Automated payroll export
Hours flow into payroll without manual re-entry
Free work time tracking template for Excel and Google Sheets. Professional, legally soand, and ready to use. Includes working-time compliance checks and a monthly summary.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Date | Start time | End time | Break (min) | Working time (hours) |
| 2 | 06/01/2026 | 08:00 | 17:00 | 30 | 8.5 |
| 3 | 07/01/2026 | 08:00 | 17:00 | 45 | 7.25 |
| 4 | 08/01/2026 | 09:00 | 18:00 | 30 | 8.5 |
| 5 | 09/01/2026 | 08:00 | 16:30 | 30 | 8 |
| 6 | 10/01/2026 | 08:00 | 17:00 | 30 | 8.5 |
| 7 | 13/01/2026 | 08:00 | 17:00 | 30 | 8.5 |
| 8 | 14/01/2026 | 08:00 | 17:00 | 45 | 7.25 |
| 9 | 15/01/2026 | 09:00 | 18:00 | 30 | 8.5 |
A time-tracking Excel template is a ready-made spreadsheet to document working hours—date, start, end, breaks, and total hours—with formulas and formatting already in place. You enter times per day or week; the sheet calculates net hours for payroll, scheduling, and audits.
The template suits small businesses, restaurants, retail, and field teams. It covers normal work, overtime, paid time off (PTO), sick leave, and public holidays. It is free, works in Excel and Google Sheets, and helps you keep consistent records before you move to a dedicated system.
Use it for hourly staff, part-timers, and salaried teams who still need daily proof of hours. Enter start time, end time, and break per day—net working time is calculated automatically. Export-friendly columns help you pass data to payroll or your accountant.
Industry examples: In hospitality you may log split shifts (lunch, evening, close). In retail: fixed opening hours. In care or trades: night and weekend patterns. Pair time tracking with our duty roster template when you plan shifts first.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees must receive overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, and employers must keep accurate records of hours worked. Many states add meal and rest break rules, daily overtime, or pay transparency requirements—check your state labour agency. Keep time records long enough for wage claims (often several years; confirm with counsel).
The Working Time Regulations 1998 set limits on average weekly working time, rest breaks, and rest between shifts. Employers should keep adequate records to show compliance. Accurate timesheets support National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage checks and holiday accrual.
Operating in Germany? German employers must document daily working time in line with national working-time rules—use this layout as a starting point and confirm retention periods with your adviser.
A classic timesheet focuses on daily lines for one person or team; a broader time-tracking workbook may add overviews, status codes, and monthly summaries. Both support wage and hour compliance when entries are complete and timely. See our timesheet Excel template for a compact monthly layout.
Yes—Excel or Google Sheets can be used for time records if your process is objective, reliable, accessible, and complete. There is usually no requirement to buy a specific brand of software; what matters is that hours worked (including breaks where required) are captured accurately and can be produced for an audit or dispute.
Good-practice criteria: Record start, end, and break duration in a consistent format (e.g. hh:mm). Avoid flat rounding (listing "8 hours" when the shift was 7:45). Use formulas for net time, protect finished months from casual edits, and keep dated backups.
FLSA recordkeeping expects enough detail to calculate regular and overtime pay. Enter times close to when work is performed—not weeks later from memory. State laws may require additional break logs or split-shift premiums.
Records should support compliance with working-time limits and paid leave. Where disputes arise, clear spreadsheets with month-end sign-off are stronger than informal messages alone.
Practical tips: Use sheet protection, version history or monthly file copies (e.g. time-tracking-2026-03.xlsx), and a short change log if corrections are made after approval. For teams that need tamper-evident clocks and mobile capture, Ordio time tracking connects hours to scheduling and payroll.
Start with our free template or adapt your own workbook for time tracking in Excel or Google Sheets—no registration required. In Google Sheets, use "Make a copy" from the shared link so the file lives in your Drive.
08:00, not 8 00).Growing teams benefit from Ordio time tracking—clock-in by app or terminal, automatic totals, and links to scheduling and payroll.
The core formula for time tracking in Excel is: end time minus start time minus break. A typical pattern is =(C2-B2)-(D2/1440) where C2=end, B2=start, and D2=break in minutes. Excel stores times as fractions of a day; dividing minutes by 1440 converts them for subtraction.
The Ordio template includes these formulas—adjust cell references if you build your own sheet.
| Purpose | Formula (example) |
|---|---|
| Net working time | =(C2-B2)-(D2/1440) |
| Decimal hours (e.g. 8.5) | =((C2-B2)-(D2/1440))*24 |
| Weekly total | =SUM(E2:E8) |
| Handle empty cells | =IFERROR((C2-B2)-(D2/1440),"") |
Format start and end as time (hh:mm). Enter break as a number of minutes. Use IFERROR to avoid #VALUE! when a row is blank. Summarise the "total hours" column with SUM for weekly overtime checks under US rules (over 40 hours in the workweek for non-exempt staff) or UK averaging rules where applicable.
When a shift runs past midnight (e.g. 22:00-06:00), a simple =C2-B2 can go negative. Use =IF(C2<B2,(1-B2+C2)-(D2/1440),(C2-B2)-(D2/1440)) or split into two rows and add the parts. The Ordio template supports overnight shifts.
IFERROR or IF(ISBLANK(...),"",...). 00:30, adjust the formula; minutes (30) are simpler with the divisor method.The free time-tracking Excel template saves setup time: no licence fee, immediate download, and a structure you can hand to supervisors and payroll. Ideal for solo operators and teams under roughly ten people who want a clear paper trail before investing in software.
The Ordio workbook includes fields for date, start, end, break, net hours, and status (normal, overtime, PTO, sick, holiday). Available as Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets.
Records that stand up in reviews: Minute-level start/end (not vague totals), break documentation where your jurisdiction requires it, and monthly archives with a clear "approved" snapshot.
Explore related tools: timesheet template and the template overview. For shift planning plus capture, combine with Ordio scheduling and time tracking.
Small businesses (up to about ten employees), contractors with a few hourly helpers, and managers who want one file per month per site. Multiple locations or complex rotating patterns often outgrow Excel—plan a digital upgrade when edits and approvals become hard to control.
Manual entry invites typos; shared files can be changed without an audit trail; there is no built-in geofenced clock or automatic break warnings. From roughly five to ten employees upward, a system with roles, mobile clock-in, and payroll integration usually pays for itself. The Ordio template remains a solid free starting point—you can migrate historical rows when you switch to Ordio time tracking.
Excel works for small teams. From about five employees, digital time tracking reduces errors and speeds payroll: Ordio time tracking lets staff clock in by app, browser, or terminal; hours flow into scheduling and payroll without retyping.
Options include spreadsheets (low cost, manual), on-site terminals (kiosk clocks), mobile apps (field and hybrid teams), and integrated HR suites (time plus pay and leave). Pick based on headcount, locations, and how strictly you must prove hours for US FLSA or UK working-time compliance.
The free Excel template stays available for trials and very small crews. Many businesses start in Sheets, then move to Ordio as they grow—historical data can be imported. Combine with the duty roster template if you still plan shifts in Excel during the transition.
Export your monthly files, import once into Ordio, then run day-to-day capture in the app. Most teams complete setup in a single planning session; optional staff training covers clock-in and leave requests. Try Ordio free to compare effort against your current spreadsheet routine.
Automated payroll exports save hours every week
Hours flow into payroll without manual re-entry
Checks for breaks, rest periods, and working-time rules (Germany: ArbZG)
Staff clock in/out on mobile — works offline too
See hours and overtime as they happen
Discover more free Excel templates for workforce planning, scheduling, and HR.
Yes, when records are accurate and retrievable: log start, end, breaks, and net hours without flat estimates. US employers covered by the FLSA need reliable records for non-exempt staff; UK employers should meet Working Time Regulations expectations. The free Ordio working time recording template structures daily entries and monthly overviews—it supports compliance practice but is not legal advice.
Use hh:mm for start and end (e.g. 08:00, 17:30). Formula: =(end-start)-(break_minutes/1440). The Ordio template calculates automatically. Review totals for FLSA overtime in the US and weekly limits under UK Working Time Regulations.
Download the free Ordio working time recording template with columns for date, start, end, break (minutes), and net hours. It includes instructions, overview, and compliance notes. Works in Excel and Google Sheets—ideal for small US and UK teams.
Use =(end-start)-(break/1440) in the result cell; the Ordio template installs this for you. Enter date, start, end, and break only. For clock-in from phones or tablets, Ordio time tracking automates capture and approvals.
Yes. Download the Ordio working time recording Excel template free—no subscription for the file. Available as Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets with formulas and export-friendly layout. Ideal for small businesses and contractors in the US and UK.
Small businesses with up to about ten employees, contractors, and site teams that need a simple log before buying software. Multi-site or complex shift rules may need Ordio time tracking. The spreadsheet remains a solid free starting point in the US and UK.
Retain records long enough for pay disputes and audits. US FLSA practice often keeps payroll-related time data for several years; UK employers align with HMRC and tribunal expectations. Save monthly Excel files with clear filenames so you can produce evidence quickly.
Yes. Open the Ordio copy link, duplicate to your Drive, and record data. Formulas match Excel. Ideal for distributed US and UK teams without emailing attachments.
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