How to Track Financial Accounts in Notion | Income, Expenses & Balance (Notion tutorial), by Procrastination Fighter on YouTube. 10 min 26 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 26 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Create a new page in Notion and add two inline databases: one called Accounts and one called Transactions. Keep both on the same page so they can be linked.
In the Accounts database, add a Name property for each account, such as Main Checking, Savings or PayPal. Add one row per account you want to track.
In the Transactions database, add a Name property, a Number property called Amount, a Select property called Type with options Income and Expense, and a Date property.
Add a Relation property in Transactions and point it at the Accounts database. Turn on the switch that shows the relation on the Accounts side too.
Enter each transaction as a row: name it, set the amount, pick Income or Expense, set the date, and choose the account in the relation field.
On the Accounts database, add a Rollup property for income. Pick the Transactions relation, then the Amount, and set Calculate to Sum. Filter the rollup to rows where Type is Income.
Add a second rollup for expenses the same way, but filter it to rows where Type is Expense. Set Calculate to Sum.
Add a Formula property called Balance that subtracts total expenses from total income. Use the two rollup properties in the formula.
Switch the Accounts database to Table view and hide the raw relation column. Check that each account shows its income, expenses and current balance.
Add a linked view of Transactions on your main page, grouped by account or sorted by date, so you can log new entries quickly.
Tips and common mistakes
Enter expenses as positive numbers and let the Type property do the sorting, so your rollup sums stay simple.
Update the balance by adding new transaction rows, not by editing the rollup values by hand.
Use a template button for new transactions so the Type and relation fields are filled in automatically.
Reconcile the Notion balance against your real bank statement once a month to catch missed entries.
Questions
Do I need a paid Notion plan?
No. Relations, rollups and formulas work on the free personal plan, which is enough for a few accounts and hundreds of transactions.
Can I track cash and credit cards too?
Yes. Add them as rows in the Accounts database like any bank account. For a credit card, treat payments as income and purchases as expenses.
Why is my balance wrong?
Check that each transaction is linked to an account and has the right Type. A missing relation or a wrong Income/Expense label will throw off the rollups.
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.
