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Free VAT & Tax Tracker (Excel, KES): output VAT, input VAT and VAT3 prep

VAT trips up honest wholesalers not because they will not pay but because the figures are scattered when the 20th comes round. This free VAT tracker keeps them together: log your sales and purchases, and it works out output VAT, input VAT and the VAT payable, or credit to carry forward, for every month, with a checklist that watches each filing deadline.

Choose free basic or KES 500 premium · opens in Excel or Google Sheets
Prefer Google Sheets? You don't need Microsoft Excel →
  1. Download the file above.
  2. Open Google Drive, then New → File upload and choose the file.
  3. Right-click it in Drive → Open with → Google Sheets. It becomes a fully editable Google Sheet — every formula and tab intact — and works on your phone too.

The .xlsx format opens free in Google Sheets, LibreOffice, or Excel for the web — no paid software required.

What's inside

  • Sales register with output VAT at 16% worked out per invoice
  • Purchases register with input VAT at 16% from each ETR invoice
  • Monthly output minus input VAT, giving payable or credit
  • Filing checklist that flags a VAT3 return overdue past the 20th
  • KES throughout; only the yellow cells accept typing
  • Works in Excel, WPS or Google Sheets, on a phone too

The tabs

  • Start Here (guide)
  • Sales
  • Purchases
  • Monthly Summary
  • Filing Checklist

Yellow cells only. You type in the yellow cells; the rest are locked formulas. Gridlines are off and it prints clean on A4.

Basic vs Premium

The free version does the job. The premium does more of it.

The free basic workbook above is a complete, formula-driven template you can use forever. The premium upgrade adds the extras that turn record-keeping into a management tool.

Basic — Free

  • The core sheets and formulas, in KES
  • Works in Excel or Google Sheets, on your phone
  • Yours to keep, no sign-up

Premium — KES 500

  • A dashboard of output vs input VAT and net payable by month, drawn as bars
  • A quarterly and year-to-date VAT analysis
  • A printable A4 monthly VAT summary to prepare your VAT3 figures
  • Kiswahili labels alongside English (Mauzo, Manunuzi, Kodi)
Get Premium — KES 500 · Excel (.xlsx) ↓Pay once via M-Pesa (Kenya) · yours to keep · opens in Excel or Google Sheets

On Sales, log each invoice with its taxable amount and output VAT at 16% and the gross are worked out. On Purchases, log each ETR tax invoice and input VAT at 16% fills in. The Monthly Summary works out output VAT minus input VAT for every month, your VAT payable or a credit, and the Filing Checklist reminds you the VAT3 return is due by the 20th of the following month and flags any month overdue.

Yellow cells are your only inputs and every total is a locked formula. The premium version adds a dashboard of output versus input VAT and net payable by month, a quarterly analysis, and a printable A4 monthly VAT summary to prepare your VAT3 figures. This is a preparation aid, not tax advice, and holds no data on our side. Opens in Excel, WPS or Google Sheets.

Do it online instead

Raise proper tax invoices with Biashara Yangu

Open the free tool →

Custom work

Need a template made just for you?

Can't find the exact workbook, or want one branded and built around how your business actually runs? We build custom Excel & Google Sheets — bespoke financial models, dashboards, sector trackers, data clean-up and automation. Need it in English or Kiswahili, or another language? Just ask. Tell us what you need and we'll quote.

Request a custom template or Excel service →Email info@leadafrik.com

Frequently asked questions

Is the basic version free?

Yes. The basic VAT tracker is free to download and keep. The premium upgrade, with a dashboard, a quarterly analysis and a printable monthly VAT summary, is an optional KES 500.

How is the VAT payable worked out?

For each month the sheet takes your output VAT on sales and subtracts the input VAT on your purchases. A positive figure is the VAT payable to KRA, and a negative one is a credit to carry forward.

Does it remind me when to file?

Yes. The Filing Checklist sets each VAT3 return due by the 20th of the following month, and flags a month OVERDUE in red if that date passes and you have not marked it filed. It is a preparation aid, not tax advice or a filing service.

Tools & templates you may need

Sales & Invoicing System →Business Profit Dashboard →Daily Cash Flow Tracker →Wholesale Inventory Management →Stock Reorder Calculator →Customer Credit Tracker →Purchase Order Tracker →Supplier Management System →Delivery & Dispatch Log →Biashara Yangu — free shop-books app →All templates →

Available in English, with Kiswahili labels in the premium version. Need it in another language, or a custom build? Email info@leadafrik.com.