Free fortnightly timesheet template (Excel)
Two Monday-start weeks on a single sheet, each with its own total. Built for two-weekly pay runs, where one file per fortnight beats two files per person.
Fortnightly timesheet
Excel format (.xlsx) • Ready to download
No signup required. Works with Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
This template is a record-keeping tool, not legal or payroll advice. It does not calculate minimum wage, holiday pay or statutory sick pay for you, and it does not check working time limits. Check GOV.UK, or take advice, before relying on a spreadsheet for compliance. 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.
Roster and track hours in one place
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What's in this template
A full fortnight, with each week still countable on its own
Fourteen day rows
Two Monday-to-Sunday blocks, so the fortnight lines up with two whole working weeks rather than an arbitrary 14 days.
Per-week subtotals
Week 1 and Week 2 total separately as well as together — you need the weekly figure even when you pay fortnightly.
Break column per day
Unpaid breaks entered and deducted on each row, so paid hours are explicit on every day of the fortnight.
Contracted-hours split
A contracted figure per week splits each week’s total into contracted and additional hours.
Overnight shifts handled
A finish time earlier than the start is treated as crossing midnight rather than returning a negative.
Approval lines
Employee and manager sign-off at the foot of the fortnight.
Two weeks, two totals
Each week keeps its own subtotal. That matters more than it looks: the 48-hour limit and the 20-minute break entitlement are weekly and daily rules, so a fortnight total that averages out can still hide a week that did not comply.
| Week | Day | Start | Finish | Break | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 5 | 07:00 | 15:30 | 0:30 | 8.0 |
| 1 | Sat 10 | 18:00 | 02:00 | 0:30 | 7.5 |
| 1 | Week 1 total | 41.5 | |||
| 2 | Mon 12 | 07:00 | 15:30 | 0:30 | 8.0 |
| 2 | Week 2 total | 52.0 |
The Saturday row crosses midnight and the sheet handles it. The red Week 2 total is the point of keeping weeks separate — 52 hours is lawful on its own, but it only stays lawful if the 17-week average holds.
How to fill in the fortnightly timesheet
Four steps, once a fortnight
1. Set the fortnight
Enter the Monday that starts Week 1. Week 2’s dates fill in from it, so the two blocks cannot drift apart.
2. Enter each day as it happens
Fill it in daily, not on the last afternoon. A fortnight is well past the point where anyone reliably remembers a Tuesday.
3. Deduct real breaks only
A break someone was called out of is not a break. Leave the column at zero rather than deducting time that was actually worked.
4. Check each week separately
Look at both weekly subtotals before approving. A 52-hour week is a working time question even when the fortnight looks unremarkable.
Type into the white cells only — the shaded ones calculate. Both weekly totals and the fortnight total update as you go.
Who uses this template
UK teams on a two-weekly pay cycle
Care providers
Long shifts and handovers across a fortnightly rota, where weekly hours vary a lot between the two weeks.
Security and facilities
Rolling patterns that repeat over two weeks rather than one, so the fortnight is the natural unit.
Logistics and warehousing
Two-weekly pay runs with heavy variation between a quiet week and a peak one.
Paid weekly instead? The weekly timesheet is the same sheet over seven days.
Or let the fortnight record itself
Two weeks is a long time to remember. RosterElf captures every clock-in and clock-out as it happens, keeps the weekly figures visible throughout, and exports the approved fortnight to payroll.
Working time and pay
The rules the fortnight has to satisfy
Rota laws in the UK
The 48-hour average, the 11-hour daily rest, and what a rota can and cannot require.
Read the guideTimesheets and working time records
What UK employers must record about hours, and the unpaid time that causes minimum wage breaches.
Read the guideOvertime and unsocial hours pay
There is no statutory overtime premium in the UK — here is what actually governs the rate.
Read the guideDefinitions worth having
Terms that come up on a fortnightly sheet
Reference period
The rolling window the 48-hour average and holiday pay are measured across.
See the definitionWorking Time Regulations
The 1998 regulations behind rest breaks, daily rest and the weekly limit.
See the definitionTOIL (time off in lieu)
Banking extra hours as time rather than pay, and where that goes wrong.
See the definitionFortnightly timesheet FAQ
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For a full-time worker on 37.5 contracted hours a week, a fortnight is 75 hours. The template takes your contracted weekly figure and doubles it for the fortnight, rather than assuming a standard — contracted hours in the UK commonly range from 35 to 40 a week.
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Because the rules that matter are weekly. The 48-hour limit is an average of weekly hours, and weekly rest is 24 hours in each seven-day period. A fortnight total of 84 hours could be two comfortable 42-hour weeks or a 32 and a 52 — the compliance picture is completely different, and only per-week subtotals show which one you have.
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Yes — use two copies of the sheet, one per fortnight, rather than stretching one. The formulas are anchored to fourteen rows, and adding rows underneath will not extend the weekly subtotals.
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Yes. If the finish time is earlier than the start, the sheet treats the shift as running into the next day rather than returning a negative. Night workers also have their own limit — an average of 8 hours in any 24 — which is separate from the 48-hour weekly average.
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 and workplace requirements.