Free employee attendance register (Excel)
Track daily attendance status for your staff — present, absent, sick or on leave — in one simple spreadsheet. Built-in COUNTIF summaries tally the month for each employee, so this attendance register (also called an attendance roster or attendance sheet) is perfect for small businesses and HR teams that need a clear record of who showed up.
Employee attendance register
Excel format (.xlsx) • Ready to download
No signup required. Works with Excel and Google Sheets.
This employee attendance register is a general record-keeping tool only. It does not calculate wages, penalties, overtime or award entitlements. Verify pay and leave entitlements with payroll software and check your obligations with Fair Work. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
What's in this template
A simple, formula-backed attendance sheet layout
Employee name
One row per staff member, with space for an employee ID or role beside the name.
Calendar dates across the top
Each day of the month runs across the header so you can mark attendance day by day.
Status codes
Mark each day with a simple code: P (Present), A (Absent), S (Sick), AL (Annual Leave) or NS (No Show).
Notes column
Capture the reason for an absence or any context you need for the record.
Monthly summary counts
COUNTIF totals tally present, absent, sick and leave days for each person automatically.
Attendance percentage
A summary column works out attendance % so you can spot patterns at a glance.
How attendance is recorded
Each employee gets a row; each day of the month runs across the top. Mark every cell with a simple code — P (Present), A (Absent), S (Sick), AL (Annual Leave) or NS (No Show) — and add notes for context. The summary columns on the right use COUNTIF to total the month automatically.
| Employee | Mon 20 | Tue 21 | Wed 22 | Thu 23 | Fri 24 | Present | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Jones | P | P | S | S | P | 3 | Sick Wed–Thu |
| James Smith | P | P | P | AL | AL | 3 | Annual leave |
How to create an attendance sheet in Excel
Four steps to build one from scratch
1. Set up the master table
Put Employee ID, Name and Role in the first columns, then run calendar dates across the top to the end of the month. Add summary columns for Total Present / Absent and Attendance %.
2. Enter your employees
Add one row per staff member. Keep names consistent with payroll so the record matches your other documents.
3. Add a tracking method
Use a Data Validation drop-down (or checkboxes) so each cell only accepts P, A, S, AL or NS — that keeps the data clean enough for formulas to read.
4. Tally with COUNTIF
In each summary column use =COUNTIF(range,"P") to count present days, and divide by working days for an attendance % — no manual counting required.
Prefer to skip the setup? The free template above already has the master table, drop-down codes and COUNTIF summaries built in. When you’re ready to turn attendance into pay-ready data, read our guide on how to track employee hours.
Who uses this template
Ideal for teams keeping a daily staff attendance record
Cafes & restaurants
Track daily attendance and no-shows across rotating hospitality teams.
Retail stores
See who turned up each day and keep a tidy record of sick and leave days.
Clinics & care
Maintain attendance records for shift-based health and care staff.
A register tells you who showed up; it won’t stop people clocking time they didn’t work. See how to spot and prevent time theft, and how live attendance tracking closes those gaps.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
An attendance register works for a small team, but a spreadsheet can be edited after the fact and is slow to audit across months. RosterElf records attendance the moment staff clock in via kiosk or mobile, ties it to the roster and timesheets, and keeps a tamper-resistant record you can rely on at pay run — no manual COUNTIF required.
Time & attendance guides
Turn attendance records into pay-ready data
How to track employee hours
Move from marking attendance to capturing accurate worked hours for payroll.
Read the guideHow to approve timesheets
A clean approval process that turns attendance and hours into pay-ready records.
Read the guideAttendance evidence & Fair Work
What attendance records you should keep and why they matter in a dispute.
Read the articleRelated templates
Explore more free time & attendance templates
Attendance register FAQ
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Build a master table with employee names down the first column and the calendar dates across the top row. Mark each day with a simple code (P for Present, A for Absent, S for Sick) using a Data Validation drop-down, then use COUNTIF to tally the totals for each person. Our free template comes pre-built with this layout — or follow the step-by-step section above to create one from scratch.
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Once dates run across the top and codes are entered in each cell, add summary columns that use
=COUNTIF(range,“P”)for present days,=COUNTIF(range,“A”)for absences, and so on. Divide present days by working days for an attendance percentage. The template already has these formulas wired up so the monthly counts update as you type. -
Yes. The file opens in both Excel and Google Sheets, and the COUNTIF formulas work the same way in either. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Sheets if you prefer to share a live link with managers.
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It tracks attendance status (present, absent, sick, leave), not hours. To capture start, finish and break times, use our staff hours tracker or weekly timesheet, and see our guide on how to track employee hours.
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The template is an Excel (.xlsx) file, but you don’t need a separate PDF or Word version. In Excel or Google Sheets, choose File → Print (or Export → PDF) to save a clean PDF, and print a blank month to use as a paper sign-in sheet staff can initial each day. Because it’s a spreadsheet, you can also widen columns or add days before printing — something a fixed PDF or Word attendance template can’t do.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. RosterElf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws, awards and workplace requirements.