For freelancers, creators & side-hustlers
Lumpy income.Steady paycheck.
Steady is a spreadsheet for people whose income changes every month. It sets aside your tax, tracks your budget and unpaid invoices, and pays you the same salary every month from a buffer that big months top up and slow months draw down.
Try the Paycheck Smoother
Sound familiar?
Freelance money is unpredictable. Your rent isn't.
“Great month… so why am I broke in March?”
A $9k month followed by a $3k month makes budgeting feel like guessing.
→ Steady pays you a fixed salary from a buffer.
“Wait, I owe how much tax?”
Nobody withholds for you, so the bill arrives all at once.
→ Every paid invoice auto-calculates your set-aside.
“Did Acme ever pay that invoice?”
Unpaid work hides in your inbox while you wonder where the money went.
→ Unpaid invoices sit front and center on your dashboard.
Only in Steady · Money Weather
See money storms months before they hit.
Most budgets only show what already happened. Steady forecasts your next 6 months from your buffer, retainers, unpaid invoices and the work you're likely to win, then tells you how much more to book to stay safe.
Your pipeline · drag the chance of winning each deal
Example: $12,000 buffer, $2,400 retainer, $1,800 invoice due in Jan, $3,500 paycheck, 25% tax set-aside, 3-month runway target.
What's inside
Ten tabs. Two minutes a week.
You log income and expenses. Everything else is calculated for you: the dashboard, your safe paycheck, quarterly tax, overdue invoices, your hourly rate and your goals.
Dashboard
August ▾| Category | Budget | Spent | Progress | Left |
|---|
Paycheck Smoother
Year 2026| Buffer account | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer at start of month | 6,337 | 5,041 | 6,630 | 9,380 | 11,648 |
| + Income received | 3,416 | 7,260 | 8,779 | 8,174 | 4,509 |
| − Tax set-aside | −854 | −1,815 | −2,195 | −2,044 | −1,127 |
| − Business expenses | −358 | −356 | −334 | −363 | −1,754 |
| − Your paycheck | −3,500 | −3,500 | −3,500 | −3,500 | −3,500 |
| Buffer at end of month | 5,041 | 6,630 | 9,380 | 11,648 | 9,775 |
| Months of runway | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 2.8 |
Income swung from 3,416 to 8,779 a month. The paycheck stayed at 3,500 every month. Runway below your target turns red.
Tax tracker
Quarterly| Period | Set aside | Paid | Still to pay | Due date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 · Jan–Mar | 3,316 | 3,316 | – | 2026-04-15 | ✓ Paid |
| Q2 · Apr–May | 3,228 | 3,228 | – | 2026-06-15 | ✓ Paid |
| Q3 · Jun–Aug | 6,053 | 6,054 | – | 2026-09-15 | ✓ Paid |
| Q4 · Sep–Dec | 5,420 | – | 5,420 | 2027-01-15 | Upcoming |
Includes a year-to-date business profit & loss for your accountant. Periods and due dates are editable for any country.
Income & invoices
Net 30| Date | Client | Description | Amount | Status | Overdue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | Northwind Studio | Monthly retainer | 2,400.00 | Paid | |
| 2026-08-11 | Upwork / Fiverr | Website build | 4,200.00 | Paid | |
| 2026-08-19 | Bluebird Agency | Logo refresh | 1,200.00 | Paid | |
| 2026-08-24 | Bluebird Agency | Social media kit | 950.00 | Invoiced | 16 days |
| 2026-08-28 | Digital product sales | Template sales | 374.00 | Paid |
Set your payment terms once. Unpaid invoices past their due date light up red, and the tax set-aside fills in when you mark an invoice Paid.
Rate calculator
From your Setup| What you need to charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Yearly take-home pay + business costs | 48,600 |
| Revenue needed (after 25% tax, 10% cushion) | 71,280 |
| Billable hours (46 weeks × 25 h) | 1,150 |
| Minimum hourly rate | 61.98 |
| Minimum day rate | 372 |
| On pace this year? | ✓ Yes |
Change any input to test a scenario: fewer hours, more time off, a raise.
Savings goals
Auto-calculated| Goal | Target | Saved | Progress | Save / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency fund (3 months) | 10,500 | 6,000 | 2,250 | |
| Tax bill reserve | 9,000 | 4,500 | 750 | |
| New laptop | 2,200 | 650 | 310 | |
| Vacation | 3,000 | 900 | 233 |
Set a target and a date. Steady tells you how much to save each month to get there.
Shown with the sample data included in the download (a fictional designer's year).
Everything a freelancer's budget needs
Built for income that doesn't arrive on the 1st.
Money Weather
A 6-month forecast from your buffer, invoices and weighted pipeline. Clear, Watch or Storm, plus how much work to book.
Paycheck Smoother
Pay yourself one steady salary. Your buffer and months of runway update as you log.
Safe paycheck
Steady averages your real months and tells you the most you can pay yourself without draining the buffer.
Quarterly tax & P&L
Set-aside vs paid per period with due dates, plus a business profit & loss for your accountant.
Overdue invoice alerts
Set your payment terms once. Late invoices turn red and show up on the dashboard.
Rate calculator
The hourly and day rate you need to fund your paycheck, business costs, tax and a cushion.
Budget vs actual
25 Business and Personal categories with progress bars and red alerts when you overspend.
Income by client
See who really pays your bills, with a warning when one client is more than half your income.
Savings goals
Emergency fund, tax bill, new laptop. Track progress and get a monthly savings target.
Free tool
What should you charge?
The same math as Steady's Rate tab. Most freelancers who try it find they've been undercharging.
How Steady compares
App features. Spreadsheet price.
| Steady | Budgeting apps | Typical budget templates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once | $79–$109 a year | $13–$30 once |
| Built for irregular income | ✓ | Some | Some |
| 6-month forecast from your pipeline | ✓ Money Weather | – | – |
| Safe-paycheck recommendation | ✓ | – | Rare |
| Quarterly tax tracker with due dates | ✓ | Some | Some |
| Overdue invoice alerts | ✓ | – | Rare |
| Rate calculator | ✓ | – | – |
| Bank sync | – (your data stays private) | ✓ | – |
| Excel, Google Sheets & Numbers | ✓ all three | App only | Usually one |
Based on public listings and pricing pages for popular budgeting apps and Etsy/Payhip spreadsheet templates, October 2026.
How it works
Set up in 10 minutes. Then just log.
Download & open
Open the file in Excel or Numbers, or upload it to Google Sheets for free phone sync.
1 minuteFill in Setup
Your tax rate, the paycheck you want, your clients and budget categories. Change them any time.
10 minutes, onceLog as money moves
Add invoices and expenses from your phone or laptop. The dashboard, year view and goals update instantly.
2 minutes a weekWorks everywhere
No app to install. No subscription.
Steady is a regular spreadsheet file, so it's yours forever, works offline and keeps your data private.
Pricing
One price. Yours for good.
Budgeting apps charge $10–$15 every month. Steady costs less than two months of one, and you pay once.
day
Money-back guarantee. If Steady doesn't help you get a handle on your income within 30 days, email us and we'll refund you in full.
- Steady spreadsheet (.xlsx): 10 tabs, including Money Weather forecast, Dashboard, Paycheck Smoother, Tax, Rate and Goals
- Demo file with a full year of sample data to explore
- Works in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers & LibreOffice
- Any currency. Reuse it every year
- Free updates and email support
Checkout opens in the next few days. Bookmark this page and come back soon!
Secure checkout. Download link arrives by email right away.
FAQ
Questions
Do I need Excel?
No. The file opens in Google Sheets (free), Apple Numbers (free on Apple devices) or LibreOffice (free). Upload it to Google Drive and choose "Open with Google Sheets" to use it on your phone.
I'm not a spreadsheet person. Is it hard?
You only type in the cream-colored cells. Dropdowns handle clients and categories, and a Start Here tab walks you through setup in five short steps. Everything else calculates itself.
Does it handle quarterly taxes?
Yes. The Tax tab adds up your set-aside for each tax period, tracks what you've paid and shows due dates with a status (Paid, Due in X days, Overdue). It defaults to the US quarterly schedule, and you can change the periods and dates to match your country. It's a savings tracker, not tax advice.
Does it work outside the US?
Yes. Pick any currency symbol, and set the tax set-aside percentage that fits where you live. The set-aside is a savings estimate, not tax advice.
I'm not a freelancer. Is it for me?
If your income changes month to month (contractors, creators, consultants, gig workers, small-business owners, commission sales), Steady was built for you. Salaried side-hustlers use it to track the side income separately.
Does it connect to my bank?
No, on purpose. Your financial data never leaves your file. Many people find a weekly two-minute log also makes them more aware of their spending.
How do I get the file?
Right after checkout you'll get an email with a download link (a .zip containing the spreadsheet and the demo file). You can download it again any time from that email.
What if it's not for me?
Email us within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.