Small Business Bookkeeping Spreadsheet (Light + Dark)

Did you actually make money this month, after Etsy fees, materials and shipping? This simple bookkeeping spreadsheet answers that for a one-person Etsy, handmade or small online shop, without accounting software. Light and dark versions are both included.

You fill in Setup once, then add to two lists as you go: Sales (one row per order) and Expenses (one row per cost). The Dashboard, the Profit & Loss and every total fill themselves. Each thing is typed once. No locked cells.

WHAT YOU GET · 5 FILES

• Small-Business-Bookkeeping.xlsx: your blank file (light), with Etsy's US fee rates and common expense categories already filled in
• Small-Business-Bookkeeping-Dark.xlsx: the same blank file in dark mode
• Small-Business-Bookkeeping-EXAMPLE.xlsx and Small-Business-Bookkeeping-Dark-EXAMPLE.xlsx: the same file filled with a made-up candle and soap shop, so you can click around first
• Small-Business-Bookkeeping-Quick-Start-Guide.pdf (4 pages): which file to open, the 3 steps, 7 simple rules with example rows, questions and answers, and your Google Sheets "Make a copy" links (light and dark)

9 TABS

• Start Here: three steps and short tips, with links to every tab
• Setup: business name, year and currency symbol; up to 8 sales channels (Etsy, Shopify, markets, wholesale…) with their own fee rates; Etsy's US fees in editable cells; money accounts; up to 20 expense categories with a monthly budget each; an optional mileage rate
• Dashboard: pick a month and see sales, fees, expenses, net profit, profit margin, orders, average order and sales tax collected; profit by channel; your top expenses against their budget, in red when over; a 12-month chart of sales, fees & expenses and net profit
• Sales: one row per order with date, channel, order number, item, quantity, item total, shipping charged, discount, sales tax, platform fees, payment fees, ads fees, shipping label and refund. Fees, net and month fill themselves. 1,000 rows ready.
• Expenses: one row per cost with date, category, vendor, what, amount, account and a Receipt ✔. 500 rows ready.
• Profit & Loss: the whole year month by month: sales, discounts, refunds, fees by type, shipping labels, every expense category and net profit, with year totals and running totals
• Price Check: type a price and your costs to see Etsy's fees, your profit per sale and your margin, plus a break-even price and a price for the margin you want
• Mileage (optional): one row per business trip; the value uses your rate per mile

Plus a Lists tab that fills the drop-downs by itself (no need to touch).

WHY IT'S SIMPLE

• Type each order once. The same row feeds the Dashboard, the Profit & Loss, profit by channel and the chart.
• Sales tax is kept apart. It is never counted as your income.
• No time to look up every fee? Leave the fee cells empty and the sheet estimates them from your rates in Setup. Type the real fees from your Etsy statement whenever you like.
• Refunds go on the same order row, so the month of the sale stays right.
• Each expense category has its own monthly budget and turns red when you go over.
• Price Check helps you price a new item before you list it.
• Nothing is locked. No passwords, no macros. Click any grey cell to see its formula.
• No video needed. The Start Here tab and the 4-page guide cover everything.

LIGHT AND DARK

• Both versions are in this download, with the same tabs and the same formulas. Pick the one you like.
• Light: a soft cream page. Type in the white boxes with a thin border.
• Dark: every tab is dark, the chart too. Type in the boxes with a thin border. Made for the screen: printing a dark tab uses a lot of ink.
• In both, grey cells fill themselves.

FROM THE EXAMPLE FILE

Made-up numbers, an example only. A small candle and soap shop with 121 orders on Etsy, Shopify and one market weekend, and 81 costs from January to October 2026. In October: 781.35 in sales, 71.62 in fees, 487.99 in expenses and 221.74 net profit, while materials went over their budget (240.00 against 180.00), so that row turns red. Your numbers will be different.

HOW IT WORKS

1. After checkout, click the download button on your order confirmation page. The same download link is also in your order confirmation email.
2. Open the quick-start guide. Use a Google Sheets link to make your own copy (light or dark), or open a blank .xlsx in Excel.
3. Setup, about 5 minutes: your channels, your fee rates and your expense categories.
4. Add sales and costs as you go: one row per order, one row per cost.
5. Once a month, pick the month on the Dashboard and see what you really kept.

COMPATIBILITY

• Google Sheets: use the "Make a copy" links in the guide (a free Google account is needed)
• Excel 2016 or newer on Windows (tested in Excel 2021)
• On a Mac? Use the Google Sheets copy
• Set it up on a computer. On a phone or tablet, open your copy in the free Google Sheets app to add entries and check it on the go. Phone web browsers show a read-only view.
• Not for Apple Numbers.
• Etsy's fee rates are for US shops and can be changed in Setup. Any currency: pick or type your currency symbol. It's a label only; nothing is converted.
• Rows ready: 1,000 orders, 500 costs, 300 trips, 8 channels, 20 expense categories. Copy the last row down for more.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Digital download. No physical item will be shipped.
• For personal use only: use it for your own shop. You may gift one copy to one person. Please don't share, resell or redistribute the files or the Google Sheets links beyond that.
• Not tax advice. This spreadsheet is for your records; talk to a tax professional about your taxes, sales tax and deductions.
• English only.
• Colors may look slightly different on different screens.
• ADHD-friendly by design: short steps, one place to type each thing, nothing hidden behind passwords.
• Designed with the help of AI tools, then checked by hand.
• Questions? Email us at lysansan24@gmail.com and we'll help.

MORE FROM OUR SHOP

Want a budget for your home money too? See our Simple Budget Spreadsheet, in light or dark mode. Busy season? Our Task & Project Tracker keeps every to-do in one list, and our Holiday Budget & Gift Tracker plans every gift.