Hourly workers
A shift-by-shift record with breaks accounted for, ready for a supervisor to sign and payroll to process.
Free · No signup · No watermark
Free Timesheet Generator
Log Your Hours and Work Out What You Are Owed
Record hours by date, task or project, apply your hourly rate, and let the totals calculate themselves. Download a clean timesheet PDF to send for approval or attach to your invoice.
Your business
Client
Period details
Line items
Totals & notes
Total payable: $0.00
Your business name
Timesheet
#TS-0001
Client
Client name
Period start
Sep 22, 2026
Period end
Sep 29, 2026
Currency
USD
| Description | Hours | Hourly rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
- Subtotal
- $0.00
- Total payable
- $0.00
Everything stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and the PDF has no watermark.
Quick maths
Hours × Rate Calculator
Check a billable total in a few seconds, including overtime at a different rate.
- Standard hours
- $3,187.50
- Overtime at $127.50/hr
- $0.00
- Total hours logged
- 37.50 hrs
- Billable amount
- $3,187.50
Currency symbol is illustrative — the figures work the same in any currency. Tax is not applied here; add it in the timesheet builder above if it belongs on the document.
Who it is for
Built for Hourly Work
Anyone paid or billing by the hour needs the same thing: a clear, checkable record of time.
Freelancers
Time split by project so the client can see where the hours went, and you can attach it to the invoice as backup.
Contractors
Standard and overtime hours at their respective rates, with site or job references against each entry.
Agency placements
A weekly sheet the hiring manager approves before the hours are billed on through the agency.
What to record
Every Timesheet Entry Needs
Enough detail that someone who was not there can approve it without asking questions.
- The date the work was done
- The project, job number or client the time belongs to
- A short description of the task
- Hours worked, in a consistent format
- The hourly rate that applies to those hours
- Overtime or premium hours shown separately at their own rate
- The total hours for the period
- Space for approval — who signed it off and when
Billable hours
Deciding What Goes On the Sheet
The arguments about hours are nearly always about what counts, not about the arithmetic.
Agree up front whether meetings, travel, research, revisions and admin are billable, and at what rate. Put the answer in your terms so the timesheet simply reflects a decision that was already made.
Record time as you go rather than reconstructing the week on Friday afternoon. Reconstructed hours are usually under-counted, and they are much harder to defend if a client queries them.
Approval
Getting the Timesheet Signed Off
Approval before invoicing keeps disputes out of your payment cycle.
- 01
Submit on a fixed schedule
Weekly or fortnightly, on the same day. Predictable submission gets predictable approval.
- 02
Send to the person who can approve it
Usually the project lead or hiring manager, not the accounts inbox.
- 03
Ask for written confirmation
An email reply naming the period and total hours is enough to rely on later.
- 04
Invoice the approved hours
Bill exactly what was signed off, and attach the timesheet so the figures can be matched.
Written for real weeks
Timesheet Examples
Four ways of laying out a period, including overtime and unpaid breaks.
Freelancer
Two projects in one fortnight
- Website build — sprint 1 · 22.5 · 85.00
- Content migration · 6.0 · 85.00
- Client calls and revisions · 3.5 · 85.00
Period 8–19 Sep. Submitted for approval before invoicing.
Contractor
Weekly hours with overtime
- Standard hours, Mon–Fri · 37.5 · 42.00
- Overtime, Saturday · 6.0 · 63.00
- Site induction · 1.5 · 42.00
Overtime at 1.5× the standard rate, per the agreed terms.
Hourly employee
Shift record for payroll
- Shifts, week commencing 15 Sep · 32.0 · 24.50
- Unpaid break deduction · -2.5 · 24.50
Signed by the supervisor before submission to payroll.
Agency placement
Hours billed through an agency
- Placement hours, week 38 · 40.0 · 58.00
- Approved travel time · 2.0 · 29.00
Approved by the hiring manager. Agency invoices the client separately.
Figures are illustrative only. Overtime rules and pay rates depend on your own agreement and local employment law.
Avoid these
Common Timesheet Mistakes
Each one makes the hours harder to approve, and slower to get paid.
- 01
Filling it in from memory
Time logged days later is guesswork, and it almost always undercounts your own work.
- 02
Mixing rates on one line
Standard and overtime hours belong on separate lines so the total can be checked.
- 03
Descriptions like 'work'
An approver cannot sign off something they cannot recognise.
- 04
Inconsistent part hours
Switching between 7.5, 7h30 and 'about half a day' invites recalculation of the whole sheet.
- 05
Invoicing before approval
Where sign-off is required, an early invoice just moves the dispute to your payment terms.
- 06
Leaving breaks unstated
Say whether breaks are included or deducted; silence is the most common reason a sheet gets sent back.
Questions
Timesheet FAQs
What hourly workers, freelancers and contractors ask about recording time.
What is a timesheet?
A timesheet is a record of hours worked over a period, broken down by date, task or project. For hourly workers and contractors it is the evidence behind the amount being billed or paid.
What counts as billable hours?
Whatever your agreement says is chargeable. Usually time spent directly on the client's work, and sometimes meetings, travel or research. Agree the boundaries before the work starts, not when the timesheet arrives.
How do I calculate hours times rate?
Multiply total hours by your hourly rate. The builder does this per line as you type, and the calculator on this page gives you a quick standalone total including any overtime hours.
Should a timesheet be approved before invoicing?
Where a client or agency requires sign-off, yes — send the timesheet first and invoice the approved hours. It prevents the invoice itself becoming the place a dispute starts.
How should I record part hours?
Pick one convention and stick to it. Decimal hours (7.5) are easiest to multiply; some clients expect rounding to the nearest quarter hour. Say which you use.
Can I send a timesheet with my invoice?
Yes, and for hourly work it is good practice. Attach the timesheet as supporting detail and keep the invoice itself summarised by project or week.
Ready when you are
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