Timesheets help companies, HR teams, and managers track employee's working hours.

While many companies have employee management software to record hours automatically, manual timesheets are still used in many cases.

As the People Operations Lead at FlexOS, I have been dealing with timesheets and time tracking for years now, and have learned a thing or two.

In this article, I'll provide you with free templates to use for time tracking and share some key insights into why timesheet templates are so important.

Why We Need Timesheet Templates

Speaking of important: there could be many reasons why your company requires detailed time tracking, like cost control, resource allocation, payroll, and legal requirements.

This is why most companies will use time sheets:

Get a better grip on money and resources

Having an organized breakdown of how your team spends their working hours can provide valuable insights into labor costs and resource allocation.

With the right timesheet data, time tracking allows you to better understand your employee productivity, evaluate whether you’re over- or under-staffed, and budget better for the future.

Process payroll faster

Precise billing and payroll processing keep clients, employees, and the finance department happy.

Not only will you be able to understand the firm’s financial stability better, but you can ensure clients get accurate invoices.

Adhering labor laws

Though labor rules vary from country to country, those of us in the US and UK often must document everyone’s hours through time tracking.

All good managers want to respect their people’s time, and timesheets can help ensure you comply.

8 FREE Timesheet Templates for printing, Excel, Google Sheets, and Word.

No matter what you need timesheets for, we created eight downloadable timesheet templates you can use today in Excel, Google Sheets, and Word.

1. Weekly Timesheet Template

Our weekly timesheet calculates hours every week.

It's is a perfect solution for teams with dynamic work schedules, like restaurants, construction companies, and stores.

This solution is perfect for helping you:

• Keep track of total hours worked during an entire week.
• Visualize daily working hours, calculate overtime, and track time off.
• Do payroll math at the touch of a button.

For example, if you’re managing a small café, and each person on your team has a different start and end time.

Then, our weekly time sheet helps you track who’s working and when to ensure everyone is paid appropriately.

How to use this weekly timesheet template:

• Download the weekly timesheet template and use it as an Excel timesheet template, a timesheet Google Sheet template, or PDF time sheet template.
• You can include your company logo in this template by clicking on the "Company Logo" cell and going to Insert > Image > Insert image in cell.
• You can put each team member's information in the top left (direct supervisor, hourly pay, etc.).
• At the top right of the weekly timesheet, you can set working hour policies according to your company's rules, including overtime pay.
• Choose the reporting period by selecting the "Week from" date. The dates in the timesheet will automatically adjust based on your selection.
• For each day of the week, ask employees to fill in their Start, Finish, and Break times. The sheet will automatically calculate regular hours and overtime.
• For paid leave, the weekly time card template comes with Sick, Public Holidays, and Vacation sections.
• Managers and team members should always review and sign the sheets for accuracy.

2. Biweekly Timesheet Template

The biweekly timesheet template provides payroll management for two-week periods, which is common for many companies in the US.

It has the same basic structure as the weekly template.

You can use this template for semi-monthly payroll as well.

The only difference between biweekly and semi-monthly timesheets is that the biweekly sheets start on the same day of the week (e.g., every Monday), while the semi-monthly sheets are based on the calendar month, covering the 1st to 15th and 16th to the end of the month.

How to use this template: (Same as this instruction)

3. Monthly Timesheet Template

Looking for a template for the monthly payroll cycle?

This sort of timekeeping is common among freelancers, consulting companies, and project groups.

Like any good timesheet, this timesheet template includes sections for hours worked, overtime, PTO, and more.

How to use this template: (Same as this instruction)

4. Multi-Employee Timesheet Template

Tracking times for multiple team members doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you can see all their information in one place.

Let’s assume you manage a call center with team members who are on the same schedule and pay rate.

Then, you don’t have to check 25 individual timesheets since you can simply use our multi-employee timesheet template.

We’ve made it very easy for you to see who works which hours and the total hours worked.

How to use this template: (Same as this instruction)‍

• This free timesheet template includes a separate column for team member names.

Bonus: Simply duplicate the “blank template” and put the appropriate dates to organize all days of the month in the same spreadsheet.

5. Daily Timesheet Template

In some situations, you might have different team members performing different roles at different pay rates.

Daily timesheets are often the best option for a centralized view of hours, attendance, and absences.

How to use this timesheet template: (Same as this instruction)

• This sheet includes a separate column for team member names and two corresponding columns for their pay rates.
• Simply duplicate the “blank template” and put the appropriate dates to organize all days of the month in the same spreadsheet.

6. Daily Activity Log Timesheet

The daily activity log template is better if what your team did is more important than the hours worked.

With this option, you can analyze how your team members spent their time and use this to coach them toward meaningful productivity.

The Daily Activity Log has columns for specific tasks like Client Meetings and their duration.

This provides visibility into billing, team member workdays, and individual task prioritization.

(Note: If these insights are valuable, you can automate this workflow with a time management tool.)

You can use this template to allocate time and resources better, streamline workflows, and maximize productivity.

For instance, you might note that one team member spends several hours daily in meetings unrelated to priority projects.

With this data, you can reduce or consolidate those meetings to free up more of their valuable time.

How to use this timesheet template:

• Download this free time sheet template and use it as an Excel timesheet, a Google Sheets template, a PDF timesheet for employees, or a timesheet template for Word.
• You can include your company logo in this template by clicking on the "Company Logo" cell and going to Insert > Image > Insert image in cell.
• You can put each team member's information in the top left (direct supervisor, hours pay, etc.)
• In the top right, you can set working hour policies according to your company's rules, overtime pay, etc.
• Ask your team to fill in details of the activities and projects they work on, the hours involved, etc.
• The timesheet will automatically calculate both regular hours and overtime.
• Managers and team members should always review and sign the sheets for accuracy.

7. Shift Timesheet Template

The shift timecard template tracks employees’ working hours throughout their shifts.

This simple document records hours, break times, and other valuable information, making it ideal for shift-based operations.

How to use this template:

• You can include your company logo in this timesheet template by clicking on the "Company Logo" cell and going to Insert > Image > Insert image in cell.
• You can put each team member's information in the top left (direct supervisor, hours pay, etc.)
• Simply select the reporting period by selecting “Date From.” The default is 31 rows for monthly tracking, but you can change this if you prefer weekly or biweekly.
• For each day of the week, ask the employee to fill in Start, Finish, and Break times. The sheet will automatically calculate both regular hours and overtime.
• Managers and team members should always review and sign the sheets for accuracy.

8. Freelancers and Stakeholders Timesheet Template

Gig work and working with talent marketplaces is more common than ever, and so is hiring freelancers for specialized tasks.

This template is tailor-made for teams that regularly work with freelancers, hourly talents, contractors, or service vendors.

With it, you can easily track working hours while ensuring everyone gets paid the appropriate rate.

How to use this template:‍

• You can include your company logo in this timesheet template by clicking on the "Company Logo" cell and going to Insert > Image > Insert image in cell.
• Start by filling in the timesheet information section and selecting the reporting period.
• For each day you utilize freelancers or contractors, fill in the date, name, details, rates, and start/finish times.
• The sheet will automatically calculate both total hours and total pay.

Pros and Cons of Manual Timesheets

As a manager or HR leader, deciding whether or not to use manual timesheets can be tricky.

The pros of manual timesheets include:

• Simplicity and Cost-Effectiveness: Manual timesheets are straightforward to implement and require no financial investment in tracking software. You also won't need extensive training sessions or adaptation periods, making it an efficient solution if you're looking to manage time tracking without additional overhead.
• Customization: The flexibility of manual timesheets means easy customization to meet a project's or department's specific needs. You can tailor the format, fields, and structure of these timesheets to capture the needed data without being constrained by the limitations of pre-designed software templates.
• Increased Flexibility: Manual tracking systems can be quickly adjusted or modified without the need for technical support or waiting for software updates (which we all know is hard to come by in most companies.) This level of adaptability is helpful in responding to immediate changes in project requirements or company policies.
• Lower Technology Barriers: Manual timesheets are more accessible for employees with limited access to technology or who don't feel comfortable using complex software. This inclusivity means all team members can accurately record their time without facing technological hurdles.
• Immediate Implementation: Unlike software requiring installation and integration time, you can deploy these manual timesheets instantly. This is especially beneficial for organizations that must start tracking time right away.

The cons of manual timesheets include:

• Increased Administrative Burden: Manual timesheets require a lot of effort from managers and HR personnel to collect, organize, and review them. This is especially true for larger teams, diverting valuable resources away from other critical tasks. The manual aggregation of data, calculation of hours, and verification of information can lead to inefficiencies and operational bottlenecks.
• Greater Potential for Error: Leaving it to people to accurately fill out and submit their timesheets on time creates more risk of human error and inconsistencies. (And as someone who's submitted and read plenty of timesheets, I can tell you this from experience!) Misreported hours, transcription errors, and lost timesheets can lead to inaccurate payroll and billing, which in turn can affect the financial integrity of the team or company.‍
• Lack of Real-Time Data: Unlike digital tracking systems, manual timesheets don't provide any real-time visibility into employee hours or project progress. This mean you'll have less information for timely decision-making, project management, and the ability to address issues related to staffing and budgeting quickly.‍
• Difficulty in Auditing and Compliance: Manual records can be challenging to audit, especially when you're dealing with large volumes of paperwork. Ensuring compliance with labor laws and regulations becomes more complicated, because manual systems do not easily support detailed record-keeping and historical analysis.‍
• Limited Accessibility and Security: Physical timesheets can be lost, damaged, or accessed by people who shouldn't. This poses risks to data security and privacy. Plus, if records are kept in a single location, accessing them for reference or verification can be inconvenient, especially for remote or distributed teams.

The bottom line is there are reasonable arguments on both sides.

Think about the size of your team, their working styles, and your bandwidth as a manager or HR leader.

Do the pros of the simple, no-cost approach outweigh the cons of administrative workload? Or would a digital system help streamline things and provide more oversight?

There's no universal right or wrong answer, so consider what's best for your people and company culture.

A manual system might work well for a small, autonomous team.

However, a larger or distributed team may benefit more from an automated timesheet platform. Test out different methods and see what works best.

Key timesheet terminology to understand

If you and your team are new to timesheets, it will help you understand them better.

• Regular Hours: These are the standard hours a team member works during their regular workweek, typically defined by company policies or labor laws. This can vary depending on many factors. For instance, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established the standard workweek for US employees as 40 hours.
• Overtime Hours: When a team member works more than the legally established number of hours per week, they are considered to be in “overtime.” This sometimes means extra compensation, a great financial incentive to meet tight deadlines, but that comes at a cost for the business.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Most countries require businesses to provide paid time off to their people. This can include things like sick days, vacation days, and holidays.
• Timesheets or Timecards: The terms timesheets and timecards are used interchangeably. So when you see a time card template, think 'time sheet template.'

Timesheet Templates Frequently Asked Questions

If, after all this, you still have questions about timesheets, then I have some answers for you:

1. Why are timesheet templates important for companies and managers?
A timesheet template is crucial for tracking employee hours for payroll, resource allocation, cost control, and compliance with labor laws. They help managers and HR leaders better grasp costs and resources, process payroll faster, and ensure legal compliance.

2. What types of timesheet templates are available?
We offer 8 FREE downloadable timesheet templates suitable for various needs, including a weekly timesheet, biweekly, monthly, multi-employee, daily activity log, shift, and freelancers and stakeholders templates.

Each timesheet template is designed for specific tracking purposes, from dynamic work schedules to managing gig work.

3. How can I customize a timesheet template for my company?
You can customize templates by adding your company logo, setting working hour policies, and adjusting the template for different reporting periods. The templates are designed to automatically calculate regular hours, overtime, and, where applicable, paid leave.

4. What are the pros of using manual timesheets?
A manual timesheet template is simple, cost-effective, highly customizable, flexible, accessible to those with limited technology access, and can be immediately implemented without the need for software or training.

5. What are the cons of using manual timesheets for employees?
The cons include an increased administrative burden, greater potential for error, lack of real-time data, difficulty in auditing and compliance, limited accessibility and security, and inefficiency in data analysis.

6. How do I decide whether manual timesheets suit my team?
Consider your team's size, working styles, and your bandwidth as a manager or HR leader. Weigh the pros, such as simplicity and no cost, against the cons, like administrative workload. The best approach may vary based on your team's specific needs and company culture.

7. What key timesheet terminology should I understand?
Familiarize yourself with terms like Regular Hours, Overtime Hours, and Paid Time Off (PTO). Understanding these concepts will help you better manage and interpret timesheet data for your team.

Check out our best all-in-one HRIS Software to keep all employee data in one place including employee's working time, improve efficiency and compliance.

8. Are the time sheets printable?

Yes, every free time card template you can download here can be printed, used in Excel, Google Sheets, and Word. So for free printable time sheets, look no further.

More from FlexOS

Explore more tips on how to best empower hybrid and remote teams as a people-centric leader:

• Productivity: Time Management Apps, Time Management Tools, Planning Tools, How to Use AI, AI Websites, Free AI Tools, AI Productivity Tools, and AI Marketing Tools
• Engagement: Employee Management Software, Employee Engagement Tools, Employee Engagement Survey Providers, Employee Surveys, Employee Survey Tools‍
• Collaboration: Virtual Meeting Platforms, Virtual Workspaces, Remote Collaboration Tools, Team Communication Tools‍
• Workplace: Desk Booking Software, Room Scheduling Software

I hope this helps – if you want to know more or you have recommendations, just shoot me a message!