Free Google Sheets Timesheet Template

A Google Sheets timesheet template has one big advantage over a desktop spreadsheet: it's shared and live, so a whole team can fill in the same sheet from any browser. That makes it a natural first step up from paper. The formulas work a little differently from Excel, and the sharing that makes Sheets convenient is also where things get messy at scale. Here's how to build one that works, and where its limits are.

Set up your columns

In row one, add headers:

• Date
• Time In
• Time Out
• Break (mins)
• Hours Worked (formula)
• Regular and Overtime (formulas)

The hours formula in Google Sheets

Google Sheets, like Excel, stores time as a fraction of a day, so you multiply the difference by 24:

=(C2-B2)*24-(D2/60)

C2 is Time Out, B2 is Time In, and D2 is break minutes. The *24 converts the day-fraction into real hours; the /60 turns break minutes into decimal hours. For overnight shifts, handle the wrap-around:

=(C2-B2+(C2<B2))*24-(D2/60)

Format the Hours Worked column as a plain number (Format → Number → Number) so it doesn't show as a clock time.

Total and split the week

Sum the daily hours with =SUM(E2:E8). To split regular and overtime against a 40-hour threshold in cell E9:

• Regular: =MIN(E9,40)
• Overtime: =MAX(E9-40,0)

Sharing it with your team

This is where Sheets shines and strains at once. Use Share to give people edit access, and protect the formula cells (Data → Protect sheets and ranges) so nobody overwrites the math. For a team, give each person their own tab, or add a Name column and filter. Turn on notifications if you want a heads-up when the sheet changes.

Where a shared sheet breaks down

The same shared editing that's handy for three people gets risky for thirty:

• Anyone can edit anyone's row, accidentally or otherwise.
• No real clock-in — times are still typed from memory.
• Approvals are informal, usually just a message saying "looks good."
• Version history exists but is clunky to audit for a pay dispute.
• Overtime across many people is easy to miscalculate by hand.

When a shared sheet turns into a coordination problem, purpose-built software solves it. Timesheet Maker gives each person a real clock-in from any device, keeps everyone's hours separate and secure, totals and splits overtime automatically, and adds a proper approval step — the collaboration Sheets promises without the free-for-all.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate hours in Google Sheets? Subtract Time In from Time Out and multiply by 24, then subtract break minutes over 60: =(Out-In)*24-(BreakMins/60). Format the result as a number.

Why does my Google Sheets timesheet show a time instead of hours? The result cell is formatted as time. Change it to Format → Number → Number so 7.5 shows as hours, not 7:30.

Can multiple people use one Google Sheets timesheet? Yes, that's its strength. Give edit access and protect the formula cells. Beyond a handful of people, separate tabs or dedicated software keep it manageable.

Is Google Sheets free for timesheets? Yes, with a Google account. The cost is the manual entry and coordination, which grows with your team.

Start shared, scale smart

Google Sheets is a solid, free, collaborative starting point. When shared editing becomes a liability, try Timesheet Maker free.