How to work with free timesheet templates.

A man in an orange shirt working in a music store holding a red semi-hollow electric guitar while two other people look at it. One person in a yellow shirt is touching a gold control knob on the guitar.

Accurate time-tracking is essential for any business to operate. Learn how to use a free printable timesheet template to monitor how your employees spend their time.

Although many businesses use time-tracking software, smaller companies or freelancers might prefer to save the monthly subscription and use a weekly or daily timesheet template. If you pay your employees by the hour, here’s how to make the most of your timesheet template.

Information to include in your daily or weekly timesheet template.

Your daily or weekly timesheet template should include more than just the hours worked — though that’s definitely an essential part of any timesheet.

Here are some of the most important pieces of information to add to your business’s timesheet template:

Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive. You’re welcome to include more information if necessary to calculate payroll. For example, if you offer paid time off (PTO), you may also want to include that in your timesheet template.

Printable and free timesheet template.

You can create your timesheet template from scratch in a document processor or spreadsheet. However, downloading a free timesheet template online is the easiest way to track employee time with minimal effort.

Most timesheet templates are PDFs. Your employees will fill out the template every day or week. And since you don’t know what devices they use, it’s best to use a PDF that will maintain its formatting across devices.

If you need to make changes to your timesheet template, you can make minor edits, leave comments through your web browser with an online PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat or convert your PDF template to Excel for more extensive edits. Of course, if you choose to build your own timesheet template from scratch, you can save the document directly as a PDF or convert Word to PDF online — depending on which program you choose.

Approve timesheets electronically.

Many businesses require employee timesheets to be approved by their direct supervisors. Rather than print completed timesheets, sign them with a pen, and scan them back into the computer for digital filing, you can keep the entire process digital.

You can quickly and easily fill and sign a PDF online without needing a printer. Simply upload the PDF timesheet you need to sign, select a signing option, drag your signature to the line, and download the completed form for filing. It’s the easiest way to approve timesheets without needing additional hardware or steps.

Frequently asked questions.

What is a timesheet used for?

A timesheet allows employees to track their work hours over a certain period. Employers then use the timesheet to run payroll and record time spent on projects, clients, or tasks to calculate costs.

Can I make my own timesheet template?

Yes, you can make your own timesheet template from scratch in your favorite document processing software. Just remember to save the document as a PDF when you’re done.

Should timesheets be submitted daily or weekly?

You can create a daily or weekly timesheet template to suit your business processes. A daily timesheet template might be better if you want day-to-day visibility of how your employees spend their time. However, a weekly timesheet template may be more efficient if you prefer to run payroll weekly or biweekly.

Do I need to make a timesheet template?

Having a timesheet template that employees can quickly bring up and edit can simplify the payroll process, saving your business time and money.

Keep exploring

Content as a Service v2 - acrobat-hub - Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 10:18