Timesheet Template: Track Hours and Turn Them Into Invoices

Quick answer: A timesheet template records the hours someone worked: the date, start and end times, breaks and daily totals, plus the client or project for billable work. Add up the decimal hours for the period, have them approved, then multiply by the hourly rate to run payroll or create an invoice.

Hours that are not written down are hours that do not get paid, and hours written down badly cause disputes. Whether you are an employer tracking staff time for payroll or a freelancer billing clients by the hour, a consistent timesheet template turns scattered memories into accurate numbers. This guide covers the fields to include, how to calculate hours and convert minutes to decimals, a filled weekly example, the US recordkeeping basics for employers, and how to turn approved hours into an invoice.

What is a timesheet?

A timesheet is a record of time worked over a period, usually a day, week or month. Employers use timesheets to calculate wages and overtime. Freelancers, contractors and agencies use them to bill clients and to see where their time goes. Unlike a simple time card that only logs clock-in and clock-out times, a timesheet often records what the time was spent on, which is essential for billing by project.

A timesheet also protects both sides. For an employee, it is evidence of hours worked if pay is ever disputed. For an employer, it supports payroll, overtime and job costing. For a freelancer, an approved timesheet turns a potential argument about an invoice into a simple check against figures the client has already seen and agreed.

Timesheet template fields

Field	For employees	For freelancers
Name	Employee name and ID	Your business name
Period	Pay period or workweek start date	Billing period
Date	Each working day	Each working day
Start and end time	Required for hourly staff	Useful; some log duration only
Unpaid breaks	Meal breaks deducted	Rarely relevant
Client and project	For job costing	Essential
Task description	Optional	Essential; this becomes the invoice wording
Hours (decimal)	Regular and overtime	Billable and non-billable
Approval	Supervisor signature	Client sign-off, if required

How to calculate hours on a timesheet

1. Use 24-hour time or mark AM and PM clearly. 1:00 could mean 1 a.m. or 1 p.m.; 13:00 cannot.
2. Subtract start from end. 8:45 to 17:15 is 8 hours 30 minutes.
3. Subtract unpaid breaks. 8 hours 30 minutes minus a 30-minute lunch is 8 hours.
4. Convert to decimal hours. Divide the minutes by 60.
5. Add up the period. Total each day, then the week.

Minutes to decimal hours

Minutes	Decimal	Minutes	Decimal
6	0.10	30	0.50
10	0.17	40	0.67
15	0.25	45	0.75
20	0.33	50	0.83

A common mistake is writing 7 hours 30 minutes as 7.30. It is 7.5. At $60 an hour, that error costs $12 every time it happens.

Spreadsheet formulas

In Excel or Google Sheets, put the start time in one cell and the end time in another, both formatted as time. The formula =(End-Start)*24 returns decimal hours. Subtract breaks in hours, for example =(C2-B2)*24-0.5 for a 30-minute break. For a night shift that crosses midnight, use =MOD(C2-B2,1)*24. Multiply the weekly total by the rate for the amount due. If you already keep invoices in a spreadsheet, our invoice tracker spreadsheet guide shows how to link the two.

Filled weekly timesheet example

Here is an illustrative timesheet for a freelance designer billing one client at $65 per hour.

Day	Start	End	Break	Task	Hours
Mon 2 Nov	09:00	12:30	0	Homepage wireframes	3.50
Tue 3 Nov	13:00	17:15	0	Wireframe revisions	4.25
Wed 4 Nov	09:00	11:45	0	Style tiles	2.75
Thu 5 Nov	10:00	15:30	0:30	Homepage visual design	5.00
Fri 6 Nov	08:30	10:00	0	Client review call and notes	1.50
Total hours					17.00

The arithmetic: 3.50 + 4.25 + 2.75 + 5.00 + 1.50 = 17.00 hours. Thursday is 10:00 to 15:30, which is 5.5 hours, minus a 0.5-hour break, giving 5.0. At $65 per hour, 17 × $65 = $1,105.00 for the week.

Turning timesheet hours into an invoice

Once the client approves the timesheet, the invoice almost writes itself. Our guide to invoicing for hourly work covers rates and formats in depth; here is the short version:

1. Decide on the level of detail. One line per task or per day is clearest; one line per week is acceptable if you attach the timesheet.
2. Enter hours as the quantity and your rate as the price. In our free invoice generator, a line reading "Homepage design, week of 2 Nov 2026" with quantity 17 and rate 65 gives $1,105.00.
3. Add the billing period and client reference. Put the period in the description or notes and the client's PO number in the PO field.
4. Apply tax if it applies to your services. Set one tax rate in the generator if you charge sales tax, VAT or GST.
5. Attach or reference the timesheet. The generator creates the invoice PDF only; send your timesheet as a separate file in the same email.
6. Number and log the invoice. A unique number from the invoice number generator keeps your records tidy.

Contractors billing a company directly should also check the client's vendor requirements; see how to invoice as an independent contractor. If you bill a fixed monthly amount against a bank of hours, a timesheet still matters: it shows the client how the retainer was used.

Timesheets for employers: US recordkeeping basics

If you employ hourly staff in the US, timesheets are part of your legal records. The Department of Labor's FLSA recordkeeping fact sheet lists what employers must keep for non-exempt workers, including hours worked each day and each workweek, and says no particular form is required as long as the records are complete and accurate. It also states retention periods: at least three years for payroll records and two years for records on which wage computations are based, such as time cards. Under federal law, non-exempt employees must generally be paid overtime at one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, so a weekly timesheet that clearly separates regular and overtime hours saves payroll errors. State laws can add daily overtime rules, meal-break rules and longer retention periods, so check your state as well.

Employees are not contractors, and their pay is processed through payroll, not invoices. The pay side is covered in our guide to salary slip format and payslip components.

Billable and non-billable time

Freelancers and agencies should log all working time, not just the hours they can bill. Split the timesheet into two kinds of entries: billable time, which goes on a client invoice, and non-billable time, such as admin, proposals, unpaid revisions or learning. Tracking both shows your real effective hourly rate. If you billed 17 hours at $65 but actually worked 24 hours on the project, your effective rate was $1,105 ÷ 24, or about $46 an hour. That number is the evidence you need to raise prices, tighten the scope or charge for extra revision rounds.

Mark each entry with a simple code, such as B for billable and N for non-billable, and total them separately. Only the billable total goes on the invoice, but the full picture belongs in your own records.

Paper, spreadsheet or time-tracking app?

Paper timesheets still work on job sites and in small workshops, but they must be typed up for payroll or invoicing, which adds a step and invites errors. Spreadsheets are free, flexible and easy to share; with the formulas above they calculate totals automatically, and a new tab per week keeps history in one file. Time-tracking apps add start-stop timers, mobile entry, reminders and reports by client or project, and many can export hours to invoicing or payroll software. Start with a spreadsheet, and switch to an app only when you find yourself forgetting to log time or juggling many clients.

Choosing a timesheet format

• Weekly: the most common; matches the US overtime workweek and weekly or biweekly billing.
• Biweekly or semi-monthly: matches many payroll schedules; one sheet per pay period.
• Monthly: suits retainers and low-volume consulting.
• Project-based: one sheet per project across weeks, useful for fixed budgets and job costing.

Keep the layout clean, with the total clearly at the bottom and room for a signature. Visual consistency with your invoices helps clients recognize your documents; the startup invoice template has a simple layout that pairs well with a spreadsheet timesheet.

Common timesheet mistakes

• Filling it in at the end of the week from memory. Small tasks disappear. Log time daily or as you go.
• Writing minutes as decimals. 7:30 is 7.5 hours, not 7.3.
• Forgetting breaks, or deducting paid ones. Know which breaks are unpaid under your policy and local law.
• No task detail. "Work" is not an invoice line a client will approve quickly.
• Unapproved hours. Get sign-off before payroll or invoicing, not after a dispute.
• Inconsistent rounding. Pick one increment, apply it every time and state it in your contract.
• Losing old timesheets. Employers have retention duties; freelancers need them if a client queries an old invoice.

Timesheet checklist

• Name and period clearly stated
• Date, start time and end time for each block
• Unpaid breaks recorded
• Client, project and task description for billable work
• Daily totals in decimal hours
• Regular and overtime hours separated for employees
• Period total and rate
• Approval signature and date
• Stored with payroll records or the matching invoice

A good timesheet template takes a minute a day to keep and pays for itself on the first invoice. More practical guides for independent workers are in our freelancing articles.