Free Blank Timesheet Templates
Free blank timesheet templates for small business: weekly, daily, biweekly, simple printable, contractor, and with breaks. Excel and printable. No signup.
Blank Timesheet Templates
Six free blank timesheet templates for small business: weekly, daily, biweekly, a simple printable version, a contractor sheet, and one with break columns. Download as Excel or print and fill in by hand. No signup.
A blank timesheet is an empty form for recording hours worked, ready to download, print, or fill in on a computer. For a small business, it is often the whole time-tracking system: a simple grid the owner or a manager collects each period and uses to run payroll. The form itself is plain, but choosing one that fits how you pay, and keeping the completed sheets, matters more than it looks.
These six templates cover the range: a blank weekly form for most hourly tracking, a daily version, a biweekly one, a simple printable with no formulas, a contractor sheet, and one with break columns. Each downloads as an Excel file, free and without an email, with the totals built in as formulas, and the printable version is made to fill in by hand. For a more detailed, pay-period-ready version with overtime built in, see the employee timesheet templates, and to track presence rather than hours, the attendance sheet.
What a Blank Timesheet Is
A blank timesheet is an empty form for recording the hours an employee or contractor works, ready to fill in by hand or on a computer. It has a row for each day with time in, time out, break, and total hours, plus a header for the name, the period, and a signature. Blank timesheet, blank time sheet, and simple timesheet describe the same thing; the spacing and wording vary, but the form is identical.
It is an employer-side record, filled in by the worker or a manager and approved before payroll runs. The blank version is simply the reusable starting point: the same form, emptied out, that you fill in each period. The Department of Labor recordkeeping rules let employers use any accurate timekeeping method, including employees writing their own times on a form, which is exactly what a blank timesheet is for.
A blank timesheet is one of several ways to record hours, and the right choice for a small business depends on volume and budget. Here is how the common methods compare.
| Method | Best for | Cost | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blank timesheet | Small teams, simple needs | Free | Depends on the filler |
| Printed time card | A paper-based workplace | Free | Manual, error-prone |
| Time clock | Hourly shift teams | Hardware cost | High for clock-ins |
| Time-tracking software | Larger or remote teams | Per-user fee | High, automated |
What to Include
Even a blank timesheet needs the right structure. A complete one covers four groups: header fields, time entry, totals, and a sign-off. The groups below are the consensus set that strong timesheets share.
The two elements small businesses most often skip, and most need, are a total that the sheet computes for you and a manager approval line. The templates here build both in, with the printable version leaving the totals blank for hand math.
Which Template Should You Use?
Match the template to how you pay and how you track. Weekly for most hourly work, daily for project or day-rate work, biweekly for the two-week cycle, the simple printable for a paper record, the contractor sheet for freelance work, and the breaks version where meal breaks need recording.
6 Free Blank Timesheet Templates
Download all six as a single Excel set or grab individual templates. Each downloads as an Excel file with the columns and totals already built, free and with no signup, and every one opens cleanly in Google Sheets. The simple printable is made to print blank and fill in by hand.
Template 1: Blank Weekly Timesheet
A seven-day grid with time in, time out, break, and a weekly total that sums automatically, all empty and ready to fill. The most-downloaded blank format and the right start for hourly tracking.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day | Date | Time In | Time Out | Break (min) | Total Hrs |
| 2 | Monday | |||||
| 3 | Tuesday | |||||
| 4 | Wednesday | |||||
| 5 | Thursday | |||||
| 6 | Friday | |||||
| 7 | Saturday | |||||
| 8 | Sunday | |||||
| 9 | Weekly Total | =SUM(F2:F8) |
Template 2: Blank Daily Timesheet
A single-day sheet that logs hours by task or project with a daily total. For day-rate work or when you bill or cost time by project.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Task / Project | Time In | Time Out | Break (min) | Hours |
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | Daily Total | =SUM(E2:E7) |
Template 3: Simple Printable Timesheet
A stripped-down weekly grid with no formulas, made to print and fill in by hand. For a paper record or a workplace that does not run on spreadsheets.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day | Date | In | Out | Hours |
| 2 | Monday | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | ||||
| 4 | Wednesday | ||||
| 5 | Thursday | ||||
| 6 | Friday | ||||
| 7 | Saturday | ||||
| 8 | Sunday | ||||
| 9 | Total |
Template 4: Blank Biweekly Timesheet
Two blank weekly grids on separate tabs with per-week totals, keeping each workweek separate so overtime is still figured per week. For the every-two-weeks cycle.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day | Date | Time In | Time Out | Break | Total Hrs |
| 2 | Monday | |||||
| 3 | Tuesday | |||||
| 4 | Wednesday | |||||
| 5 | Thursday | |||||
| 6 | Friday | |||||
| 7 | Saturday | |||||
| 8 | Sunday | |||||
| 9 | Week 1 Total | =SUM(F2:F8) |
Template 5: Blank Contractor Timesheet
A blank sheet with date, task, start and end, hours, rate, and an auto-calculated amount, so it doubles as an hours record and an invoice basis for freelance work.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Date | Project / Task | Start | End | Hours | Rate | Amount |
| 2 | =E2*F2 | ||||||
| 3 | =E3*F3 | ||||||
| 4 | =E4*F4 | ||||||
| 5 | =E5*F5 | ||||||
| 6 | =E6*F6 | ||||||
| 7 | Total | =SUM(E2:E6) | =SUM(G2:G6) |
Template 6: Blank Timesheet with Breaks
A weekly grid with separate break-start and break-end columns for tracking unpaid meal breaks precisely. For workplaces where breaks need to be recorded.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day | Time In | Break Start | Break End | Time Out | Total Hrs |
| 2 | Monday | |||||
| 3 | Tuesday | |||||
| 4 | Wednesday | |||||
| 5 | Thursday | |||||
| 6 | Friday | |||||
| 7 | Saturday | |||||
| 8 | Sunday | |||||
| 9 | Weekly Total | =SUM(F2:F8) |
How to Fill Out a Blank Timesheet
Filling out a blank timesheet takes a minute a day. Here is the sequence the templates are built around.
Minutes to Decimal Hours
Payroll is usually calculated in decimal hours, not hours and minutes, so 8 hours and 30 minutes becomes 8.50 for pay. To convert, divide the minutes by 60. Here is a quick reference for common break and time lengths.
Inconsistent rounding of minutes is one of the most common small-business timesheet errors, because it quietly creates pay discrepancies over time. On the spreadsheet templates, if your times are entered as clock time, the sheet can convert to decimal hours for you; the key is to apply the same rounding rule to everyone.
Overtime and Recordkeeping
Two federal rules sit underneath every timesheet, blank or filled: how overtime is calculated, and how long you keep the record. Both are simple, and both are common small-business mistakes.
Overtime is owed to non-exempt employees at one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, calculated per workweek rather than per pay period. The federal minimum wage is 7.25 dollars an hour, and many states set a higher one. A blank biweekly sheet still needs each week totaled on its own so overtime is not missed.
When an employer cannot produce adequate time records, the advantage shifts to the employee in a wage dispute, so keeping completed timesheets is protective, not just tidy. For the classification that decides whether overtime is owed at all, the exempt vs. non-exempt guide covers the tests.
Blank Timesheets for a Small Business
A large company runs time tracking through software and a payroll team. A small business often has an owner or a manager handing out a blank form and collecting it back every period, and paying the price when hours are wrong or a sheet goes missing. The good news is that a blank timesheet, used consistently, is a completely legitimate system; it just has to be simple, per-workweek accurate, and retained.
The single most valuable habit is collecting a completed, signed timesheet every period in one consistent format, and holding onto it. A signed, retained record is what turns a payroll question into a quick lookup instead of an argument.
From Blank Form to HR Software
A blank timesheet is the right tool for a small team, and these templates work on their own. The strain shows up when hours, approvals, and record retention live in scattered files, when chasing sheets every period eats a manager's time, and when a lost record becomes a real liability.
When that point arrives, FirstHR centralizes what the blank forms were doing separately: employee profiles hold the roster and rates, a self-service portal lets employees submit and managers approve, e-signature captures the sign-off, and document storage keeps timesheets and wage records in one retrievable place for the retention period, alongside the employee handbook and time-off policy. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll processor: it does not run payroll, calculate wages, or replace a dedicated time clock, so pair it with your payroll provider and, for wage questions, a professional advisor. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a blank timesheet?
A blank timesheet is an empty form for recording the hours an employee or contractor works, ready to fill in by hand or on a computer. A typical blank timesheet has a row for each day with columns for time in, time out, break, and total hours, plus a header for the employee name, the week, and a place to sign. It is the starting point before any hours are entered, which is exactly what makes it reusable: download or print it, fill it in each period, and total it at the end. Blank timesheets come in weekly, daily, biweekly, and printable formats, and a business picks the one that matches how it pays and tracks. The point of a blank timesheet is a simple, consistent form everyone fills in the same way, so hours are captured accurately and payroll is fast.
How do I make a blank timesheet in Excel?
The fastest way is to start from a template rather than a blank grid. Download one of the Excel timesheets on this page and the columns, headers, and totals are already built. If you build your own, put the day in the first column, then columns for time in, time out, break, and total hours, with a row for each day of the week. Add a header area for the employee name, the week ending date, and a signature line. To total automatically, use a SUM formula at the bottom of the hours column, and if you want the sheet to compute hours from clock times, subtract time in from time out and the break, formatting the cells as time or converting to decimal hours. Every template here is already set up this way, so you can fill it in immediately in Excel or Google Sheets.
What is the difference between a blank timesheet and a time card?
The terms overlap, and many people use them interchangeably, but there is a slight distinction. A timesheet is usually a form, on paper or in a spreadsheet, where hours are written or typed in for a period such as a week. A time card historically refers to the physical card a worker punched in a time clock, and today often means the digital record a clock or app produces automatically. In practice, both capture the same thing, hours worked, and both serve the same payroll and recordkeeping purpose. A blank timesheet is simply the empty form version: you fill it in manually rather than having a clock stamp it. For a small business without a time clock, a blank timesheet is the simplest way to keep an accurate hours record.
How do I fill out a blank timesheet?
Start with the header: enter the employee name, the manager, the week or period, and the hourly rate if the sheet tracks pay. Then for each day worked, record the time in, the time out, and the length of any unpaid break. Calculate the total hours for the day by subtracting the break from the elapsed time between in and out, and enter it in the total column. At the end of the period, sum the daily totals for the period total. Keep overtime in mind: hours over 40 in a workweek are generally owed at one and one-half times the regular rate. Finally, have the employee and the manager sign to approve the record. The templates on this page automate the totals with formulas, so on the spreadsheet versions you only enter the times.
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours on a timesheet?
To convert minutes to decimal hours, divide the minutes by 60. So 15 minutes is 15 divided by 60, which is 0.25 hours; 30 minutes is 0.50; and 45 minutes is 0.75. This matters because payroll is usually calculated in decimal hours, not hours and minutes, so an entry of 8 hours and 30 minutes becomes 8.50 hours for pay purposes. A quick reference: 6 minutes is 0.1, 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.50, and 45 minutes is 0.75. On a spreadsheet, if your times are formatted as clock time, multiplying the elapsed time by 24 converts it to decimal hours automatically. Getting this conversion right is one of the most common small-business timesheet fixes, because rounding minutes inconsistently leads to pay errors.
How long do employers have to keep timesheets?
Under federal law, timesheets are part of the wage record and must be kept for a set period. The Department of Labor recordkeeping rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act require payroll records to be preserved for at least three years, and the underlying records used to compute wages, which include time cards and work and time schedules, for at least two years. Electronic records are permitted as long as they can be produced for inspection. In practice, many advisors recommend keeping everything for three years to cover the longer window and the statute of limitations for wage claims, and some states require longer. The practical takeaway is to not discard completed timesheets at the end of the pay period or the year. Store them somewhere retrievable, because they are the record you rely on in a wage dispute or audit. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I have to pay overtime based on a timesheet?
Yes, if the employee is non-exempt. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid overtime at one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, and the timesheet is the record that shows those hours. The critical detail is that overtime is calculated per workweek, not per pay period, so a biweekly timesheet still needs each week totaled separately. The federal minimum wage is 7.25 dollars an hour, though many states set a higher one. Exempt salaried employees who meet the FLSA duties and salary tests generally do not earn overtime, but classification depends on the actual duties, not the job title or the fact that someone is salaried. When in doubt about a timesheet total that crosses 40 hours, treat the excess as overtime unless you have confirmed the employee is exempt. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I use a blank timesheet instead of time-tracking software?
Yes. A blank timesheet is a completely valid way to track hours, and the Department of Labor allows any timekeeping method that is complete and accurate, including employees writing their own times on a form. For a small team, a blank timesheet is often simpler and cheaper than software, and it produces a defensible record as long as it is filled in consistently and approved. The point where businesses outgrow blank forms is usually volume: chasing sheets from a dozen people every period, catching math errors, and storing paper becomes more work than a system. Until then, a consistent blank timesheet with a manager sign-off does the job. Start with the form, and move to software when collecting and totaling sheets by hand starts costing more time than it saves.