How do I calculate hours on a timesheet?

Subtract clock in from clock out, then subtract the unpaid break. 8:30 to 17:15 with a 45-minute lunch is 8 hours. Convert minutes to decimal for payroll: 8 hours 20 minutes is 8.33, not 8.20. The templates do both.

How is overtime calculated on a biweekly timesheet?

Week by week. Under the FLSA the workweek is a fixed 7-day period, and overtime is owed after 40 hours in each one; hours cannot be averaged across a two-week pay period. The biweekly template tests each week separately.

Does a timesheet have to be signed?

Federal law does not require a signature, only accurate records of hours worked kept for 3 years. A signature from the employee and the manager is the usual way to show the record was reviewed, and it settles most disputes before they start.

Can I use these timesheet templates in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; the formulas carry over. Numbers on Mac opens them too.

What is an employee availability form?

A one-page sheet where each employee marks the days and time blocks they can work, the hours they want, and recurring limits such as classes or a second job. Collected before the schedule is built, it removes most of the back-and-forth after it is published.

Free timesheet templates: weekly, biweekly, monthly time card, and an availability form

Four spreadsheets you can use today. Type clock in, clock out and the break; the sheet gives hours in h:mm and decimal, overtime after 40 hours per workweek and gross pay. Excel format, no macros, no sign-up. Open them in Google Sheets or Numbers if you prefer.

Weekly timesheet template

One employee, one workweek, ready for payroll.

Clock in, clock out and break per day; hours in h:mm and decimal; regular hours, overtime after 40 and gross pay at the rate you enter. Night shifts that end after midnight are handled. Signature lines.

Download for Excel (.xlsx)

Biweekly timesheet template

Employers on a two-week pay period.

Fourteen days with the same columns, and overtime worked out week by week as the FLSA requires: 44 hours then 36 is 4 hours of overtime, not zero. Gross pay for the period.

Download for Excel (.xlsx)

Monthly time card template

A monthly record per person, with split shifts.

Thirty-one rows with two in/out pairs per day for split shifts or a second block after lunch, break deducted, decimal total for the month. Dates follow the month you enter.

Download for Excel (.xlsx)

Employee availability form

Collecting when each person can work before you build the schedule.

A grid of days and time blocks to mark available, prefer not or unavailable, plus hours wanted, recurring limits and dates off in the next three months. One sheet per person, signed by both.

Download for Excel (.xlsx)

How the timesheets work out the hours

Enter times in 24-hour format (08:30, 17:15). A clock out earlier than the clock in is read as the next day, so 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours.
The break in minutes is deducted. Whether a break may be unpaid depends on your state and on the person being fully relieved of duty; short breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are paid under federal rules and should not be entered here.
Hours appear as h:mm for reading and as decimal for payroll. 7:45 is 7.75.
Overtime is counted after the threshold in the header (40 by default), per workweek. Change it if your state or contract sets a lower one; add daily overtime by hand where it applies (California, for example).
Gross pay is regular hours at the rate plus overtime at one and a half times. Shift differentials and bonuses that belong in the regular rate are not included; see shift differential pay.

Need the arithmetic without a file? The hours calculator gives hours between two times; the time card calculator does the week with overtime and rounding. Rounding rules: the 7-minute rule.

What a timesheet template does not do

It records what someone typed, after the fact. It does not know the person clocked in at 8:52 rather than 9:00, it does not stop a 30-minute lunch being deducted on a day nobody took one, and it does not add the week up across twelve people. When the timesheets start arriving on Monday with numbers nobody can check, a time clock app on a phone or a tablet records the actual times and builds the timesheet itself. That is what the free plan includes, alongside the schedule (templates for that too).

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate hours on a timesheet?: Subtract clock in from clock out, then subtract the unpaid break. 8:30 to 17:15 with a 45-minute lunch is 8 hours. Convert minutes to decimal for payroll: 8 hours 20 minutes is 8.33, not 8.20. The templates do both.
How is overtime calculated on a biweekly timesheet?: Week by week. Under the FLSA the workweek is a fixed 7-day period, and overtime is owed after 40 hours in each one; hours cannot be averaged across a two-week pay period. The biweekly template tests each week separately.
Does a timesheet have to be signed?: Federal law does not require a signature, only accurate records of hours worked kept for 3 years. A signature from the employee and the manager is the usual way to show the record was reviewed, and it settles most disputes before they start.
Can I use these timesheet templates in Google Sheets?: Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; the formulas carry over. Numbers on Mac opens them too.
What is an employee availability form?: A one-page sheet where each employee marks the days and time blocks they can work, the hours they want, and recurring limits such as classes or a second job. Collected before the schedule is built, it removes most of the back-and-forth after it is published.

Let the team clock in instead, free up to 10