expenses and organize them by category, project, or payment type.

Generate Reports & Insights: Create charts and summaries to monitor spending patterns and make informed financial decisions.

With Expense Tracker 365, businesses can achieve real-time visibility into spending, eliminate manual entry errors, and simplify compliance reporting. Instead of juggling multiple Excel files, our platform centralizes expense tracking, making it easier to spot patterns, control budgets, and make confident financial decisions.

For those who enjoy the flexibility of spreadsheets, there are plenty of free Excel templates available online to track monthly expenses. But if you’re ready to take expense management to the next level, Expense Tracker 365 offers an intuitive, cloud-based alternative that integrates seamlessly with your Microsoft 365 environment.

In this article, we’ll highlight some of the best free Excel spreadsheets you can use for expense tracking—and show you how Expense Tracker 365 delivers everything you love about spreadsheets, with the added power of automation and AI.

1. Excel Expense Report Template from Smartsheet

Smartsheet offers a collection of ready-to-use expense report templates in Excel, tailored to handle different types of spending. With these sheets, employees can easily log expenses, categorize them, and submit reports for reimbursements or tax-related purposes.

Its straightforward layout and flexibility make it a reliable option for both professionals managing work expenses and individuals keeping personal costs in check.

2. Travel Expense Tracker Template from SpreadsheetPoint

SpreadsheetPoint features a wide range of Excel templates, from simple budgeting sheets to advanced business and travel-focused trackers. Among their most practical options is the travel expense tracker, ideal for keeping a detailed record of trip-related spending.

This template comes with built-in categories such as hotel stays, meals, and miscellaneous costs, along with a mileage log for business trips. It’s easy to set up—just download the file and save a copy to start organizing your travel expenses.

3. Expense Templates from Vertex42

Vertex42 has built a reputation for offering some of the most practical and user-friendly Excel templates available online, including a strong lineup of expense reports and trackers.

What makes this template stand out is the built-in budget summary at the top of the sheet. It provides a quick snapshot of total budget, amount spent, and what’s left—helping users stay on top of their financial limits while logging day-to-day expenses.

4. Monthly Expense Tracker from Part-Time Money

Part-Time Money offers a straightforward Excel template designed for keeping track of everyday spending throughout the month. In addition to recording daily costs, the sheet includes dedicated tabs for Income and Balance, making it easier to view cash flow alongside overall financial health.

For those wanting a simple yet effective monthly log that ties daily tracking with income insights, this template provides a balanced approach.

5. Expense Tracker 365 – Receipt Scanning Made Simple

For business owners who don’t want to spend time manually entering receipts into a spreadsheet, Expense Tracker 365 offers a convenient alternative. Their Magic Envelope service lets you mail in your paper receipts, which are then digitized and organized into expense reports for you.

This option is especially handy for busy professionals who prefer automation over manual data entry, giving them more time to focus on running their business.

Expense Tracker 365 – Your Smart Alternative to Manual Receipt Tracking

Expense Tracker 365 eliminates the hassle of manual data entry by giving you an intelligent, automated way to capture, organize, and analyse expenses in one place. Instead of juggling paper receipts and scattered Excel sheets, you get a cloud-based platform that integrates with Microsoft 365 to make financial tracking effortless. With features like AI-powered receipt scanning, real-time expense categorization, and seamless approval workflows, Expense Tracker 365 helps businesses stay compliant, speed up reimbursements, and gain complete visibility into their spending—all while keeping employees productive and finance teams in control.

The Expense Tracker 365 Advantage

Instead of dealing with paper receipts, manual spreadsheets, or scattered digital files, Expense Tracker 365 helps you capture, categorize, and analyse expenses in one centralized system. Starting with affordable plans, it eliminates the hassle of manual entry while giving you real-time visibility into business spending.

With Expense Tracker 365, you can upload receipts directly, track mileage for business travel, and organize every transaction under predefined tax categories—saving hours each week and ensuring error-free financial records.

Stop wasting time on manual data entry.
Switch to Expense Tracker 365 and focus on growing your business.

Key Features of Expense Tracker 365

1. Web app
Log expenses instantly using the mobile app by snapping a photo of your receipt. The web dashboard makes it easy to upload receipts, invoices, and bills directly from your desktop, keeping all your financial data in sync. AI automatically extracts vendor details, dates, and amounts to cut down on errors and manual entry. With everything stored securely in Microsoft 365, you get real-time visibility and smarter control over your business spending.

2. Smart Email Receipt Capture
You can categorize and tag each expense instantly for better tracking and reporting. The platform also syncs with your accounting tools, giving you a complete view of your business spending in real time.

3. Expense Reports in One Click
You can also visualize your spending trends with intuitive charts and graphs, helping identify cost-saving opportunities. Automated alerts notify you of unusual or duplicate expenses, ensuring accuracy and control. Plus, all reports are securely stored in the cloud for easy access anytime, anywhere.

4. Advanced Search and Filters

Additionally, search results are displayed in a clear, organized format, so you can analyse data briefly. Integration with other business tools ensures that the information you find can be acted on immediately without switching platforms.

5. Accounting Software Integrations
Seamlessly connect with leading accounting tools like QuickBooks, Xero, and other platforms. This eliminates double data entry and keeps books updated in real-time.

6. Role-Based Access
Add unlimited team members, assign roles, and control permissions. Whether it’s employees submitting receipts or accountants reviewing expenses, collaboration is built in.

7. Mileage Tracking
Track business trips in seconds using the mobile app. Each trip logs miles, dates, and routes, then automatically generates IRS-compliant mileage receipts for tax purposes.

Building Smarter Expense Tracking in Excel with Expense Tracker 365

If you still prefer Excel for expense tracking, you can create a custom spreadsheet that mirrors some of the functionality of Expense Tracker 365. Here’s how:

Set up columns and rows
Use columns for date, description, category, amount, and payment method. Rows will hold individual transactions.

Categorize your expenses
Create custom categories like Travel, Meals, Office Supplies, Marketing, or Client Meetings. This makes monthly and yearly expense analysis effortless.

Compare against budget goals
Add a column for “Budgeted Amount” and one for “Actual Amount” to monitor variances and adjust spending habits accordingly.

Use Excel functions

=SUM(range) for totals

=AVERAGE(range) for averages

=MIN(range) and =MAX(range) for lowest and highest spends

Add drop-down lists
Standardize data entry with dropdowns for expense categories or payment methods. This reduces errors and improves reporting.

Leverage conditional formatting
Highlight overspending in red or use colour coding for different categories to spot trends instantly.

Upgrade with pivot tables
Turn your raw expense data into dynamic summaries and charts, making reporting more visual and actionable.

Why Choose Expense Tracker 365?

While Excel offers flexibility, Expense Tracker 365 takes expense management to the next level by automating data capture, syncing with accounting software, and saving hours of manual work. It’s designed for individuals, freelancers, and businesses that want accuracy, efficiency, and control over their finances.