How to Replace Notion Budget Templates With ClickUp
If you’ve outgrown Notion budget templates, ClickUp gives you a more structured way to track money, automate workflows, and collaborate on financial plans. This guide shows you step by step how to move from a Notion budget setup into ClickUp while keeping your budget easy to understand and manage.
The process below is based on the structure and best practices found in the original Notion budget templates comparison, but reworked as a practical how-to tutorial.
Step 1: Map Your Current Notion Budget Before Moving to ClickUp
Before you build anything in ClickUp, review how your current Notion budget works so nothing important gets lost.
List What Your Budget System Needs
Write down the core elements you rely on now, such as:
- Single- or multi-account tracking
- Personal vs. business budgets
- Recurring bills and subscriptions
- Debt payoff and savings goals
- Income streams and side hustles
- Reports (monthly, quarterly, annual)
For each item, note what Notion does well for you and where it falls short. This will guide what you rebuild in ClickUp.
Export Any Critical Notion Data
If you need old records, export relevant Notion pages or tables. Keep CSV files handy so you can copy and paste data into new lists inside ClickUp.
Step 2: Create a Budget Workspace in ClickUp
Next, set up a dedicated structure so your finances are clearly separated from other work.
Set Up a Finance Space in ClickUp
- Create a new Space and name it something like “Finances” or “Budget.”
- Choose a color and icon that stand out.
- Disable features you do not need (e.g., heavy development tools) to keep things clean.
This space becomes the home for every budget-related list in ClickUp.
Add Core Budget Lists
Inside the Space, create lists that mirror what you used in Notion, such as:
- Monthly Budget – for planned vs. actual spending
- Transactions – every expense and income line item
- Bills & Subscriptions – recurring payments with due dates
- Goals & Savings – sinking funds, emergency funds, and large purchases
- Business Budget (if needed) – revenue, costs, and profit tracking
Each list will become a focused view of one piece of your financial system in ClickUp.
Step 3: Build a Transactions List in ClickUp
A detailed transactions log is the backbone of any budget. Setting this up correctly in ClickUp makes reporting easier later.
Create Custom Fields for Transactions
In your Transactions list, add custom fields to match what you used in Notion, for example:
- Type (Expense or Income)
- Category (Groceries, Utilities, Rent, Software, etc.)
- Account (Bank, Credit Card, Cash, Business)
- Amount (Currency field)
- Date (Date field for when the transaction happened)
- Paid With (Card, transfer, cash, app)
- Notes (short description or reference)
These fields help you filter and group transactions in ClickUp without complex formulas.
Define a Simple Task Structure
Use one task per transaction. A basic, repeatable pattern could be:
- Task name: Vendor or payee (e.g., “Grocery Store – Weekly Shopping”)
- Due date: Transaction date
- Status: Logged / Reviewed / Disputed (if you reconcile statements)
- Custom fields: Fill in the amount, category, and account
You can quickly enter new items or paste from a CSV file to bulk-create tasks in ClickUp.
Step 4: Build a Monthly Budget View in ClickUp
Now turn transactional data into a usable plan for each month.
Group and Filter by Month
In your Transactions list, use ClickUp views to create a recurring monthly layout:
- Filter by Date is within this month
- Group by Category
- Show the Amount field and any other key details
This gives you a live picture of where money goes in a selected month, similar to a Notion table, but with more flexible grouping.
Create a Monthly Budget List
If you prefer a high-level budget, create a separate Monthly Budget list in ClickUp:
- Create one task per category (e.g., “Groceries,” “Rent,” “Software”).
- Add custom fields like “Planned Amount” and “Actual Amount.”
- Use the description or comments to add notes about changes from Notion or adjustments mid-month.
You can update the Actual field manually based on your Transactions list or use automations and rollups in ClickUp if you want more advanced linking.
Step 5: Track Bills and Subscriptions in ClickUp
Recurring bills are a major reason many people leave Notion templates. ClickUp offers clearer reminders and scheduling.
Create a Bills & Subscriptions List
In the Finance Space, set up a list called Bills & Subscriptions and add one task for each recurring payment. For every bill, define:
- Task name: Service or vendor (e.g., “Internet,” “CRM Subscription”).
- Due date: The next upcoming billing date.
- Recurring setting: Monthly, yearly, or custom.
- Custom fields: Amount, category, account, and type (fixed or variable).
This way, ClickUp will automatically generate new tasks as each bill comes due, something that is more manual in most Notion setups.
Use Views to Avoid Missing Payments
Add at least two views in this list:
- Calendar view – to see all bills laid out by due date.
- List view grouped by Status – so you can mark items as Paid or Pending and quickly see what still needs attention.
These views replace common Notion calendar layouts but with richer task behavior.
Step 6: Use ClickUp to Plan Savings and Goals
Goal tracking in Notion often relies on manual progress updates. ClickUp lets you use tasks and fields to show measurable movement toward saving or debt payoff.
Set Up a Goals & Savings List
Create a list called Goals & Savings and add one task per target, like:
- Emergency Fund
- Vacation Savings
- Debt Payoff – Card A
- Home Renovation Fund
Give each task:
- A target amount field
- A current balance field
- A deadline or target date
- A status such as Not Started, In Progress, or Completed
Update balances as you move money into savings or pay off debts, and use ClickUp comments to log key milestones.
Connect Goals to Your Monthly Planning
When you create monthly budgets, add a line item for each goal and schedule transfers as tasks. You can link these tasks back to the main goal task with relationships so ClickUp keeps your planning and execution tightly connected.
Step 7: Customize Views and Reports in ClickUp
To fully replace advanced Notion budget templates, you need clear overviews that update as you work.
Create Helpful Custom Views
Inside each list, build views that match the way you think about money:
- By Category – use grouping to see spending patterns.
- By Account – confirm balances between accounts.
- By Type – compare expenses and income streams.
- Review view – filter for items that need checking at month-end.
Each view in ClickUp is a different lens on the same data, sparing you from building separate Notion pages for every layout.
Use Dashboards for a Big-Picture Snapshot
For a more advanced setup, use Dashboards to create budget summaries:
- Charts of spending by category
- Totals of income vs. expenses
- Lists of upcoming bills
- Widgets showing progress toward goals
This pulls from your lists automatically once the fields and structures are in place.
Step 8: Review, Refine, and Automate in ClickUp
After a full month of budgeting in ClickUp, review what works and what does not.
Run a Monthly Budget Retrospective
Ask yourself:
- Are any fields unnecessary?
- Do you need more detail or less?
- Which views do you actually use daily or weekly?
- Is any process still manual that could be automated?
Then, adjust list structures, views, or fields accordingly.
Add Simple Automations
Use ClickUp automations to reduce repetitive tasks, for example:
- Change status to Reviewed when a transaction is moved into a certain list.
- Assign bills automatically to the person responsible for payment.
- Post a comment or notification when a due date is approaching.
Start small and expand as your comfort grows.
Next Steps and Additional Resources
By following these steps, you effectively translate the strengths of your Notion budget templates into a more structured, automated system inside ClickUp. From here, you can layer in advanced reporting, collaborative reviews, or even integrate budgeting with project work.
If you want expert help designing and optimizing a full productivity and finance system, you can learn more at Consultevo. For deeper comparisons between the original Notion templates and native budgeting tools, revisit the source ClickUp Notion budget article and adapt the concepts to your own setup inside ClickUp.
Need Help With ClickUp?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.
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