What is zero-based budgeting?

Zero-based budgeting means assigning every dollar of income to a specific category until you have zero unallocated dollars. Income - Expenses = 0. No money is left unaccounted for.

What if I have money left over?

There should be no money "left over" in zero-based budgeting. Assign extra dollars to savings, debt payoff, or a fun money category. Every dollar needs a job!

Is zero-based budgeting hard?

It requires more upfront planning than simpler methods, but the detailed control helps many people succeed. Our template makes it easier by providing categories and calculations.

What are sinking funds?

Sinking funds are savings for known irregular expenses like car insurance (paid twice yearly), holiday gifts, or annual subscriptions. Save a little monthly so these expenses do not blow your budget.

How is this different from the 50/30/20 rule?

The 50/30/20 rule gives broad category targets. Zero-based budgeting gets granular - you decide exactly where every dollar goes, giving you more control but requiring more effort.

Zero-Based Budget

Every Dollar Has a Job

kakeibo-templates.com

Month:

Year:

INCOME

Paycheck 1:$__________

Paycheck 2:$__________

Side Income:$__________

Other:$__________

TOTAL INCOME:$__________

GIVE EVERY DOLLAR A JOB

Remaining to assign: $__________

HOUSING

Rent/Mortgage	$________	$________
Electric	$________	$________
Gas/Heat	$________	$________
Water	$________	$________
Internet	$________	$________
Phone	$________	$________

TRANSPORTATION

Car Payment	$________	$________
Gas	$________	$________
Insurance	$________	$________
Maintenance	$________	$________
Parking/Tolls	$________	$________

FOOD

Groceries	$________	$________
Dining Out	$________	$________
Coffee/Snacks	$________	$________

PERSONAL

Clothing	$________	$________
Personal Care	$________	$________
Health/Medical	$________	$________
Entertainment	$________	$________
Subscriptions	$________	$________
Hobbies	$________	$________

INSURANCE & DEBT

Health Insurance	$________	$________
Life Insurance	$________	$________
Credit Card	$________	$________
Student Loan	$________	$________
Other Debt	$________	$________

SAVINGS

Emergency Fund	$________	$________
Retirement	$________	$________
Sinking Funds	$________	$________
Other Goals	$________	$________

GIVING

Charity	$________	$________
Gifts	$________	$________

MISCELLANEOUS

Buffer/Fun Money	$________	$________
Other:	$________	$________
Other:	$________	$________

THE ZERO CHECK

Income

$__________

−

All Categories

$__________

Should be

Free template from kakeibo-templates.com

FREEintermediate

View Full Template

PDFExcelGoogle Sheets

Zero-Based Budget Template - Every Dollar Has a Job (Free PDF)

Give every dollar a purpose with this zero-based budgeting template. Your income minus expenses should equal exactly zero - nothing unallocated, nothing forgotten.

Time Required

45 min setup, 20 min/week

Difficulty

intermediate

Preview & Print Template

Free to use • Print or save as PDF • No email required

How to Use This Template

List All Expected Income

Include every income source for the coming month

Start with Necessities

Assign dollars to needs first: housing, food, utilities, transport

Fund Sinking Funds

Set aside money for irregular expenses: car repairs, gifts, annual fees

Add Savings Goals

Allocate to emergency fund, retirement, and other goals

Fill in Wants

Assign remaining dollars to discretionary categories

Reach Zero

Every dollar should have a job - income minus all categories equals zero

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Templates

Monthly Budget

kakeibo-templates.com

Month:

Year:

INCOME

Source	Expected	Actual
	$	$
	$	$
	$	$
	$	$
	$	$
Total Income	$	$

EXPENSES

Fixed Expenses

Category	Budgeted	Actual
Rent/Mortgage	$	$
Utilities	$	$
Insurance	$	$
Phone/Internet	$	$
Subscriptions	$	$

Variable Expenses

Category	Budgeted	Actual
Groceries	$	$
Transportation/Gas	$	$
Dining Out	$	$
Entertainment	$	$
Shopping	$	$
Personal Care	$	$
Health/Medical	$	$
Other	$	$
Total Expenses	$	$

SAVINGS & DEBT

Category	Goal	Actual
Emergency Fund	$	$
Retirement	$	$
Debt Payment	$	$
Other Savings	$	$
Total Savings	$	$

MONTHLY SUMMARY

Total Income:$____________

Total Expenses:$____________

Total Savings:$____________

Remaining:$____________

Free template from kakeibo-templates.com

Monthly Budget Template

A comprehensive monthly budget template that helps you track income, fixed expen...

50/30/20 Budget

kakeibo-templates.com

Month:

Year:

STEP 1: Your After-Tax Income

Monthly Take-Home Pay: $

NEEDS

Essential expenses you must pay

Budget:

$____________

Expense	Budgeted	Actual
Housing (Rent/Mortgage)	$________	$________
Utilities (Electric, Gas, Water)	$________	$________
Groceries	$________	$________
Transportation	$________	$________
Insurance (Health, Car, Home)	$________	$________
Minimum Debt Payments	$________	$________
Childcare	$________	$________
Other Needs:	$________	$________
Total Needs	$________	$________

30%

WANTS

Non-essential spending that improves life

Budget:

$____________

Expense	Budgeted	Actual
Dining Out	$________	$________
Entertainment	$________	$________
Subscriptions (Streaming, etc.)	$________	$________
Shopping	$________	$________
Hobbies	$________	$________
Personal Care	$________	$________
Travel/Vacations	$________	$________
Other Wants:	$________	$________
Total Wants	$________	$________

20%

SAVINGS & DEBT

Building wealth and paying off debt

Budget:

$____________

Category	Budgeted	Actual
Emergency Fund	$________	$________
Retirement (401k, IRA)	$________	$________
Extra Debt Payments	$________	$________
Sinking Funds	$________	$________
Investments	$________	$________
Other Savings:	$________	$________
Total Savings	$________	$________

MONTHLY CHECK

Income:$____________

Needs (Target 50%):________%

Total Spent:$____________

Wants (Target 30%):________%

Total Saved:$____________

Savings (Target 20%):________%

On Track?

Yes

Need Adjustment

Notes & Adjustments for Next Month:

Free template from kakeibo-templates.com

50/30/20 Budget Template

Apply the popular 50/30/20 budgeting rule with this ready-to-use template. Autom...

Cash Envelope Budget

Allocate Cash for Intentional Spending

kakeibo-templates.com

Month:

Year:

MONTHLY CASH BUDGET

Total Cash to Allocate:$______________

MY CASH ENVELOPES

GROCERIES$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

DINING OUT$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

GAS / TRANSPORTATION$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

ENTERTAINMENT$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

PERSONAL CARE$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

CLOTHING$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

GIFTS$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

MISCELLANEOUS$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

CUSTOM ENVELOPES

________________$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

________________$________

Date	Description	Spent	Left
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____
___/___	________	$____	$____

ENVELOPE SUMMARY

Envelope	Budgeted	Spent	Remaining
Groceries	$________	$________	$________
Dining Out	$________	$________	$________
Gas/Transport	$________	$________	$________
Entertainment	$________	$________	$________
Personal Care	$________	$________	$________
Clothing	$________	$________	$________
Gifts	$________	$________	$________
Miscellaneous	$________	$________	$________
TOTAL	$________	$________	$________

Envelope System Tips

• When an envelope is empty, stop spending in that category

• If you overspend, borrow from another envelope and note it

• Leftover cash can roll over or go to savings

• Review and adjust envelope amounts monthly

BORROWED BETWEEN ENVELOPES

Date	From Envelope	To Envelope	Amount
___/___	________________	________________	$________
___/___	________________	________________	$________
___/___	________________	________________	$________
___/___	________________	________________	$________

Free template from kakeibo-templates.com

Envelope Budget Template

The classic cash envelope budgeting system in printable form. Perfect for contro...

Budget Fatigue Is Real Heres How To Stay Consistent The Budgeting Perfectionism Trap

Kakeibo-Templates.com

Zero-Based Budget

INCOME

GIVE EVERY DOLLAR A JOB

Zero-Based Budget Template - Every Dollar Has a Job (Free PDF)

How to Use This Template

List All Expected Income

Start with Necessities

Fund Sinking Funds

Add Savings Goals

Fill in Wants

Reach Zero

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Templates

Monthly Budget

INCOME

EXPENSES

Fixed Expenses

Variable Expenses

SAVINGS & DEBT

MONTHLY SUMMARY

Monthly Budget Template

50/30/20 Budget

STEP 1: Your After-Tax Income

NEEDS

WANTS

SAVINGS & DEBT

MONTHLY CHECK

Notes & Adjustments for Next Month:

50/30/20 Budget Template

Cash Envelope Budget

MONTHLY CASH BUDGET

MY CASH ENVELOPES

CUSTOM ENVELOPES

ENVELOPE SUMMARY

BORROWED BETWEEN ENVELOPES

Envelope Budget Template

Related Articles