Free template
Project budget template (free Excel download)
Build a budget from the bottom up: one line per cost item with a quantity and a rate. The sheet adds the lines, applies your contingency and management reserve percentages and gives the total.
Download
Free, no sign-up. .xlsx, 8 KB. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice.
What is inside
Build a budget from the bottom up: one line per cost item with a quantity and a rate. The sheet adds the lines, applies your contingency and management reserve percentages and gives the total.
| WBS | Free text. |
|---|---|
| Cost item | Free text. |
| Category | Pick from a drop-down: Labour, Materials, Equipment, Subcontract, Other |
| Quantity | A number. |
| Unit | Free text. |
| Unit rate | An amount in your currency. |
| Cost | Calculated for you. |
A summary block under the table adds everything up: Base estimate, Contingency %, Contingency reserve, Cost baseline, Management reserve %, Management reserve, Total project budget.
Example rows show what good entries look like. Overwrite them, and add rows as you need; the formulas copy down.
How to use it
- Add one line per cost item under its WBS code, with a quantity, a unit and a rate.
- Set your contingency and management reserve percentages in the summary block.
- Use the cost baseline as the budget you measure against; keep the management reserve for the sponsor.
The full method, with a worked example, is in this article.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
A spreadsheet works for one project and one person. Once several people update it, or you need the numbers on a dashboard, copies drift apart. Critova has budgets, cost entries and earned value on every project, shared by the whole team and free during the launch.
Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Download it, change it and use it at work. No sign-up and no email address needed.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; the formulas and drop-downs keep working.
Is there an Arabic version?
Yes. Every template comes in English and in Arabic, and the Arabic file is laid out right to left.
Bring one schedule. See your critical path in an hour.
Free during our launch until 31 March 2027.
