SheetLink

Google Sheets Bookkeeping: Automate Your Accounting

Google Sheets is one of the best tools for bookkeeping—it's flexible, free, and powerful enough to handle everything from personal expense tracking to small business accounting. The only problem? Manually entering transaction data is tedious.

SheetLink solves this by automatically syncing your bank transactions to Google Sheets using Plaid, turning your spreadsheet into a real-time bookkeeping system.

Why Use Google Sheets for Bookkeeping?

Professional accounting software like QuickBooks costs $30-75/month and locks your data behind proprietary interfaces. Google Sheets gives you:

  • Complete control - Build bookkeeping systems that match your exact workflow
  • Zero cost - Google Sheets is free (SheetLink has a free tier too)
  • Transparency - See every formula, every calculation, no black boxes
  • Flexibility - Custom categories, tags, reports, dashboards
  • Easy sharing - Send reports to your accountant or tax preparer instantly

How SheetLink Automates Google Sheets Bookkeeping

Instead of logging into your bank, downloading CSVs, and manually importing transactions, SheetLink does it all for you:

  1. Install SheetLink - Add the Chrome extension
  2. Connect Your Bank - Link checking, savings, or credit card accounts via Plaid
  3. Choose Your Bookkeeping Sheet - Point to your existing template or create a new one
  4. Auto-Sync Transactions - SheetLink writes each transaction as a row with date, amount, merchant, category
  5. Categorize & Reconcile - Use formulas to categorize expenses, track income, reconcile accounts

What Data Does SheetLink Sync for Bookkeeping?

Each bank transaction includes the fields you need for proper bookkeeping:

  • Date - Transaction date (important for cash vs. accrual accounting)
  • Description - Merchant name or payee
  • Amount - Debit or credit (negative = expense, positive = income)
  • Category - Auto-categorized by Plaid (customize with rules)
  • Account - Which bank account the transaction came from
  • Pending Status - Know if a transaction has cleared yet

From there, you can add your own columns for:

  • Business vs. Personal
  • Tax deductible tags
  • Project or client codes
  • Reconciliation checkmarks
  • Notes or receipts links

Google Sheets Bookkeeping Template

A simple bookkeeping system in Google Sheets needs three tabs:

1. Transactions (Raw Data)

This is where SheetLink writes your bank data. Columns: Date, Description, Amount, Category, Account.

2. Income & Expense Summary

Use SUMIF formulas to total income and expenses by category. Example:

=SUMIF(Transactions!D:D, "Food & Drink", Transactions!C:C)

3. Cash Flow Report

Track net cash flow over time with pivot tables or time-series charts. Monitor account balances, burn rate, or profit margins.

Small Business Bookkeeping in Google Sheets

If you run a small business, freelance operation, or side hustle, Google Sheets + SheetLink can handle your bookkeeping needs:

  • Track business expenses - Separate business transactions from personal
  • Categorize for taxes - Tag deductible expenses (office supplies, travel, software)
  • Generate P&L statements - Use formulas to calculate profit and loss by month/quarter
  • Reconcile accounts - Match bank balances to your Sheet balances monthly
  • Share with your accountant - Export to CSV or give view access for tax prep

When to upgrade to QuickBooks: If you need invoicing, payroll, inventory tracking, or multi-user collaboration, consider dedicated accounting software. But for expense tracking, cash flow monitoring, and basic P&L reports, Google Sheets is more than enough.

Is Google Sheets Secure for Bookkeeping?

Google Sheets is as secure as your Google account. To protect your bookkeeping data:

  • Enable 2-factor authentication on your Google account
  • Don't share sheets publicly - Keep financial data private or share only with specific people
  • Use SheetLink's read-only sync - SheetLink never reads your Sheet, only writes transaction data
  • Regularly back up important sheets - Download copies as Excel or PDF

Pricing: Free Bookkeeping for 7 Days of History

SheetLink is free forever for the last 7 days of transactions. This works well for:

  • Personal expense tracking
  • Weekly bookkeeping reviews
  • Cash flow monitoring

Need longer history for annual tax prep or monthly reconciliation? Upgrade to:

  • Basic ($1.99/month) - 90 days of history, auto-sync every 24 hours
  • Pro ($9.99/month) - 24 months of history, hourly sync, AI categorization, rules engine

Get Started with Google Sheets Bookkeeping

Stop manually entering transactions and start automating your bookkeeping. Install SheetLink and sync your first bank account in under 2 minutes.

Ready to automate your Google Sheets bookkeeping?

Free forever for 7 days of transaction history. No credit card required.

Add to Chrome - Start Bookkeeping