What is a franking credits tracker used for?

It helps you record dividend payments, attached franking credits and tax notes in one workbook. That makes it easier to work out grossed-up income and keep your records ready for tax time.

Do I need to record both cash dividends and franking credits?

Yes. The cash amount is what hits your bank account, but the franking credit is part of the taxable dividend calculation, so you need both figures if you want the return to be correct.

How long should I keep the file and supporting statements?

Keep them for 5 years. That includes dividend statements, broker reports and any notes you used to support the totals in your return.

What if a dividend is only partly franked?

Record the cash amount, the franked portion and any unfranked amount separately. That way you can see the split clearly and avoid guessing when you prepare your tax records.

Can I use this for ETFs as well as shares?

Yes. ETFs often pay distributions rather than ordinary company dividends, but the same register still works if you add the right notes in the Tax Notes sheet.

When should I update the tracker?

Update it as soon as each distribution is paid or declared in your statement. A quick weekly or monthly check is usually enough unless you hold a large portfolio with frequent payments.

Accounting & GST

Franking Credits Tracker Excel - Free Template

Tracks dividend dates, franked amounts, franking credits and tax notes across Dividends, Summary and Tax Notes sheets.

2026-06-25

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Screenshot 1: Dividends tab - Excel template franking credits tracker excel template australia

This franking credits tracker Excel template records dividend payments, franking percentages and tax notes in one place. It includes Dividends, Summary and Tax Notes sheets so you can see cash received, franked income and credits at a glance.

It suits shareholders, ETF investors and self-managed super fund trustees who want clean records for tax time. You can line up each dividend with the franking credit attached, then use the summary sheet to total the numbers without manual sorting.

The layout is built for real tracking, not just note-taking. You enter each payment once, keep the ATO details close by, and have a tidy trail for reconciliation when your return is due.

The key benefits of this Excel template

Keeps every dividend in one register, so you can trace each payment back to the source.
Shows franked and unfranked amounts separately, which makes tax prep much quicker.
Helps you total cash dividends, franking credits and grossed-up income without rebuilding the sheet each time.
Makes reconciliation easier when your broker statement and bank deposits do not match line-for-line.
Cuts down on missed entries at tax time, especially when you hold shares across more than one broker or platform.
Gives you a simple summary for your profit and loss or personal tax records, with no software login needed.
Provides a clear tax-notes area for anything unusual, like bonus issues, return of capital or ETF distribution labels.

Step-by-step guide

Enter each dividend on the Dividends sheet as soon as it lands in your bank account or brokerage statement. Include the date, ASX code, shares held, cash dividend and franking credit details.
Check the summary fields after each batch of entries. If you track several holdings, use the sheet totals to confirm your cash dividends and credits are rolling up correctly.
Add tax comments in the Tax Notes sheet for anything that needs an explanation later, such as a reinvestment plan, capital return or unusual distribution.
Match the register against your broker statements and bank feed at least monthly. This keeps your reconciliation clean and helps you catch a missed dividend quickly.
Use the summary sheet at tax time to total franked income, unfranked income and attached credits. That gives you a tidy working paper before you finalise your return.
Archive the completed file with your other records for the year. The ATO expects you to keep tax records for 5 years, so save the finished workbook somewhere safe.

Screenshot 2: Summary tab - Excel template franking credits tracker excel template australia — Figure 2: Worksheet "Summary"

What is included

Dividends sheet with columns for date received, company or ETF name, ASX code, broker or account, shares held and dividend amounts.

Fields for cash dividend, franking credit, franked percentage and tax treatment notes.

Summary sheet that rolls up totals for quick review before you lodge your return.

Tax Notes sheet for comments on special distributions, returns of capital and other adjustments.

Colour-coded input areas that make it obvious where you type and where formulas or totals sit.

Australian formats for dates and currency, using DD/MM/YYYY and $#,##0.00.

Built for easy cross-checking against broker statements, bank deposits and year-end tax records.

Who uses a franking credits tracker in Australia

This spreadsheet is for anyone who receives franked dividends and wants the records tidy before tax time. In practice that means a retiree with a portfolio of bank shares, a sole trader who also holds ETFs, or an SMSF trustee trying to line up distributions with the annual return.

The Dividends sheet in image 1 gives you a single place to record the payment date, company or ETF name, ASX code, shares held, cash dividend and franking credit. If you own 4 holdings and each one pays quarterly, you are only entering around 16 rows a year, but those 16 rows can save a lot of hunting through broker PDFs later.

Why the summary sheet matters

The Summary sheet in image 2 is where you turn individual dividend lines into totals you can actually use. That is handy when you are comparing bank deposits against distribution statements, or checking whether a franked amount has been grossed up correctly for your return.

Tax notes for oddball distributions

The Tax Notes sheet in image 3 is useful when a payment is not a plain dividend. A return of capital, a DRP entry or an ETF distribution with multiple components is much easier to explain later if you write the note down now rather than relying on memory in June.

Screenshot 3: Tax Notes tab - Excel template franking credits tracker excel template australia — Figure 3: Worksheet "Tax Notes"

What the ATO expects on dividend and credit records

The ATO does not ask for one special franking credit form, but it does expect records that support the numbers in your return. Keep the dividend statements, broker reports and this workbook for 5 years, because that is the standard retention period for tax records.

If a dividend is franked, you need the franked amount and the attached credit recorded correctly so the grossed-up income is right. For example, a $700 cash dividend fully franked at 30% carries about $300 of franking credit, which gives you $1,000 of assessable income before any offsets are applied.

How the numbers work

On a fully franked dividend, the franking credit is the tax already paid by the company. At a company tax rate of 30%, a $70 cash dividend can carry $30 of credit, so the grossed-up amount is $100; that is the figure that flows into your tax calculation.

Why the worksheet structure helps

Keeping the register in Excel is practical if you only have a handful of holdings, but it still gives you a proper audit trail. If you ever need to explain an amount to the ATO, the date, ASX code and note fields make it much easier to show how you got there.

Where dividend registers usually go wrong

The biggest mistake is mixing up cash received with the franked amount. If you record a $500 dividend as taxable income without adding the credit, you understate the grossed-up figure; if you add the credit twice, you overstate income and may pay too much tax.

Another common problem is missing reinvested distributions. A DRP entry can look like no cash moved through your bank account, but the dividend still exists for tax purposes, so leaving it out can throw your totals off by hundreds of dollars across a year.

Small errors become bigger at tax time

With a portfolio paying 12 dividends a year, a single missed $85 payment is annoying but fixable. Miss three or four lines and you can end up reconciling broker statements for an hour or more, especially if one ETF pays monthly and another only pays twice a year.

Notes matter more than people think

Special distributions are where records fall apart. If you do not note whether a payment included capital gains, foreign income or a return of capital, you can waste time later matching figures from old statements and PDF reports just to explain one line.

Those records are the same figures you later need for a withholding schedule.

How to make this spreadsheet part of your routine

The easiest way to keep using the file is to tie it to a job you already do. Many people update it on the same day they check their brokerage account or file paperwork for their quarterly BAS, so it becomes part of the month rather than another task to remember.

Simple habits that keep it alive

Update the Dividends sheet the day cash lands in your account, before the statement disappears into your inbox.
Use the same naming format for each holding, such as bank name, ETF code or company name, so your summary stays clean.
Copy last month’s note pattern for recurring holdings, which saves time when the same ETF pays every quarter.
Use colour or filters to flag blanks, so you can spot rows with missing shares, credits or dates fast.

If your portfolio gets large, the spreadsheet may start to feel slow or messy. Once you are juggling dozens of holdings, corporate actions and managed funds, software like Xero-linked investment tools or broker reporting may be a better fit than manual entry.

Frequently asked questions about this template

It helps you record dividend payments, attached franking credits and tax notes in one workbook. That makes it easier to work out grossed-up income and keep your records ready for tax time.
Yes. The cash amount is what hits your bank account, but the franking credit is part of the taxable dividend calculation, so you need both figures if you want the return to be correct.
Keep them for 5 years. That includes dividend statements, broker reports and any notes you used to support the totals in your return.
Record the cash amount, the franked portion and any unfranked amount separately. That way you can see the split clearly and avoid guessing when you prepare your tax records.
Yes. ETFs often pay distributions rather than ordinary company dividends, but the same register still works if you add the right notes in the Tax Notes sheet.
Update it as soon as each distribution is paid or declared in your statement. A quick weekly or monthly check is usually enough unless you hold a large portfolio with frequent payments.