How to Make an Income & Expense Tracker | Google Sheets Tutorial Personal Finance Analysis Dashboard, by Vizspire on YouTube. 17 min 47 s.
- Video length
- 17 min 47 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open Google Sheets and import your transaction dataset with File > Import. Make sure each row has Transaction ID, Date, Type, Category, Source and Amount.
Select the data range and convert it to a table with Format > Convert to table. This gives structured columns for the pivot tables.
Insert a pivot table with Insert > Pivot table. Put Type in Rows and Amount in Values to get total income and total expenses side by side.
Build more pivot tables: one with Month Name in Rows for income vs expenses, one with Category in Rows for spending, and one with Source in Rows for income by source.
Lay out a dashboard sheet with a title row, a KPI strip at the top and chart areas below. Keep the pivot tables on a separate sheet.
Add slicers with Data > Add a slicer for Month, Year, Category and Transaction Date. Right-click each slicer and set it to apply to all pivot tables.
Create KPI cards for Total Income, Total Expenses, Net Savings, Savings Rate and Total Transactions. Use SUMIFS and GETPIVOTDATA formulas that point at the pivot tables.
Insert charts from the pivot tables: a column chart for income vs expenses by month, a pie chart for expenses by category, a bar chart for income by source and a line chart for monthly savings rate.
Open Extensions > Apps Script and add a short function that calls SpreadsheetApp.flush(). Insert a drawing on the sheet, assign the script to it and label it Refresh.
Test the dashboard by changing a slicer and clicking Refresh. Check that the KPI cards, charts and filters all update to match the filtered data.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the raw transaction sheet untouched and do all analysis on pivot tables so the source data stays clean.
Name your pivot table ranges or use GETPIVOTDATA so KPI formulas do not break when rows are added.
Set slicers to apply to all pivot tables, otherwise some charts will ignore the filter.
Add new transactions below the table and refresh before trusting the numbers.
Questions
Do I need Apps Script for the refresh button?
No. The dashboard works without it. The script only forces the sheet to recalculate so the KPIs and charts update right away.
Can I use my own bank statement data?
Yes. Export your transactions as CSV and import them, as long as you have date, type, category, source and amount columns.
Why do my KPI cards show errors?
Usually a pivot table reference has moved or a slicer is filtering a different table. Check the formula range and the slicer settings.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
