Simple Ways To Track Geared Property Cashflow With Spreadsheets

You can track geared property cashflow in Australia with a simple spreadsheet by listing rent, key expenses and loan details, then calculating monthly net cashflow and a rough tax impact. You don’t need to be an accountant – if you can add, subtract and copy a formula, you can build decision‑grade numbers that show whether a property is funding you or draining you.

This guide walks you through a practical layout you can set up this week, plus a stress‑test view so higher rates or lower rent don’t catch you by surprise.

A basic spreadsheet is enough to track geared property cashflow.

1. What “cashflow” you actually need to track

For geared property, track three layers:

1. Operating cashflow – rent in, core expenses out.
2. Financing cashflow – loan repayments and interest.
3. After‑tax position – rough estimate of the tax refund or extra tax.

You don’t need full tax schedules. Your goal is to answer:

• Is this property positive or negative per month, before tax?
• After expected tax, how much is it costing or paying me each year?
• What happens if rates jump or my income drops?

These questions line up with the modelling we use when testing gearing resilience and buffers in other pieces, like quietly de‑risking a geared portfolio.

2. Set up a simple property cashflow spreadsheet

Use Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. Structure matters more than software.

2.1 One tab per property

Create a workbook called Property Cashflow. Inside it:

• Tab 1 – Summary (portfolio view)
• Tab 2 – Property 1
• Tab 3 – Property 2 …and so on.

Treat each property like a separate business unit, consistent with the principle that each geared property should stand on its own legs.

2.2 Core inputs to capture (no jargon)

On each property tab, put inputs at the top:

Income

• Weekly rent (e.g. $650)
• Weeks vacant assumed per year (e.g. 2)

Loan details

• Loan balance (e.g. $600,000)
• Interest rate (e.g. 6.2% p.a.)
• Repayment type (P&I or interest‑only)
• Term remaining (years)

Annual expenses (estimate)

• Council rates
• Water
• Strata/body corporate
• Land tax (if any)
• Landlord insurance
• Property management fees (as % of rent plus estimated $)
• Repairs and maintenance (realistic allowance)
• Other (accounting fees, small subscriptions, etc.)

2.3 Basic outputs and formulas

Below the inputs, build a small summary box that shows:

• Gross annual rent = weekly rent × (52 – vacancy weeks)
• Total annual expenses (non‑loan) = sum of all expense lines
• Annual loan repayments – use a loan repayment formula or a loan calculator and type in the annual figure
• Net cashflow before tax = gross rent – expenses – loan repayments
• Net cashflow per month = annual net ÷ 12

You don’t need to build a perfect amortisation schedule. For most people, a solid annual repayment figure from a calculator is enough to make decisions.