Time Tracking Template for Excel and Google Sheets free & workplace-ready

Not for every hour. Since 1 January 2024 employers in Great Britain do not have to record workers’ daily hours if they can show compliance with the working-time limits in another way. In Ireland, employers must record start and finish times and keep the records for three years. (Source: [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1426))

Excel stores times as fractions of a day. In the Ordio template, **B2** is start, **C2** is end, and **D2** is break in minutes, divide break by **1440** (24×60) before subtracting from the shift length.

**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.

A **time tracking Excel template** is a pre-built spreadsheet for recording hours worked: date, start, end, breaks, and net time, with formulas already in place. You log each day or week; the file totals hours for payroll, scheduling, and audits.

Yes. You download it free of charge after a short form and get an Excel file (.xlsx, Excel 2016 or Microsoft 365) and a Google Sheets copy. Excel and Sheets contain the same 9 sheets: Instructions, Time tracking, Overview, Dashboard, Compliance, Settings, Bank holidays, Legal basis, Ordio.

The United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States. Pick the country and region on the “Settings” sheet; check values, holidays and currency then switch automatically.

The defaults include: Notice above h/day: 8; Maximum h/day: 13; Notice above h/week: 48; Minimum daily rest h: 11; Break 1 above h: 6; Break 1 min: 20; National Living Wage £/h (21+): 12.71 £/h. Each value links to its source on the “Settings” sheet and can be overridden.