Free Timesheet Templates
Download a weekly or biweekly timesheet as an Excel file (the hours and pay add up for you) or a printable PDF. No sign-up.
How to use the Excel timesheet template
- Open the file in Excel, or upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. It also opens in Numbers and LibreOffice.
- Type the employee name, employer, the date the week starts and the hourly rate in the shaded boxes.
- For each day, type the time in and time out (for example 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM) and any unpaid break in minutes.
- The hours worked for the day and the week total fill in by themselves. Overtime is counted after 40 hours a week at 1.5 times the rate. You can change both numbers in the shaded boxes if your state or employer uses a different rule.
- Print it, or save it as a PDF, for the employee and supervisor to sign.
Night shifts work too: if the time out is earlier than the time in, the sheet counts the shift as ending the next day.
What a good time card template includes
- Who and when: the employee name, employer and the dates of the pay period.
- Daily times: the time in and time out for every day worked, plus lunch or other unpaid breaks.
- Totals: hours for each day and for the week, with regular and overtime hours shown separately.
- Signatures: a line for the employee and the supervisor to confirm the hours.
Federal wage rules require employers to keep records of the hours each employee works each workday and each workweek, and to keep payroll records for at least three years. See the US Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #21 on recordkeeping. State rules can be stricter, so check with your state labor department.
If you would rather not fill in a sheet by hand, use the online time card calculator. For two weeks at a time, use the biweekly time card calculator, and to learn the method, read how to calculate hours worked.
TimeCardPal gives estimates for planning and checking pay. It is not legal, tax or payroll advice. Overtime rules vary by state and job type; check with your state labor department or a payroll professional for your situation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a timesheet template?
A timesheet template is a ready-made form for recording the hours a person works: the date, time in, time out, breaks and total hours for each day. These templates add the hours up for you in Excel, or can be printed and filled in by hand.
Are these timesheet templates really free?
Yes. There is nothing to pay and no sign-up. Download them, print them and use them for your own staff or your own hours.
What is the difference between a timesheet and a time card?
Nothing important. Both record the times someone starts and stops work. People say time card when it comes from a time clock and timesheet when it is filled in by hand or on a computer.
Can I use the Excel timesheet in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive, open it with Google Sheets and the formulas keep working.
Does the template work out overtime?
Yes, in the Excel files. Hours over the threshold you set (40 a week by default) are paid at the overtime rate you set (1.5 times by default). Overtime rules differ by state, so check the rule that applies to you. The biweekly template counts overtime for each week separately.
Can I make a monthly timesheet?
Use the biweekly template twice, or the online time card calculator for each pay period, and add the totals. Overtime is still counted week by week.