Demo dataStart Here
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Freelancer Cash at a Glance · Excel 365
What needs my attention this week, and what's safe to spend?
For freelancers, consultants and solo operators who send invoices, pay their own bills and keep money aside for tax.
A one-screen weekly money view for freelancers and solo operators: invoices, bills, tax set-aside and safe to spend.
- Yellow cells: you type. Leave every other cell to the workbook.
01What it answers
Three questions, answered every week
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What needs action this week?
Needs attention lists up to five things to do, most urgent first, each with its amount. The first line, Do this next, names the action and its date, for example "Chase 2 overdue invoices. Oldest: Sample Studio, due 15 Sep 2026, 20 days late."
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What's safe to spend?
Cash in the bank, minus tax to set aside, bills due in the weeks you look ahead (overdue bills included) and the buffer you keep. Money not yet received is never counted.
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How many weeks does my cash cover?
If nothing else comes in: cash after tax and overdue bills, divided by your average weekly bills over the next 13 weeks. A note says how many weeks the buffer alone covers.
02Demonstration
See the actual workbook
Start Here. Setup in three steps: your currency, cash in the bank and the date you checked it. Tax rate, buffer and weeks to look ahead are optional.
At a Glance. Needs attention, most urgent first, and six figures: money coming in, overdue invoices, bills to pay, tax to set aside, safe to spend and the weeks your cash covers.
Money. One row per invoice you are owed and per bill you pay. Retainers, rent, subscriptions and your own pay are typed once and repeat.
Guide. Every input, calculation and check explained, with a five-minute weekly routine and what to do after a skipped week.
03What's inside
Four sheets, one job
Demo dataDemo dataAt a Glance
Below the figures: nine named checks and a breakdown that shows every step of each figure.
Demo dataMoney
Rows repeat weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, quarterly or yearly, with an optional end date.
Overdue, Due today and Next 7 days are shown in words.
Demo dataGuide
Read it in the workbook or print it.
Exactly what's in the download
One ZIP file (about 725 KB), delivered by Payhip straight after payment.
| File | What it is | Size |
|---|---|---|
| xlsxfreelancer- |
The workbook for your own money | 628 KB |
| xlsxfreelancer- |
The same workbook with a fictional designer's money | 631 KB |
| htmlSTART- |
Open this first: every file and where to begin | 11 KB |
| mdquick- |
Setup, the weekly routine and reading At a Glance | 8 KB |
| mdmetric- |
Every field and calculation defined | 11 KB |
| mdsupport- |
Where it's tested, and how to get help | 5 KB |
| mdlicense. |
License terms for both tiers | 3 KB |
| mdrelease- |
What is in this version | 3 KB |
| mdmoney- |
The 30-day money-back guarantee | 1 KB |
| txtMANIFEST- |
Checksums to verify your download | 1 KB |
04Setup
Ready in about 5 minutes (estimate)
Fill in Setup on Start Here your currency, cash in the bank and the date you checked it. The other settings are optional.
About 2 minutes.Add your invoices and bills on Money one row per unpaid invoice and one per bill. Type a retainer or a repeating bill once and choose how often it repeats.
About 1 minute per row.Open At a Glance and work down Needs attention then set a weekly calendar reminder to update the balance and mark what was paid.
About 2 minutes.
Estimate: a first setup with 10 invoices and bills takes about 15 minutes. After that, about 5 minutes a week.
05Worked example
One week at a fictional design studio
Fictional example
A fictional designer has US$8,450 in the bank on Oct 5, 2026 and keeps a US$3,000 buffer. Over the next 4 weeks, US$4,200 is due in and US$4,375 of bills is due out, including one overdue bill. Two invoices worth US$2,750 are overdue, the oldest 20 days late, so Do this next says to chase them. At a 25% tax rate, US$762.50 of the payments received since Sep 19 goes aside for tax. That leaves US$312.50 safe to spend, and 7.8 weeks of bills covered if nothing else comes in.
| Cash in the bank | US$8,450.00 |
|---|---|
| Tax to set aside at 25% | −US$762.50 |
| Overdue bills | −US$350.00 |
| Bills due by Nov 1 | −US$4,025.00 |
| Buffer to keep | −US$3,000.00 |
| Safe to spend | US$312.50 |
| Cash after tax and overdue bills | US$7,337.50 |
|---|---|
| Average weekly bills, next 13 weeks | US$945.77 |
| Weeks your cash covers | 7.8 |
The designer and the clients are fictional. These are the figures in the worked-example workbook, not a customer result.
06Fit
Is it right for you?
Good fit
- Freelancers, consultants and solo operators who invoice clients
- Anyone who pays their own bills from one business account and keeps money aside for tax
- People who want one weekly view of what's due in, what's due out and what's safe to spend
- Anyone who wants the figures in a file they can check line by line
Not a fit
- You need bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, bank reconciliation or tax returns.
- You need a 12-month cash plan with late-payment and lost-client scenarios. The Cash & Runway Planner does that.
- You hold money in several currencies and need each one tracked.
- You want payments and balances to arrive automatically from your bank or other software.
- You need reminders sent to you. The workbook shows what needs action only when you open it.
Known limitations
- It is a money view, not accounting. Figures come from what you type, not from your bank.
- One currency per file. Convert money in other currencies before you type it.
- Tax set-aside is a rate you choose, applied to payments received. It is not a tax calculation or tax advice.
- A repeating row assumes every payment before today was made. If one was missed, add it as its own row.
- It can't remind you. Dates move only while the file is open, so set a weekly calendar reminder to open it.
- Tested in Excel 365 for Windows desktop. Mac, Excel for the web and the Google Sheets edition are not yet tested.
- Excel mobile and the Google Sheets mobile apps are for viewing only, not data entry.
- Capacity is 500 rows on the Money sheet; more needs the steps in the Guide.
07Tested on
Where it has been tested
The Testing Standard page explains how releases are tested. "Not yet tested" means exactly that: it may work, but we haven't confirmed it.
Latest test run
35/39
- Workbook version1.0.0
- Last testedOct 29, 2026
- Excel 365, Mac desktopNot yet tested
- Excel for the webNot yet tested
- Google Sheets (native edition)Not yet tested
- Excel mobile (iOS, Android)Not supported
What the cases cover
- The worked example as shipped, every figure and every Needs attention line, checked against an independent calculation
- Look-ahead of 1 and 13 weeks, a View as of date, a balance 15 days old or blank, and cash short of the bills
- Repeating rows across month ends, a leap day, quarterly dates, an ending row and first payments in the future
- Each check forced to fail, clearing the sample data, the dark theme, and capacity raised from 500 to 1,000 rows
| Environment | Status | Checks | Version and build | Last tested | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excel 365, Windows desktop | Tested with notes | 35/39 passed, 4 not yet run | Workbook 1.0.0 · Excel 16.0.20527.20112 · Windows Server 2025 Standard 10.0.26100 | Oct 29, 2026 | Automated runs on temporary copies: every calculated value and every Needs attention line against an independent calculation, checks, validation, protection, clearing, theme, print on Letter and A4, and capacity. Not run: 4 checks that need the Excel interface, a system setting or a person. Not applicable, so not counted: 3.11 (plausibility warnings: every input rule here is a hard limit); 3.17 (exchange-rate check: each file holds one currency); 3.27 (charts: the workbook has no charts). |
| Excel 365, Mac desktop | Not yet tested | — | — | — | Not yet tested. |
| Excel for the web | Not yet tested | — | — | — | Not yet tested. |
| Google Sheets (native edition) | Not yet tested | — | — | — | Not yet tested. The Google Sheets edition is free for every buyer when it ships. |
| Excel mobile (iOS, Android) | Not supported | — | — | — | Viewing only; not tested for data entry. |
| Google Sheets mobile apps | Not supported | — | — | — | Viewing only; not tested for data entry. |
| Google Sheets (importing the .xlsx) | Not supported | — | — | — | Use the native Google Sheets edition. |
| LibreOffice Calc | Not yet tested | — | — | — | — |
| Apple Numbers | Not yet tested | — | — | — | — |
What changed in 1.0.0
Oct 29, 2026First release, in Excel 365. The Google Sheets edition is free for every buyer when it ships.
- One screen, At a Glance: up to five Needs attention lines, most urgent first, each with its amount.
- Six key figures: money coming in, overdue invoices, bills to pay, tax to set aside at a rate you choose, safe to spend and the weeks your cash covers.
- One Money sheet for invoices and bills, 500 rows, with repeating rows typed once.
- Overdue, Due today and Next 7 days in words, a look-ahead of 1 to 13 weeks, and a View as of date.
- Excel 365, Windows desktop: Tested with notes, 35 of 39 checks passed, 4 not yet run, workbook 1.0.0, Excel 16.0.20527.20112 on Windows Server 2025 Standard 10.0.26100, tested Oct 29, 2026. Not applicable, so not counted: 3.11 (plausibility warnings: every input rule here is a hard limit); 3.17 (exchange-rate check: each file holds one currency); 3.27 (charts: the workbook has no charts). Excel for Mac, Excel for the web and Google Sheets: not yet tested.
Inputs affected: No. First release.
08What you get
What you get
Each purchase includes the files above, updates, email support and a license for your business.
- Workbook: 4 sheets, no macros, no external connections; tested in Excel 365 for Windows desktop. The Google Sheets edition is free for every buyer when it ships.
- Updates: 1.x updates are free and are delivered through Payhip.
- License: Single-business, for one business and all its staff. Agency/Team is store-wide: the tracker's US$99 Agency/Team license, or the bundle's US$129 Agency/Team tier, covers this workbook too, for up to 5 client businesses.
- Support: Email support; we reply within 1 business day (Monday to Friday, Australian Eastern time).
- Guide: a Guide sheet inside the workbook, plus a setup guide on this site.
- Google Sheets: the Google Sheets edition is included free for every buyer when it ships.
09License
License
Two licenses. Both let you edit the workbook, keep backups and share the reports it produces. Neither lets you pass the editable file to another business. Tracking your own clients is exactly what Single-business is for. You need Agency/Team only if you keep a working copy for another business's own figures.
Single-business
included at US$19
For one business or sole trader, and everyone who works in it: staff and contractors.
- Allowed
- Edit and extend the workbook, keep backups, share reports and results with your team, clients, advisers and board.
- Not allowed
- Using it for a second business, giving an editable copy to a client or anyone outside the business, reselling or posting it online.
Buy for US$19
30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
Agency/Team
Store-wide
For an agency and up to 5 client businesses it manages, and everyone who works in the agency. Store-wide: it covers every Metricvalley business template your business owns.
Agency/Team is store-wide: the Client Profitability Tracker's US$99 Agency/Team license, or the Agency Operating Bundle's US$129 Agency/Team tier, covers every Metricvalley business template your business owns, including this workbook, for up to 5 client businesses. This workbook has no Agency/Team price of its own.
- Allowed
- Everything in Single-business, plus separate working copies for up to 5 client businesses you manage, as long as you keep the file and send them the results.
- Not allowed
- Giving clients or anyone outside your agency an editable copy, reselling, or including it in a product, course or template library.
The full terms are in the download and shown before checkout. Nothing in them limits rights you have under consumer law. Read the full license terms.
10Guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee
If the workbook isn't right for your business, email [email protected] within 30 days of purchase with your order number. You'll get a full refund to your original payment method. No questions asked and no forms to fill in; we only ask that you delete your copies. This guarantee is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law and any other consumer law that applies to you.
11FAQ
Questions before you buy
How is "safe to spend" worked out?
Cash in the bank, minus the tax to set aside, the bills due in the weeks you look ahead, any overdue bills and the buffer you keep. Money you haven't received yet is never counted, and overdue invoices are shown on their own. The breakdown under the figures shows every step.
What happens if I skip a week?
Nothing breaks and nothing resets. Unpaid invoices and bills stay overdue until you type a Paid on date, and repeating rows roll forward on their own. If the balance is more than 7 days old, Needs attention asks you to update it.
Can it remind me when something is due?
No. A spreadsheet can't send reminders, and its dates move only while it is open. Setup step 3 asks you to set a weekly calendar reminder to open it.
Does it connect to my bank or accounting software?
No. You type your balance, your invoices and your bills. There are no macros or connections, so nothing changes unless you change it.
Does it work out my tax?
No. You choose a tax set-aside rate, and the workbook applies it to payments received since you last moved money aside. It is a rate you choose, not a tax calculation or tax advice.
How is it different from the Cash & Runway Planner?
This workbook is the weekly view for one person: today plus the next 1 to 13 weeks, on one screen. The Cash & Runway Planner is the monthly view for a business with payroll: 12 months, scenarios and charts.
Can I keep copies for clients?
Only with Agency/Team, which is store-wide: the Client Profitability Tracker's US$99 Agency/Team license, or the Agency Operating Bundle's US$129 Agency/Team tier, covers every Metricvalley business template your business owns, including this one, for up to 5 client businesses. This workbook has no Agency/Team price of its own.
Is the Google Sheets edition included?
Yes. The Google Sheets edition is included free for all buyers when it ships. It is built from the same specification, with the same sheets and checks. When it is ready, you get its Make a copy links through Payhip. Until then, use the Excel file: importing the .xlsx into Google Sheets is not supported.
What happens after I pay?
Checkout is handled by Payhip. You get a download link on the confirmation page and by email: one ZIP file with a blank workbook, a filled-in example workbook and eight short files, including START-HERE.html, the license terms and a checksum manifest.
Does it work on a Mac?
It hasn't been tested in Excel for Mac yet, so we don't say it works there. The current version is tested in Excel 365 for Windows desktop, and it uses no macros. The compatibility page lists every environment and its status. If you buy it for a Mac and it doesn't work as described, the 30-day money-back guarantee gives you a full refund.
More answers in the setup guide and the help center.