Personal financial statement: free template and example

The short answer: a personal financial statement lists everything you own and everything you owe on one date, and shows the difference: your net worth.

• Banks ask for one before a small business loan or a personal guarantee
• Families use one to track progress each year
• Free template: a two-page PDF
• A filled-in example and how SBA Form 413 differs
• Next step: Get the free personal financial statement template (we email it to you); want more? The If Something Happens to Me Binder is $11.99.

A personal financial statement is a short document that lists everything you own and everything you owe on one date, and shows the difference: your net worth. Banks ask for one before a small business loan, a mortgage on investment property or a personal guarantee. Families use one to see whether they are moving forward each year. Below is our free personal financial statement template, a two-page PDF, plus step-by-step instructions, a filled-in example, what goes in each section and how lender forms like SBA Form 413 differ.

To keep the details behind each line in one place, our If Something Happens to Me Binder has pages for bank and financial accounts, insurance policies, property and vehicles.

What is a personal financial statement?

A personal financial statement is the household version of a company's balance sheet. It answers one question: if you sold everything you own and paid off everything you owe today, what would be left? Investopedia's definition puts it the same way: it lists the assets and liabilities of an individual or couple, and net worth is assets minus liabilities.

There are two common versions:

• A personal planning statement. Just assets, liabilities and net worth, updated once or twice a year to track progress.
• A lender statement. Adds annual income, contingent liabilities and detailed schedules for real estate, loans and investments. The lender uses it with your credit report and tax returns.

What goes on a personal financial statement

Leave out everyday belongings like furniture and clothes unless something has real resale value. It keeps the statement honest and avoids inflating your net worth.

Personal financial statement example

Here is a simple example for a couple applying for a small business loan. All figures are illustrative.

Net worth: $503,500 − $249,100 = $254,400.

On a lender form they would also list annual income, say $118,000 in combined salary, and any contingent liabilities, such as a car loan co-signed for a son.

How to use our free personal financial statement template

The free personal financial statement template at the top of this page is two US Letter pages. You can print it and fill it in by hand, or keep it next to your computer while you type the numbers into a lender's form.

Page 1: assets, liabilities and net worth. Fill in the "as of" date first. List 13 types of assets on the left, from cash and checking to money owed to you, and 13 types of debts on the right, from credit cards to past-due bills. Total each column, subtract, and write your net worth in the box. Two extra lines let you record last year's net worth and the change.

Page 2: income and details. Lenders usually want annual income by source, so list salary, bonuses, business, rental and investment income. Then record contingent liabilities, like loans you co-signed. Three detail tables cover real estate, loans and credit lines and investments. A signature line sits at the bottom.

What lenders look at on your statement

A strong statement is not just a big number. It is an accurate one that matches every document the lender also sees.

Personal financial statement instructions: how to fill it out step by step

1. Choose an "as of" date. Every number should reflect the same day, usually the end of last month.
2. Gather statements. Pull your latest bank, brokerage, retirement, mortgage, loan and credit card statements.
3. List assets at today's value. Use market values for property and vehicles, not purchase prices.
4. List every debt at its payoff balance. Include small balances like a store card or medical bill.
5. Total each side and subtract. Assets minus liabilities equals net worth. It can be negative, and that is common early in life.
6. Add income and contingent liabilities if the statement is for a lender.
7. Review and sign. Check each figure against a statement. Lenders rely on your signature that it is accurate.
8. Save a copy with the date, so next year you can compare.

Personal liquidity statement: how much of your net worth you can actually use

A personal liquidity statement takes the asset side of your personal financial statement and sorts it by how fast each item can become cash without a big loss. Lenders look at it because a high net worth tied up in a house and a 401(k) does not pay a bill next month. You can build one from the same numbers in five minutes.

The couple in the example has $40,500 in liquid assets (the first two rows) against $3,100 in credit card debt, so their short-term debts are covered many times over. Most of their $503,500 in assets is not liquid: retirement money taken out before age 59½ generally owes a 10% additional tax on top of income tax, and a house or car takes weeks to sell.

To turn the statement into a planning tool, divide your liquid assets by one month of essential spending. The result is how many months you could cover if income stopped, which is the same question an emergency fund answers. Track it alongside net worth each year, or log it monthly on an emergency fund tracker.

Lender forms: SBA Form 413 and bank versions

If you are applying for an SBA-backed loan, the lender will ask for SBA Form 413. According to the SBA, the form is used to assess repayment ability and creditworthiness for 7(a) and 504 loans, disaster loans and surety bonds, and to review eligibility for the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and 8(a) programs. The current version took effect on February 13, 2025. Each owner with a significant share of the business usually completes one.

Banks and credit unions often have their own personal financial statement forms with similar sections. The work is the same, so keep your own completed template up to date and copy the numbers onto whatever form the lender requires.

Common mistakes lenders notice

• Using purchase price instead of market value for a home, car or business.
• Leaving off small debts like a store card or a personal loan from a family member.
• Forgetting contingent liabilities, especially co-signed loans.
• Mixing dates, such as a bank balance from today and a loan balance from six months ago.
• Numbers that do not match tax returns or bank statements the lender also sees.

Using a personal financial statement for your own planning

You do not need a loan application to benefit. Investor.gov recommends listing your assets and debts in a net worth statement and updating it every year. Comparing one year to the next shows whether paying down debt and saving are working.

For a deeper walkthrough of the math and national medians, see our guide on how to calculate net worth.

Personal vs. business financial statement templates

"Financial statement template" can mean two different things. A personal financial statement, like the free template on this page, lists one person's or couple's assets and liabilities on a single date. A business uses a set of financial statements instead: a profit and loss statement for income and expenses over a period, a balance sheet for what the business owns and owes, and a cash flow statement for the cash that moves in and out. If a lender asks a small business owner for financial statements, they usually want both: the business statements plus a personal financial statement from each owner. For the business side, see our free profit and loss statement template and cash flow statement example.

Keep the documents behind your statement organized

A personal financial statement is only as good as the records behind it. When account numbers, balances and policies are in one place, the next update takes 20 minutes instead of an afternoon.

• If Something Happens to Me Binder ($11.99): pages for bank and financial accounts, insurance policies, bills and subscriptions, property and vehicles, digital accounts and where to find documents. Everything you need for a personal financial statement, plus what your family would need in an emergency.
• Annual Budget Spreadsheet ($6.99): 12 monthly tabs, a transaction log and a planned vs. actual dashboard. It shows the yearly spending a lender may ask about.

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For the paper originals behind each line, a fireproof and waterproof document box keeps deeds, titles and statements in one place, and a 1-inch view binder holds your signed statement with last year's copy for comparison.

To pull your paperwork together, read how to organize important documents. If you are also checking how much of your income goes to debt, our guide on how to calculate debt-to-income ratio pairs well with your statement.

A financial statement is a great first step on an estate planning checklist, since your family will need to know what you own and owe. If others depend on your income, look at term life insurance at the same time.