FREE TIMESHEET TEMPLATE
Free timesheet template — weekly, biweekly, and a spreadsheet that does the math
A printable timesheet for your first employee, in Word, PDF and Excel: time in, time out, breaks, hours and overtime, with a filled-in example, the overtime rules state by state, and how long to keep the sheets.
Word, PDF and Excel · Free · No email, no sign-up
The short answer
A timesheet is the record of the hours an employee worked, day by day, that their pay is worked out from. It needs the employee's name, the week it covers, and for each day the time they started, the time they finished, any unpaid break, the hours worked and (for a trade) the job they were on — then the week's total, split into regular and overtime hours, and both your signatures.
The first hire is when the napkin stops working. Before Jordan, Sam knew the hours because they were Sam's. Now there's a second person's pay to get right, overtime to count, and a record the law says to keep: in the US, the hours worked each day and each workweek, with the time cards kept for at least two years.
Keep it simple: one sheet a week, filled in daily, signed on Friday. A timesheet filled in from memory on payday is the one that's wrong.
FREE TEMPLATE · WORD, PDF AND EXCEL
The weekly timesheet, ready to print
One row a day — time in, time out, the unpaid break, the hours and the job. Totals at the bottom, a signature line for both of you. The downloads are free: Word to edit, PDF to print and fill in by hand, and a spreadsheet that works the hours out from the times.
Template · replace the [brackets]
WEEKLY TIMESHEET
One row a day: the time you started, the time you finished, the unpaid break, and the job you were on. Hours worked is time out minus time in, minus the break.
1. Hours worked
| Day | Date | Time in | Time out | Break (min) | Hours worked | Job / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | ||||||
| Tuesday | ||||||
| Wednesday | ||||||
| Thursday | ||||||
| Friday | ||||||
| Saturday | ||||||
| Sunday | ||||||
| Total hours |
2. Week totals
Regular hours (the first 40 in the week): ____________________________
Overtime hours: ____________________________
Paid time off, sick or holiday hours: ____________________________
Total hours to pay: ____________________________
Employee
Name: ____________________________
Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Supervisor
Name: ____________________________
Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
The spreadsheet is a standard .xlsx: open it in Excel, Numbers or LibreOffice, or upload it to Google Sheets (File → Import) — the totals are formulas and work themselves out.
The jobs the crew clocks come from being found
Start your website — the work has to come from somewhere
Add what you do, your town and your business name, and Zarla builds the site from that one line, with a page for each service and town you list. A second pair of hands needs a fuller schedule; the website is where next week's jobs come from.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.
WORKED EXAMPLE
The same sheet, filled in
Harbor Coat Painting, a fictional business, has just hired its first painter, Jordan Reyes. This is Jordan's first full week — 42.0 hours, with a long Thursday for the ceiling. The hours are worked out from the times, and the two overtime lines show why your state matters.
Example · fictional business
WEEKLY TIMESHEET
Harbor Coat Painting — the interior repaint at 42 Ocean Ave. Hours worked is time out minus time in, minus the unpaid lunch.
1. Hours worked
| Day | Date | Time in | Time out | Break (min) | Hours worked | Job / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10/12 | 7:00 AM | 3:30 PM | 30 | 8.0 | 42 Ocean Ave — prep, mask |
| Tuesday | 10/13 | 7:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 30 | 8.5 | 42 Ocean Ave — walls, first coat |
| Wednesday | 10/14 | 7:00 AM | 3:30 PM | 30 | 8.0 | 42 Ocean Ave — walls, second coat |
| Thursday | 10/15 | 7:00 AM | 5:30 PM | 30 | 10.0 | 42 Ocean Ave — trim, ceiling |
| Friday | 10/16 | 7:00 AM | 3:00 PM | 30 | 7.5 | 42 Ocean Ave — touch-ups, clean-up |
| Saturday | 10/17 | — | — | — | 0.0 | Off |
| Sunday | 10/18 | — | — | — | 0.0 | Off |
| Total hours | 42.0 |
2. Week totals
| Line | Hours | How it was worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Regular hours | 40.0 | The first 40 hours in the workweek. |
| Overtime hours (federal rule) | 2.0 | 42.0 − 40. Paid at one and a half times the regular rate. |
| Overtime hours if this crew worked in California | 2.5 | Hours over 8 in a day: 0.5 on Tuesday and 2.0 on Thursday. California counts the day, not just the week — and those daily hours aren't counted a second time toward the 40 (39.5 straight-time hours is under 40, so nothing more). |
| Paid time off, sick or holiday hours | 0.0 | None this week. |
| Total hours to pay | 42.0 | 40.0 regular + 2.0 overtime under the federal rule. |
Employee
Name: ____________________________
Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Supervisor
Name: ____________________________
Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Every figure is an example. Under the federal rule, 42.0 hours is 40.0 regular and 2.0 overtime; under California's daily rule the same week carries 2.5 hours of overtime, because Tuesday and Thursday each ran past 8.
LINE BY LINE
What goes on a timesheet
Every column on the template, and what to write in it.
| The line | What to put there |
|---|---|
| Employee, position, week starting, supervisor | Who, what they do, the Monday the week starts on, and who checks the sheet. Pick a fixed workweek (Monday to Sunday, say) and never move it — overtime is counted inside it. |
| Day and date | One row a day, every day of the week, including the days off — a blank row is a day you can't explain later. |
| Time in and time out | The clock time work started and ended, to the nearest few minutes. In the US, travel between jobs during the workday counts as hours worked; the ordinary drive from home to the first job doesn't. |
| Break (minutes) | The unpaid break. In the US, federal law doesn't require lunch or coffee breaks at all — that's a state rule — but when you give them, short rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less count as hours worked and are paid, and a real meal break of 30 minutes or more, with the employee completely relieved of duty, doesn't have to be — which is why the timesheet has a break column. |
| Hours worked | Time out minus time in, minus the break. Write it as a decimal (8.5), not 8:30 — payroll multiplies decimals. |
| Job / notes | Which job the hours went on. It's what turns a timesheet into job costing: at the end of the month you'll know Jordan put 42 hours into the Ocean Ave repaint, and whether your quote was right. |
| Total hours, regular and overtime | Add the days. In the US, federal law (the Fair Labor Standards Act) pays non-exempt employees at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek — a fixed, recurring seven days — and it does not require overtime for weekends or holidays as such, or for a long day inside a 40-hour week. A few states count the day too: California pays time and a half past 8 hours in a day (double past 12; on a seventh straight day of work, time and a half for the first 8 hours and double after that), Alaska past 8 hours in a day for employers with four or more employees, and Colorado past 12 hours in a day. Each week stands alone — hours can't be averaged across two weeks. In the UK there is no legal overtime rate — the contract sets it, average pay must stay above the National Minimum Wage, and most workers can't be made to average more than 48 hours a week. In Australia the award or registered agreement for the trade sets when overtime starts and what it pays. |
| Paid time off, sick, holiday | Hours you pay for that weren't worked. They're paid, but they don't count toward overtime under the federal rule. |
| Signatures | Both of you sign it once the week is checked — the signed sheet is the copy you pay from and keep. |
STEP BY STEP
How to use a timesheet
Two minutes a day, five on payday.
Set the workweek once
Monday to Sunday, or whatever matches your pay cycle. Write it on every sheet and never shift it — the overtime count depends on it.
Fill it in the same day
Time in when the crew arrives, time out when they leave, the break they took, the job. On paper in the van or in the spreadsheet on your phone.
Work out the hours as a decimal
Out minus in, minus the break: 7:00 to 3:30 with 30 minutes for lunch is 8.0. The spreadsheet does this line for you.
Total the week and split out overtime
Over 40 hours in the week is overtime under the federal rule; check your state for daily overtime. Each week on its own, even on a biweekly sheet.
Both of you sign it
Friday afternoon or Monday morning. Query anything odd before you sign — a 14-hour Tuesday is either a mistake or a conversation.
Pay from it, then keep it
The signed sheet is what payroll runs from and what you keep — with the payroll records, for at least the years your country requires.
Overtime, breaks and how long to keep timesheets
Overtime. In the US, federal law (the Fair Labor Standards Act) pays non-exempt employees at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek — a fixed, recurring seven days — and it does not require overtime for weekends or holidays as such, or for a long day inside a 40-hour week. A few states count the day too: California pays time and a half past 8 hours in a day (double past 12; on a seventh straight day of work, time and a half for the first 8 hours and double after that), Alaska past 8 hours in a day for employers with four or more employees, and Colorado past 12 hours in a day. Each week stands alone — hours can't be averaged across two weeks. In the UK there is no legal overtime rate — the contract sets it, average pay must stay above the National Minimum Wage, and most workers can't be made to average more than 48 hours a week. In Australia the award or registered agreement for the trade sets when overtime starts and what it pays. Check your state's rules or ask an employment lawyer.
Breaks. In the US, federal law doesn't require lunch or coffee breaks at all — that's a state rule — but when you give them, short rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less count as hours worked and are paid, and a real meal break of 30 minutes or more, with the employee completely relieved of duty, doesn't have to be — which is why the timesheet has a break column. Check your state's rules or ask an employment lawyer.
Keeping the sheets. In the US, an employer must record each non-exempt employee's hours worked each day and total hours each workweek, keep payroll records for at least three years and the time cards and work schedules the pay was worked out from for at least two — any timekeeping method is fine as long as it's complete and accurate. In Australia, time and wages records are kept for seven years, in English, legible and ready for a Fair Work Inspector, and must show when overtime started and finished. In the UK, employers keep records about working hours (the 48-hour average) and payroll records for the current tax year and the three after it. Check your state's rules or ask an employment lawyer.
Your own hours. As the owner you're not an employee of your own sole proprietorship, so the overtime rules above are about your crew, not you — but track your hours on the same sheet anyway. The profit and loss statement tells you what the business made; your hours tell you what you made an hour.
The timesheet is half of job costing. Jordan's 42.0 hours on Ocean Ave, against the labor lines on the quote, is the first honest check of whether the quote was right. The crew schedule plans the week; the timesheet records what actually happened.
BIWEEKLY VERSION
Paid every two weeks? The biweekly timesheet
Two week-tables on one sheet, each with its own total — because overtime is worked out one workweek at a time, never averaged across a pay period.
Template · replace the [brackets]
BIWEEKLY TIMESHEET
Two weeks, one sheet. Overtime is worked out one week at a time — 44 hours one week and 36 the next is 4 hours of overtime, not zero — so each week keeps its own total.
1. Week 1
| Day | Date | Time in | Time out | Break (min) | Hours worked | Job / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | ||||||
| Tuesday | ||||||
| Wednesday | ||||||
| Thursday | ||||||
| Friday | ||||||
| Saturday | ||||||
| Sunday | ||||||
| Total hours |
2. Week 2
| Day | Date | Time in | Time out | Break (min) | Hours worked | Job / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | ||||||
| Tuesday | ||||||
| Wednesday | ||||||
| Thursday | ||||||
| Friday | ||||||
| Saturday | ||||||
| Sunday | ||||||
| Total hours |
3. Pay-period totals
Week 1 — regular hours: ____________________________
Week 1 — overtime hours: ____________________________
Week 2 — regular hours: ____________________________
Week 2 — overtime hours: ____________________________
Paid time off, sick or holiday hours: ____________________________
Total hours to pay: ____________________________
Employee
Name: ____________________________
Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Supervisor
Name: ____________________________
Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Timesheets: common questions
Yes. The weekly and biweekly timesheets download free as Word documents and PDFs, and the weekly one as an Excel spreadsheet you can also open in Google Sheets — no email address, no sign-up.
Time out minus time in, minus the unpaid break, written as a decimal. 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM with a 30-minute lunch is 8 hours; 7:00 to 5:30 with the same lunch is 10. In the spreadsheet, type the two times and the break and the hours column does it.
In the US, federal law (the Fair Labor Standards Act) pays non-exempt employees at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek — a fixed, recurring seven days — and it does not require overtime for weekends or holidays as such, or for a long day inside a 40-hour week. A few states count the day too: California pays time and a half past 8 hours in a day (double past 12; on a seventh straight day of work, time and a half for the first 8 hours and double after that), Alaska past 8 hours in a day for employers with four or more employees, and Colorado past 12 hours in a day. Each week stands alone — hours can't be averaged across two weeks. In the UK there is no legal overtime rate — the contract sets it, average pay must stay above the National Minimum Wage, and most workers can't be made to average more than 48 hours a week. In Australia the award or registered agreement for the trade sets when overtime starts and what it pays. Check your state's rules or ask an employment lawyer.
In the US, federal law doesn't require lunch or coffee breaks at all — that's a state rule — but when you give them, short rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less count as hours worked and are paid, and a real meal break of 30 minutes or more, with the employee completely relieved of duty, doesn't have to be — which is why the timesheet has a break column. Check your state's rules or ask an employment lawyer.
In the US, an employer must record each non-exempt employee's hours worked each day and total hours each workweek, keep payroll records for at least three years and the time cards and work schedules the pay was worked out from for at least two — any timekeeping method is fine as long as it's complete and accurate. In Australia, time and wages records are kept for seven years, in English, legible and ready for a Fair Work Inspector, and must show when overtime started and finished. In the UK, employers keep records about working hours (the 48-hour average) and payroll records for the current tax year and the three after it. Check your state's rules or ask an employment lawyer.
Match your pay period. If you pay every two weeks, use the biweekly sheet — but notice it still totals each week separately, because overtime is counted per workweek, not per pay period. 44 hours one week and 36 the next is 4 hours of overtime.
Yes — in the US any timekeeping method is fine as long as it's complete and accurate, and an employee writing their own times is common. You check and sign it; the signature is the control.
No. Zarla builds your website and runs your quotes, invoices and inquiries from one dashboard; hours and payroll stay on this sheet or in payroll software. What Zarla does for a crew is keep it busy — a site that gets found brings the jobs the hours go on.
Sources
Read October 26, 2026.
- US Department of Labor — Overtime Pay (FLSA) — time and a half past 40 hours in a workweek; no overtime for weekends or holidays as such
- US Department of Labor — Fact Sheet #23, Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA — the workweek as a fixed, recurring 168 hours; no averaging across weeks (revised October 2019)
- US Department of Labor — Breaks and Meal Periods — federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks; short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid work hours; meal periods of at least 30 minutes are not
- US Department of Labor — Fact Sheet #22, Hours Worked Under the FLSA — short rest breaks paid, bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more not, when the employee is completely relieved of duty; travel between job sites during the day is work time, the ordinary home-to-work commute is not (revised July 2008)
- US Department of Labor — Fact Sheet #21, Recordkeeping Requirements Under the FLSA — hours each day and each workweek; payroll records three years, time cards and schedules two; any accurate timekeeping method (revised July 2008)
- California Department of Industrial Relations — Overtime FAQ — time and a half past 8 hours in a day and 40 in a week, double past 12; on the seventh consecutive day, time and a half for the first 8 hours and double after
- Alaska Department of Labor — Wage and Hour FAQ — time and a half past 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week; employers with three or fewer employees exempt
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment — COMPS Order — time and a half past 40 hours in a workweek, 12 in a workday or 12 consecutive hours; no averaging across workweeks
- GOV.UK — Overtime: your rights — no legal overtime rate; average pay must not fall below the National Minimum Wage
- GOV.UK — Maximum weekly working hours — the 48-hour average over 17 weeks; the opt-out; the employer's records
- GOV.UK — Tell HMRC about a new employee — payroll records kept for the current tax year and the three following
- Fair Work Ombudsman (Australia) — Overtime pay — when overtime applies and what it pays is set by the award or registered agreement (updated August 10, 2026)
- Fair Work Ombudsman (Australia) — Record-keeping — time and wages records kept seven years, legible, in English, ready for an inspector; overtime start and finish times recorded (October 23, 2026)
Keep the new hire busy
Add what you do, your town and your business name, and Zarla builds the site from that one line — with quotes, invoices and your inquiries in the same dashboard.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.