Free Time Sheet Template (2024 Guide)

Anna Baluch is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoys writing about a variety of health and personal finance topics. When she's away from her laptop, she can be found working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family.

Anna Baluch Contributor

Anna Baluch is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoys writing about a variety of health and personal finance topics. When she's away from her laptop, she can be found working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family.

Written By Anna Baluch Contributor

Anna Baluch is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoys writing about a variety of health and personal finance topics. When she's away from her laptop, she can be found working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family.

Anna Baluch Contributor

Anna Baluch is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoys writing about a variety of health and personal finance topics. When she's away from her laptop, she can be found working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family.

Contributor Kelly Main Staff Reviewer

Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist c.

Kelly Main Staff Reviewer

Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist c.

Kelly Main Staff Reviewer

Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist c.

Kelly Main Staff Reviewer

Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist c.

Updated: Jul 26, 2024, 10:46am

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Free Time Sheet Template (2024 Guide)

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Table of Contents

A time sheet can help you keep track of the number of hours your employees and independent contractors work. Depending on your business model and needs, it can be filled out by you as the employer or your employees themselves. If you’d like to use time sheets for your small business, you’re in luck because we’ve included several free time sheet templates below.

The ideal time sheet template depends on how often you pay your employees. We’ve designed four options to meet various pay schedules. Feel free to download the one you’d like so you can customize it and put it to work.

Daily Time Sheet Template

With a daily time sheet template, your employees can log their time at the start and end of each workday. If they’re off-site at an event or training session, for example, this time sheet may come in handy.

Weekly Time Sheet Template

A weekly time sheet lets you keep tabs on how much your employees work on a weekly basis. It makes sense if you pay them every week as it can help you calculate their hours, overtime, PTO and wages.

Biweekly Time Sheet Template

If you pay your employees every other week, a biweekly time sheet is likely the best option for you. Your employees can use it to jot down all of the hours they work so you can pay them accordingly.

Monthly Time Sheet Template

A monthly time sheet is a good fit if you calculate wages or pay your employees once per month. It can also give you the chance to analyze work patterns over a longer period of time and make any appropriate changes.

Pros and Cons of Using a Time Sheet Template

Before you go ahead and implement a time sheet template, consider these benefits and drawbacks.

Pros

Cons

Additional Time Tracking Methods

While a manual time sheet is a cost-effective, simple way to track the time employees work, it’s not right for everyone. Here are a few alternative time tracking methods you might want to explore.

Advertisement Free Users Time Reports Geofencing

On Connecteam's Website

Detailed activity tracking

Time reports

By person, date, project, client

Key features

Time & Attendance, App & website data, Burnout prevention

On Intelogos' Website

Track hours and run payroll effortlessly Minimize time theft and control labor costs Free for up to 20 employees (no credit card required)

On Homebase's Website

Free Trial

Save 20% on Annual Plans

Seamless client scheduling

On Acuity's Website

Bottom Line

Tracking employee hours can help you improve performance, compliance, payroll processing and work culture. If you do decide to take advantage of a free time sheet template, be sure to choose the right one for your pay frequency and needs. Also, don’t be afraid to explore other time tracking solutions as your business evolves.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I keep track of my employees' time?

The best way to keep track of employees’ time—and ensure staff remains productive—is through an employee time-tracking app. Some of the best time-tracking apps available include Clockify, ClockShark, Paymo and QuickBooks Time.

Who should use manual time sheets?

A manual time sheet is ideal if your small business only has a few employees. As you grow, you might want to explore time sheet software and automate your time tracking process. Learn more about how to do payroll.

What is time sheet software?

Also called a time clock calculator, time card calculator or work hours calculator, time sheet software lets you create timesheets or time clocks so you can keep track of your employees’ hours. It may also help you streamline payroll. For help choosing the best software to help you easily manage and track your employee’s time, check out our guide to the best time tracking software.

What are the best payroll services?

There are a number of great payroll services available that can help businesses save a tremendous amount of time (and stress) by handling payroll on your behalf. While OnPay is the best overall, Gusto is the best for automating payroll making it easy to essentially “set it and forget it.” Meanwhile, Paychex Flex is best for beginners given its ease of use and Wave Payroll is best for small businesses and contractors. Learn more about the best payroll services.

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Anna Baluch is a freelance writer from Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoys writing about a variety of health and personal finance topics. When she's away from her laptop, she can be found working out, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her family. Connect to her on LinkedIn.

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