Step-by-step instructions for building an employee timesheet in Excel or Google Sheets: setting up columns, entering times, calculating hours with breaks and overnight shifts, converting to decimal hours, weekly totals, overtime and pay formulas, protecting the sheet, plus the limits of spreadsheets and when to switch to a time tracking app.
A spreadsheet timesheet is free, flexible and familiar. It can work well for a very small team, a single employee or a short project. Its weaknesses show up as you grow: employees write times from memory, formulas get overwritten, versions multiply in email and there is no proof of when someone actually started work. Still, a well-built sheet is far better than notes on paper, and building one is a good way to understand how hours and overtime are calculated.
To total hours with breaks and overtime, use our time card calculator.
If you would rather start from a ready-made file, see the free timesheet template, the daily timesheet template and the biweekly timesheet template.
At the top of the sheet, add fields for employee name, employee ID if you use one, department or job, pay rate and the week start date. Leave a few blank rows between the header and the table so the layout is easy to read and print.
| Column | Heading | Example entry |
|---|---|---|
| A | Date | 3/2/2026 |
| B | Start time | 8:00 AM |
| C | End time | 4:30 PM |
| D | Unpaid break | 0:30 |
| E | Total hours (decimal) | Formula |
| F | Job or notes | Site 12 |
Add one row for each day of the week, Monday through Sunday or whatever day your workweek starts. Your workweek is a fixed, recurring seven-day period you define for overtime purposes.
Select columns B and C and format them as Time (for example, 1:30 PM). Format column D as a duration using the custom format h:mm. Format column E as Number with two decimal places. Enter times with AM or PM, or use 24-hour time, to avoid confusion.
Excel stores times as fractions of a day, so subtracting the start time from the end time gives a fraction of 24 hours. Multiply by 24 to convert to decimal hours, which payroll needs.
| Situation | Formula in E2 | Result for example |
|---|---|---|
| Same-day shift, no break | =(C2-B2)*24 | 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM = 8.50 |
| Same-day shift with unpaid break | =(C2-B2-D2)*24 | With 0:30 break = 8.00 |
| Shift crosses midnight | =MOD(C2-B2,1)*24 | 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM = 8.00 |
| Overnight with unpaid break | =(MOD(C2-B2,1)-D2)*24 | With 0:30 break = 7.50 |
Use the MOD version for every row if any employee might work past midnight. It handles both normal and overnight shifts. Copy the formula down for every day of the week.
If you want hours shown as hours and minutes instead of decimals, use =C2-B2-D2 and format the cell with the custom format [h]:mm. The square brackets let totals exceed 24 hours. For payroll, decimal hours are usually easier. The decimal hours converter explains the conversion.
Below the last day, add a total row. In E9 (if days are rows 2 to 8), enter =SUM(E2:E8). This gives total decimal hours for the week.
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees generally must be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states also require daily overtime, such as California for hours over 8 in a day.
| Cell | Label | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| E10 | Regular hours | =MIN(40,E9) |
| E11 | Overtime hours | =MAX(0,E9-40) |
For daily overtime states, add a column for daily overtime with a formula such as =MAX(0,E2-8) and adjust weekly totals so hours are not counted twice. Daily overtime rules can be complicated, including double time in some states, so check the rules carefully. See daily overtime rules and FLSA overtime rules.
If the hourly rate is in cell B4 (from the header), calculate gross pay:
| Cell | Label | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| E12 | Regular pay | =E10*$B$4 |
| E13 | Overtime pay | =E11*$B$4*1.5 |
| E14 | Gross pay | =E12+E13 |
See how to calculate overtime pay and the overtime calculator.
At the bottom, add lines for employee signature and date, and supervisor approval and date. If you email timesheets, ask for a typed confirmation or use a signed PDF. Approval shows the hours were reviewed. See timesheet approval.
Also add data validation to time cells so only valid times can be entered.
Save the file as a template, then make a new copy for each employee and week, named consistently, such as Lastname_2026-03-02.xlsx. Federal rules generally require keeping payroll records for at least three years and time cards for at least two, and some states require longer. Store copies securely. See time record retention requirements.
The same formulas work in Google Sheets, including MOD for overnight shifts and [h]:mm for duration formats (under Format, Number, Custom date and time or Custom number format). Sheets makes sharing easier, but be careful with edit permissions so employees can only change their own entries.
| Issue | Spreadsheet | Time tracking app |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy of start and end times | Typed from memory | Recorded at clock-in |
| Location proof | None | GPS stamp or approved locations |
| Formulas | Can break | Built in |
| Breaks and overtime alerts | Manual | Automatic alerts |
| Approvals and corrections | Email back and forth | Built-in requests with audit trail |
| Multiple employees | Many files | One system |
| Payroll export | Manual copy | Payroll-ready reports |
A spreadsheet works for a handful of employees. Once you are managing many people, multiple locations or field crews, the time spent collecting, checking and fixing spreadsheets usually costs more than an app. See how to set up a time clock for a small business.
A small bakery with six employees built an Excel timesheet with MOD formulas for early morning shifts, protected cells and weekly overtime. It worked well until the bakery opened a second location and hired 14 more people. The owner spent most of Monday collecting files, fixing broken formulas and chasing missing signatures. After moving to a mobile time clock, employees clocked in at each location and the owner exported payroll-ready reports in minutes.
EZTime replaces spreadsheet timesheets with automatic time tracking. Employees clock in on the mobile app, web, tablet kiosk or NFC tag, hours and overtime are calculated automatically, labor rule alerts flag overtime thresholds and forgotten clock-outs, timecard corrections go through manager approval with an audit trail and reports export to PDF and Excel. A 14-day trial needs no credit card.
Subtract the start time from the end time and multiply by 24, for example =(C2-B2)*24. Subtract unpaid breaks before multiplying.
Use =MOD(C2-B2,1)*24 so shifts that cross midnight give a positive result.
With weekly total hours in E9, use =MAX(0,E9-40) for overtime hours and =MIN(40,E9) for regular hours, then multiply overtime hours by the rate times 1.5.
Use the custom format [h]:mm for time totals, or convert to decimal hours by multiplying by 24.
Federal rules require accurate records of hours worked but do not mandate a particular format. Spreadsheets can work if accurate and retained, but they rely on manual entries.
EZTime records clock-ins on any phone, calculates hours and overtime automatically and exports payroll-ready reports.