Download our free weekly timesheet template (Excel), enter the Monday date for the week, then type each day’s time in, lunch out, lunch in and time out. The sheet subtracts the unpaid lunch, converts the result to decimal hours, totals the week and splits it into regular hours (up to 40) and overtime hours (over 40) under the federal rule. Have the employee and manager sign, and keep the sheet for at least two years.
On this page
This employee timesheet covers one person for one workweek, Monday through Sunday, on a single printable page. It includes:
Dates fill in automatically once you enter the Monday date.
Get the weekly timesheet template (.xlsx). It opens in Microsoft Excel, and you can also upload it to Google Sheets or open it in Apple Numbers.
The template does this for you, but it helps to know the math so you can spot errors. The formula is:
Hours worked = (time out – time in) – (lunch in – lunch out)
Time in 8:00 AM, lunch out 12:00 PM, lunch in 12:30 PM, time out 4:45 PM.
Time in 7:50 AM, lunch out 11:58 AM, lunch in 12:31 PM, time out 4:12 PM.
Payroll systems multiply pay rates by decimal hours, not hours and minutes. To convert, divide the minutes by 60. A common mistake is to write 7 hours 30 minutes as 7.30. It’s actually 7.50.
| Minutes | Decimal hours | Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 60 | 1.00 |
The template calculates each day to the exact minute and then converts it to hours. If your company rounds punches, make sure your policy is neutral. See our guide to time clock rounding rules before you adopt one.
Under federal rules, a bona fide meal period is not work time. It’s ordinarily 30 minutes or more, and the employee has to be completely relieved of duties (29 CFR 785.19). Short rest breaks are generally counted as hours worked. If an employee eats at their desk while answering phones, that time is work time and shouldn’t be deducted. State meal and rest break laws may add further requirements, such as California’s meal and rest break rules.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covered non-exempt employees must receive overtime of at least one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek (DOL Fact Sheet #23). A workweek is a fixed, regularly recurring period of seven consecutive 24-hour days. It doesn’t have to start on Monday, but it can’t be changed from week to week to avoid overtime, and each workweek stands on its own. You can’t average two weeks together. For more detail, see our guide to FLSA overtime rules.
That’s why the template uses a simple rule: Regular hours = the weekly total, up to 40 and Overtime hours = anything over 40.
An employee works 8.25 hours Monday, 8.25 Tuesday, 9.00 Wednesday, 8.50 Thursday, 7.75 Friday and 4.00 Saturday.
At a $20.00 regular rate, that’s 40 x $20.00 = $800.00, plus 5.75 x $30.00 = $172.50, for $972.50 in gross pay. If the employee also earned non-discretionary bonuses, the regular rate may be higher than the base hourly rate.
State rules can differ. Some states have their own overtime laws. California, for example, also requires daily overtime for hours over eight in a workday. The template applies only the federal weekly rule, so if your state requires daily overtime, adjust the calculation or rely on a system that applies your state’s rules.
The FLSA doesn’t require any particular form for time records, and employers can use any timekeeping method, including paper timesheets, a spreadsheet or a time clock, as long as it’s complete and accurate (DOL Fact Sheet #21). For each non-exempt worker, the required records include:
The regulation is 29 CFR 516.2. Payroll records must be kept for at least three years. Records that wage calculations are based on, such as time cards and work schedules, must be kept for at least two years.
A spreadsheet works well for a handful of employees with predictable hours. It starts to break down when:
An employee time clock captures punches as they happen instead of relying on memory. EZTime’s time clock app offers GPS mobile clock-in, NFC tap-to-clock-in, AI shift scheduling, PTO management, overtime and break alerts, and payroll-ready exports. Pricing starts at $2 per employee per month (see pricing), and you can start a 14-day free trial. For a broader comparison of options, read our overview of employee time tracking methods.
Header complete: name, ID, department, manager, week starting date
Workweek start day and time documented
Actual in, out and meal-break times entered for each day worked
Only bona fide unpaid meal periods deducted
Daily totals reviewed and weekly total checked
Overtime over 40 hours identified (plus any state daily overtime)
Corrections noted with a reason
Employee and manager signatures and dates
Filed and kept for at least two years, with payroll records kept for three
EZTime records every clock-in from the app, an NFC tag or a kiosk and totals hours for payroll automatically.
Yes. Download the Excel file and use it for as many employees and weeks as you need. No account is required.
Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The formulas use standard functions that Sheets supports.
Enter the times as they happened, for example 10:00 PM in and 6:30 AM out. The formula recognizes that the shift crossed midnight and calculates the hours correctly. Record the shift on the day it started, and keep in mind that your fixed workweek boundary still applies.
The FLSA’s hours-worked recordkeeping requirements are aimed at non-exempt employees. Many employers still track exempt employees’ time for PTO, project costing or state requirements.
Under the FLSA, keep time cards and other records used to calculate wages for at least two years, and keep payroll records for at least three years. Some states require longer retention.
How time clock rounding works under the FLSA and when it becomes risky.
Meal and rest break timing, waivers and premium pay in California.
The 40-hour workweek, the regular rate and worked overtime examples.
Fair Workweek rules compared by state and city.
Accrual methods, caps, carryover and payout rules for PTO policies.
This article provides general information about US federal timekeeping and overtime rules. It isn’t legal advice. State and local laws may impose additional requirements, so consult a qualified employment attorney or your state labor department about your specific situation.