Updated Sep 24, 2026
Zero-Based Budget Notion Template
This Notion zero-based budget template assigns every dollar of income to an Envelope before you spend it. Envelopes track Assigned, Carryover and Available balances that update as you log Transactions, Accounts keep a real running Balance, and Budget Months shows what's still unassigned. Built for anyone who wants a YNAB-style system inside Notion.
One-time payment · Works on Notion Free · Instant Library access
Who it's for
Who it's for
- Anyone who's tried a 50/30/20 split and wants more control over exactly where each dollar goes
- Fans of the envelope budgeting method who want it inside Notion instead of a separate app
- Anyone paying down a credit card who wants transfers kept separate from real spending
- People who want a running account balance, not just a spending log
What's inside
What's inside
Envelopes that reset themselves
Spent filters your Transactions down to the current calendar month, so Available (Assigned plus Carryover minus Spent) is always this month's number with nothing to clear out by hand.
A real running Balance
Accounts compute Balance from Opening balance plus Income received plus Transfers in minus Spent, so it tracks what's actually in each account, not just what you've logged as expenses.
Transfers that don't double-count
Set Type to Transfer and pick a Transfer to account. Moving money between your own accounts, like paying off a card or funding a goal, updates both balances without touching any Envelope.
To be assigned, the actual zero-based number
Budget Months rolls up Income and every Envelope's Assigned amount into To be assigned (Income minus Assigned), plus a Pace signal for the month.
A page for every Envelope and Account
Open any Envelope or Account from its own list to see just its Transactions, instead of filtering the main log by hand.
How it works
How it works
Transactions are the base layer. Each one is tagged Expense or Transfer and linked to an Account, and spending ones also link to an Envelope. Envelope's Spent field filters those Transactions down to just the current calendar month, so Available always reflects this month without a manual reset. Accounts read the same Transactions a different way, rolling up Income received, Spent and Transfers in into a real running Balance. Budget Months then sums every Envelope's Assigned and Available a further hop, producing To be assigned and a Pace signal for the whole month.
Spec
- Databases
- 5
- Two-way relations
- 6
- Formulas
- 17
- Rollups
- 10
- Views
- 25
- One-click buttons
- 3
- Database templates
- 6
- Sample rows
- 29
- Databases Budget Months, Accounts, Envelopes, Income, Transactions
- Entity pages Accounts, Envelopes
- Buttons ➕ Log expense, 💰 Log income, 🔁 Move money
How to use
- 01
Zero-based means Income − Assigned = 0: every dollar has a job. The This month card's To be assigned is positive when dollars still need a home, negative when you've over-assigned.
- 02
Available = Assigned + Carryover − Spent, and Spent only ever counts this calendar month's transactions — Envelopes are reusable categories that reset themselves every month, nothing to duplicate or clear out by hand.
- 03
Left money in an envelope at month end? Add it to Carryover before the month turns over so it isn't lost.
- 04
Moving money between your own accounts — paying off a credit card, funding a savings goal — isn't a new expense. Set Type: Transfer and Transfer to; it updates both accounts' Balance without ever double-counting against an Envelope (leave Envelope empty unless the transfer is itself spending a goal's budget, like moving money into a savings goal).
- 05
Uncategorized (under Transactions) lists every expense with no Envelope — clear it out so every Available number stays accurate.
- 06
Every Envelope and every Account has its own page with just its own Transactions — open one from Envelopes or Accounts instead of filtering the main log by hand.
Setup
Setup
- 01
Duplicate the template into your own Notion workspace.
- 02
Add every account you spend from to Accounts with its Opening balance.
- 03
In Envelopes, set an Assigned amount for each one until To be assigned on the dashboard reads $0.
- 04
Log every purchase in Transactions against its Account and Envelope.
- 05
Delete the sample accounts, envelopes and transactions once your own are set up.
Compared
| This template | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Envelope reset each month | Automatic, from a calendar-month filter | Manually cleared or duplicated |
| Account balance | Computed from linked transactions | Retyped after every transaction |
| Transfers between accounts | Tracked without double-counting spending | Easy to accidentally count twice |
| To be assigned | Computed live as Income minus Assigned | Tracked in a separate running total |
§ FAQ
FAQ
What is zero-based budgeting?
Every dollar of income gets assigned to a spending category before you spend it, so Income minus Assigned equals zero and nothing sits unassigned. This template's Budget Months database computes that number live as To be assigned, so you always know if you still have dollars to give a job.
How do I create a zero-based budget in Notion?
Duplicate this template, add your accounts with their opening balances, then assign every dollar of income to an Envelope until To be assigned reads $0. Log each purchase against its Account and Envelope, and Available updates on its own.
Is zero-based budgeting the same as the envelope method?
Practically, yes. Both assign every dollar to a category before you spend it. This template's Envelopes are exactly that: reusable, monthly categories with an Assigned amount, following the older paper-envelope tradition.
Does this work on Notion's Free plan?
Yes. The full database structure, every formula and every button work on Notion's Free plan, with no paid subscription required.
Can I roll over unused money to next month?
Yes. Add whatever's left in an Envelope's Available balance to Carryover before the month turns over, and it carries forward instead of disappearing.
More from Money
- 14 Bills & Due Dates Never miss a payment — every bill's next due date, its full payment history and which account it drains, computed automatically instead of retyped every cycle. 5 db · 11 formulas · 2 buttons
- 08 50/30/20 Budget Split every paycheck into Needs (50%), Wants (30%) and Savings (20%). Tag each purchase with a Category and its Bucket, its Month status and the whole dashboard fill in on their own. 5 db · 23 formulas · 2 buttons
- 11 Debt Payoff Planner See every debt, its real interest cost and a projected debt-free date, then pay it down with the snowball or avalanche method — with a live focus-debt highlight and a payoff month that actually moves the moment you send extra dollars. 4 db · 26 formulas · 2 buttons
§ The Bundle
Get the whole Bundle
Zero-Based Budget plus 49 more templates, one payment.
One-time payment · Works on Notion Free · Instant Library access