You no doubt trust your people to track their own hours. After all, great leaders do their best to empower those they work with rather than trying to micromanage.

This is especially true if you have people working remotely, as many companies do nowadays. Self-tracking is great for everyone, as few modern managers have the time to spend on…well, time.

However, for a wide range of reasons – company procedures, legal purposes, payment control – stricter, more detailed hour tracking may be required. That’s where timesheets can be a real lifesaver.

Timesheets can be extremely helpful for a lot of reasons. For instance:

·  They let managers easily oversee cost control.

·  They make it easier to manage payroll.

·  They ensure everyone meets any necessary legal stipulations.

The problem is that there are so many timesheet examples to choose from. It can be difficult to determine which is right for your team or   business. 

Luckily, we’re here to help with eight downloadable timesheet templates you can use today.

Why are Timesheets Important?

Again, there could be many reasons why your company requires more detailed time tracking. 

Having accurate records of work hours helps you to make better decisions:

·  Timesheets can help better control costs.

·  They can help improve resource allocation.

·  They can help streamline payroll.

·  They can help ensure labor law compliance.

With the right timesheets (like those provided below), you and your company can:

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, you can better understand your team’s productivity, evaluate whether you’re over- or under-staffed, and better budget for the future.

Process payments faster 

Precise billing and payroll processing keep clients, employees, and your accountant happy. 

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

Ensure you aren’t violating any labor laws

Though labor rules vary from country to country, those of us in the US or UK are often required to document everyone’s hours. 

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

8 FREE Timesheet Templates to Keep Track of Work Hours

Before diving into timesheet templates, let’s review some terminology related to their use. 

If you and your team are new to timesheets, this will help you understand them that much 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 a lot of 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.

Understanding Our Timesheet Templates

1. Weekly Timesheet Template

Our weekly timesheet calculates hours every week. This 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.

Assume you’re managing a small café, and each person on your team has a different start and end time. Our weekly timesheet could help you track who’s working when while also ensuring everyone is paid appropriately.

How to use this 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, hours pay, etc.)

·  In the top right, you can set working hour policies according to your company's rules, overtime pay, etc.

·  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 the employee to fill in Start, Finish, and Break times. The sheet will automatically calculate both regular hours and overtime.

·  For paid leave, the sheet 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 provides payroll management for two-week periods, which is common for many companies. It has the same basic structure as the weekly template.

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

The only big difference between biweekly and semi-monthly timesheets is that the weekly sheets start on the same day of the week (e.g., every Monday), while the biweekly 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 companies with long-term projects.

Our monthly timesheet option is a great way to maintain relationships between people and clients simultaneously. Like any good timesheet, it includes sections for hours worked, overtime, PTO, and more.

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

4. Multi-Employees 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, and all of the team are on the same schedule and pay rate. Don’t check 25 individual timesheets; simply utilize our multi-employee timesheet.

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

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

·  This sheet 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 to get a centralized view of hours, attendance, and absences.

How to use this 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

If you focus more on your team’s actual work rather than time in and out, the daily activity log template is a better choice. With this option, you can break down how your team member spends their days and get valuable insight into their productivity.

The Daily Activity Log has columns for specific tasks, such as Client Meetings and their duration. This provides a lot of visibility into billing, team member workdays, and individual task prioritization. You can use this to better allocate time resources, streamline workflows, and maximize productivity.

For instance, you might note that one team member spends several hours a day 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 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, 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 sheet 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 timesheet 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 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.

Transparency and efficiency are crucial to maintain a strong working relationship.

How to use this 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.

·  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, deciding whether or not to use manual timesheets can be tricky. There are good reasons to go either way, so let's walk through some of the main pros and cons.

On the pro side, manual timesheets are simple and free. There's no need to invest in tracking software or train people on a new system. The templates are easy to customize to your needs, too.

The cons are that manual timesheets take more administrative work on the manager's side to collect and review. It can be time-consuming, especially for larger teams. There's also more room for human error or inconsistencies if people don't fill them out properly or submit them on time.

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. 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.

For more inspiration, check out our objective reviews on the 2023 Best Time Management Tools For Personal & Team Use.