Free weekly timesheet template (Excel)
Track employee hours Monday to Sunday with automatic weekly totals. Purpose-built for Australian small businesses that need a simple, payroll-ready way to record hours worked each week. Download, add your team, and start tracking immediately.
Weekly timesheet
Excel format (.xlsx) • Ready to download
No signup required. Works with Excel and Google Sheets.
This weekly timesheet template is a general planning and record-keeping tool only. It does not calculate wages, penalties, overtime or award entitlements. Verify pay 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 straightforward Monday-to-Sunday timesheet layout
Employee name
One row per staff member — add as many rows as you need for your team.
Week starting
The Monday date the pay week begins, so every sheet is clearly dated for your records.
Monday to Sunday columns
A column for each day of the week to record hours worked at a glance.
Total weekly hours
A formula column sums each person’s days into a weekly total automatically.
Notes column
Capture exceptions — leave, swaps, late starts or handover notes for the week.
Break-aware layout
Record net hours after unpaid breaks so weekly totals reflect time actually worked.
How hours are recorded
Each day column shows hours worked (e.g. “8” for an eight-hour day). Leave cells blank or enter “0” for days not worked. The template totals weekly hours for each employee automatically, so the sheet is ready to hand to payroll.
| Employee | Week starting | Mon | Tue | Wed | ... | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Jones | 20/01/2025 | 8 | 8 | 0 | ... | 32 |
| James Smith | 20/01/2025 | 0 | 8 | 8 | ... | 40 |
How to make a weekly timesheet in Excel
Four steps to build one from scratch
1. Add the header labels
In the top rows enter Employee Name, Manager, Week Start Date and (optional) Hourly Pay Rate so every sheet identifies who and which week it covers.
2. Build the daily table
On the header row add columns: Day, Date, Time In, Time Out, Lunch Start, Lunch End and Total Hours, then list Monday to Sunday down the rows.
3. Format the time cells
Select the time columns, choose Format Cells → Time, and use the 37:30:55 format if a weekly total ever needs to display more than 24 hours.
4. Enter the hour formulas
Use =(Time Out − Time In)×24 for daily decimal hours (subtract the lunch gap), then SUM the seven days to total the week.
Prefer to skip the setup? The free template above already has the layout and weekly-total formulas built in. Once hours are recorded, see our guide on calculating payroll from timesheets.
How to use this template
Download and go in four quick steps
Download
Grab the Excel file — no signup, opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
Add your team
Enter staff names and the week starting date, one row per employee.
Record hours
Fill in the hours worked each day Monday to Sunday.
Send to payroll
Totals calculate automatically — export or save the sheet for your records.
Who uses this template
Ideal for small businesses tracking weekly hours
Cafes
Track barista and kitchen staff hours week by week
Retail stores
Record floor-staff hours for accurate weekly pay
Hospitality
Log front- and back-of-house time for the week
Before payroll runs, make sure every sheet is signed off — see our guide on how to approve timesheets and learn how to keep your records legally defensible.
When spreadsheets stop keeping up
Manual weekly timesheets work for small teams. But as you grow, chasing paper, fixing errors and re-keying hours into payroll becomes painful. RosterElf captures clock-ins on a tablet or phone, applies breaks automatically and exports payroll-ready hours — no formulas to maintain.
Time & attendance guides
Turn recorded hours into accurate, compliant pay
How to approve timesheets
Set up a fast, defensible weekly timesheet approval process before payroll runs.
Read the guideCalculate payroll from timesheets
Turn recorded hours into accurate pay, including overtime and penalty rates.
Read the guideTrack employee hours
Practical ways to capture hours worked accurately across your team.
Read the guideRelated templates
Explore more free time & attendance templates
Weekly timesheet template FAQ
-
Add header labels for Employee Name, Manager and Week Start Date, then build a table with columns for Day, Date, Time In, Time Out, lunch breaks and Total Hours. Format the time cells as Time, then use =(Time Out − Time In)×24 to get decimal hours and SUM the seven days for the weekly total. Our free template above already has this layout and the formulas built in — or follow the step-by-step section above to build one from scratch. For the next step see our guide on calculating payroll from timesheets.
-
Subtract each day’s start time from its finish time and multiply by 24 to convert to decimal hours — e.g. =(Time Out − Time In)×24 — then subtract any unpaid lunch. Add a SUM formula across Monday to Sunday for the weekly total. To understand which of those hours count as ordinary time, see our glossary entry on ordinary hours.
-
Excel ships with a few generic timesheet templates, but most are built for US workweeks and don’t reflect Australian pay periods, breaks or records obligations. This free weekly timesheet is purpose-built for Australian small businesses and works in both Excel and Google Sheets. Need a roster instead of a timesheet? Compare free shift schedule template formats.
-
No — it records hours only. It does not calculate wages, penalties, overtime or award entitlements. For automated, pay-aware calculations use time and attendance software or learn how to integrate payroll with rostering.
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.