Monthly Burn Rate Tracker — Free Google Sheets Template
Track your monthly expenses by category and see how your burn rate trends over time.
Preview of the Burn Rate Tracker spreadsheet showing monthly expenses by category with trend chart
This free spreadsheet tracks your monthly expenses across categories — payroll, tools and software, rent, marketing, contractors, and other — over 12 months. It calculates your gross burn rate (total expenses) and net burn rate (expenses minus revenue) each month and shows how both are trending.
The template includes a chart showing burn rate over time so you can spot upward trends before they become problems. It also calculates the percentage breakdown of your spending by category so you can see what drives your burn.
For founders who want automated burn tracking with anomaly alerts and trend analysis, RunwayCal monitors your burn rate continuously and flags spikes automatically.
What's included
- 12-month expense tracking grid by category
- Expense categories: Payroll, Tools/Software, Rent/Office, Marketing, Contractors, Other
- Gross burn rate calculation per month
- Net burn rate calculation (with revenue offset)
- Month-over-month change indicators
- Burn rate trend chart (12 months)
- Category percentage breakdown
- Average burn rate over trailing 3 months and 6 months
How to use this template
Make a copy
Click "Use this template" to create your own copy.
Enter expenses monthly
At the end of each month, enter your actual expenses in each category for that month.
Enter revenue
Add your monthly revenue so the net burn rate calculates correctly.
Check the trend chart
The burn rate chart updates automatically. Look for upward trends — that means your spending is increasing.
Review the category breakdown
See which categories are growing fastest. Payroll typically dominates — but watch for tool and contractor creep.
What this template can't do
- Requires manual monthly updates — if you forget, you have gaps in your trend data
- No anomaly detection — you have to visually spot spikes in the chart
- No connection to runway — burn rate changes don't automatically update a runway projection
- No alerts when a category spikes beyond a threshold
RunwayCal tracks burn automatically — and alerts you when it spikes
RunwayCal breaks down your burn into payroll, tools, and commitments with sparkline trends. Three anomaly rules flag cost spikes automatically: tool costs >25%, payroll >20%, commitment creep >30%. No manual updates needed.
- Burn composition donut chart with category breakdown
- Sparkline KPI cards with 6-month trends and delta indicators
- Expense anomaly detection — automatic alerts for cost spikes
- Weekly email digest with burn metrics and trend analysis