The timesheet #
One sheet covers one worker for one week. If you pay monthly, keep the weeks of a pay period together, because that is the unit the minimum wage records are checked against.
Click anything in brackets to type over it, then copy, print or download the result. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Weekly timesheet
| Worker | [Full name] |
|---|---|
| Employee or payroll number | [Number] |
| Role or site | [Job title, team or site] |
| Week commencing | [Monday's date] |
| Pay period | [Weekly, fortnightly or monthly, and which one] |
| Manager | [Name] |
Hours
| Day | Date | Start | Finish | Unpaid break | Hours worked | Of which overtime | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | |||||||
| Tuesday | |||||||
| Wednesday | |||||||
| Thursday | |||||||
| Friday | |||||||
| Saturday | |||||||
| Sunday | |||||||
| Total |
Time not worked
| Type | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday taken | ||
| Sickness | ||
| Other absence |
Working time
| Signed a 48 hour opt-out | [Yes or no] |
|---|---|
| Night work this week | [Yes or no] |
Sign-off
I confirm the hours above are a true record of the time worked this week.
| Worker signature | Name | Date |
| Manager signature | Name | Date |
Payroll use
| Entered into payroll on | [Date] |
|---|---|
| Entered by | [Name] |
| Holiday accrued this period | [Hours, for irregular hours workers] |
What the law expects you to record #
There is no rule that says "keep a timesheet". There are three sets of rules that are much easier to meet with one, and each one explains a part of the template.
Minimum wage records: six years
Employers must keep records that prove they pay at least the minimum wage. GOV.UK lists what those records include, and hours are at the centre of it.
total hours worked - including absences and overtime
Records made on or after 1 April 2021 are kept for 6 years from the last day of the pay reference period after the one they cover. They can be on paper or on a computer, but you must be able to produce the records for one worker for one pay reference period in a single document. That is why the template carries the pay period on every sheet.
Working time records: two years
Acas says employers keep records to show workers are not working more than the 48 hour weekly maximum, unless they have an opt-out agreement, and to show they meet the limits on night work. Those records are kept for 2 years. Acas is clear that an employer does not need to keep records of all daily working hours, but a signed weekly sheet with the opt-out marked on it answers the question in one place.
Holiday for irregular hours: 12.07% of hours worked
For irregular hours and part-year workers, in leave years that began on or after 1 April 2024, holiday accrues at 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period. GOV.UK's own example: 30 hours worked in a weekly pay period earns 4 hours of leave. The hours worked column is the figure that calculation runs on, which is why the payroll box asks for it.
How to use it well #
-
Fill it in each day, not on Friday
Start and finish times written up at the end of the week are estimates, and estimates are what disputes about pay are made of.
-
Record breaks separately
Hours worked is finish minus start minus unpaid break. Showing all three means anyone can check the sum.
-
Get both signatures before payroll runs
A sheet signed after the pay run is a correction waiting to happen.
-
File it by pay period
The records have to come out one worker and one pay period at a time, so file them that way.
What happens to it by hand #
In most offices the timesheet is the start of the job, not the end of it. Someone collects the sheets, chases the missing signatures, adds up the hours, checks the overtime, types the totals into payroll and works out the holiday accrued. Every one of those steps follows the same rules every week. Deciding what to do about a sheet that does not add up is the only part that needs a person.
For agencies with temps on several client sites, that loop is covered in timesheets and temp payroll. The cost of admin time calculator puts a number on the hours your own office spends on it, and the job sheet template does the same job for time spent on a customer's site.