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Free covered call tracker spreadsheet, and how to read it
Download the free covered call tracker, list the shares you own and every call you sell against them, and it shows your break-even and the result if you're called away. It also shows the share price change, so the premium can't hide a falling stock.
Get the file
Download the covered call tracker (.xlsx). It opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers. No sign-up, no macros.
It's built for people who already own shares and sell Covered calls on them. If you start by selling puts, use the wheel strategy tracker instead. Both are in our free trading templates.
The file has four tabs: How to use, Shares, Calls and Summary. Blue cells are yours. Grey cells fill in by themselves. Delete the "Example - delete me" rows on Shares and Calls first.
The Shares tab: one row per stock you own
You type four things: Ticker, Shares, Cost per share and Price now. Use each ticker once. Update Price now whenever you check.
The sheet fills in the rest:
- Premium collected $: all the call premium on this stock, pulled from the Calls tab.
- Premium per share: that cash split across your shares.
- Break-even per share: cost per share minus premium per share. Above this price you're ahead.
- Share value change $: (price now − cost per share) × shares. This is the part premium can hide.
- Total so far $: share value change plus premium collected. The honest number.
- Below break-even?: 1 if the price now is under your break-even.
The Calls tab: one row per call you sell
You type the Ticker (same as on Shares), Date sold, Expiry, Strike, Contracts, Premium per share, Paid to close per share (0 if it expired or was called away) and What happened: Open, Expired, Bought back or Called away.
Three columns fill in:
- Net premium $: (premium − paid to close) × contracts × 100. A buy-back that cost more than you took in shows below zero.
- Cost per share: copied from the Shares tab.
- Result if called away $: (strike − cost per share) × contracts × 100, plus every premium on this stock up to this call.
That last column is the one to check before you sell. Type the call as Open and read it. Below zero means being called away at that strike would lose money.
The Summary tab counts calls sold, still open, expired and called away, and adds up total premium, share value change, the total of both, and how many stocks sit below break-even.
When the stock rallies past your strike (hypothetical)
You own 100 shares of a made-up company, Cobalt Mining, bought at $50. You sell one $55 call for $1.00. The Calls tab shows a net premium of $100, and a result if called away of ($55 − $50) × 100 + $100 = $600.
Then the stock jumps to $65. The call is now worth about $10.20. You don't want to lose the shares, so you buy it back. You type 10.20 as the price paid to close and pick Bought back.
Net premium becomes (1.00 − 10.20) × 100 = −$920. Your break-even moves to $50 − (−$9.20) = $59.20. Here's how each choice lands on the Shares tab:
| Choice | Net premium | Share value change | Total so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never sold the call, stock at $65 | $0 | +$1,500 | +$1,500 |
| Let it be called away at $55 | +$100 | +$500 | +$600 |
| Bought back at $10.20, stock still $65 | −$920 | +$1,500 | +$580 |
| Bought back at $10.20, stock slips to $58 | −$920 | +$800 | −$120 |
The last row is how a rally turns into a loss. You paid top price to undo the call, then the stock gave some back. At $58 it sits under the $59.20 break-even, so the Below break-even column shows 1.
The called-away row isn't a loss, but it's $900 less than holding the shares. That's the deal a covered call makes: the premium now, in return for the gains above the strike. If you'd hate to sell at $55, don't sell the $55 call. When your covered call gets called away goes through the choices.
Small things that keep it accurate
- An open call counts in full. Its premium shows in Premium collected right away, even though you might still buy it back for more.
- After you're called away, the Shares row doesn't know. Set Price now to the strike you sold at, and Total so far will match what you walked away with.
- Sold calls in a TFSA or RRSP? Covered calls are widely allowed in both in Canada. Options approval levels differ by broker, so check yours.
To check one call before you sell it, use the covered call calculator. To set a buy-back order at half the premium, the 50% profit target calculator gives you the price. Want dividends in the same view? The dividend and premium tracker does that. New to all this? Start with the wheel strategy and covered calls explained.
Questions
Can I track several stocks in one covered call tracker?
Yes. The Shares tab holds 50 stocks and the Calls tab holds 100 calls. Use the same ticker on both tabs so the premium lands on the right stock.
Why is my break-even higher after a buy-back?
You paid more to close the call than you took in, so net premium went below zero. That cost is added to what your shares cost you.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The formulas and the drop-down list carry over.
Does the sheet fetch stock prices?
No. You type Price now yourself. That keeps the file simple, private and working offline.
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