We are creatures of habit. We stick to what we know.
We set our alarms at the same time every day, reach for our favourite coffee mug, travel the same route to work, and always park in the same spot (except when "that guy" beats us to it).
It can be the same when it comes to time tracking. Most of us, to varying degrees, know how to use Microsoft Excel; so it makes sense, when you first start thinking about employee time management, to search around for a free Excel template to download so you can get started right away.
There are better ways to track time of course—we can think of at least seven—but if you do want stick to a good ol' paper timesheet, it helps to know what to look for. (And if you do ever want to switch to the top-rated time tracking system on the planet, you know where to find us!)
We've tried, and it's hard to design a paper timesheet that can do everything you need it to (and honestly, using the TSheets mobile apps would be a lot easier) but each one has its own kind of charm. To help you find the right one for your business, here are some free Excel timesheet templates to get you going...
Pros
- More space to add your time entries.
- Every timesheet starts on the same day.
- Easy to see how many hours you've worked.
- You can add formulas to calculate how much you're owed.
Cons
- Can't categorize all your hours by jobs, shifts, or clients
- You have to make a lot of different entries every day.
- Isn't as accurate as digital time tracking.
- Hard copies can be lost or illegible, and there's no back-up.
- You have to add the correct rates of pay to every timesheet.
- You have to make sure it's been signed by a manager.
- Your timesheet won't send your hours to payroll for you.
- No audit trail when changes are made.
- Your timesheet won't send your hours to payroll for you.
Download Weekly Template
Pros
- Matches your pay period so you can see your hours at a glance.
- Saves paper by including two weeks on every timesheet.
Cons
- There's less room for all the information, so something has to go.
- You'll need to write in each day of the week as well as the dates.
- You have to make up to 10 entries every day.
- With smaller boxes to write in, your timesheet can be harder to read.
- You're using more paper than you would with a time tracking app.
- It's less accurate than a time tracking app.
- No back-up copy, audit trail, or GPS data.
- Your timesheet won't sync to payroll.
Download Bi-Weekly Template
Pros
- Fewer entries to make every day.
- Fewer timesheets to keep track of.
- You get the big picture of how many hours you've worked.
Cons
- You can't record as much information about each day you work.
- No GPS data, audit trail, or payroll sync.
- No back-up copy if you use a printed timesheet.
- There's no way to categorize your hours by project or client.
- The boxes are even smaller so the timesheet is harder to use and read.
- You can't add lunch breaks so you may overestimate the hours you work.
- If you use a hard copy and lose it, it's impossible to remember your hours.
Download Monthly Template