P&L analysis by cost class and department in Google Sheets
Reading time: 7 min
Updated: July 12, 2026
1. Classify your chart of accounts
Define classes (staff costs, marketing, infrastructure) and assign each account to a class and a department. This dual dimension is the basis of the analysis.
2. Build the matrix P&L
Use QUERY to group by class and department and build a matrix of rows=class, columns=department. The cells fill themselves with your synced accounting.
3. Add variance vs budget
Once you have the actuals, cross-reference with your budget and calculate absolute and percentage variance. Traffic-light colours flag relevant deviations automatically.
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