In this article, we\u2019ll guide you through setting up a timesheet<\/a> in Excel, formatting it and adding functions correctly, and explaining the benefits and limitations of using Excel to track time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quick note: Excel, though free and simple to track personal time, doesn\u2019t work well for teams. Compiling timesheets and making sense of time data can quickly become a chore for managers. Instead, try using one of our recommended best time tracking apps<\/a>, many of which have a free version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you want to still use Excel, here\u2019s how we\u2019d do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to track your time by creating a timesheet<\/a>. We\u2019ve covered the steps below \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the time to figure out what data you want to track in your timesheet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can get as granular as you like here with the following options to record:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you first open a new Excel file, the cells are rather small. This can make it difficult to read your Excel timesheet easily without clicking on individual cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, before you do anything, select column A on the left side of your screen and drag it to the width you want. Then, right-click the column and select copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, you highlight the column range from B to the last column you\u2019ll need in your timesheet, depending on the information you wish to include. We recommend including at least until column L.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, hit CTRL+V to paste the formatting to all the selected columns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select the cells from A1 to L1, then click Merge & Center in the toolbar under the Home tab. Now, you can enter the name of your timesheet in the resulting cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can name the sheet how you want, but we recommend using your company name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the text is added, center-align it and format it how you like. You can change the size, font, and color to fit your brand, but it\u2019s a good idea to make it bold to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure people know the correct places for data entry, you need to add labels to your timesheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exact labels you add will depend on the data you\u2019ve chosen to track and the specifics required by your company, but some general ones most timesheets need are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Space the labels out evenly across your timesheet columns so it looks something like this (we used cells A2, A4, F2, and F4):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your labels are added, click the Wrap Text icon so the words all fit in one cell. It looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, you can create a space for the employees to type in. This is especially important if you plan on printing the timesheet. To do this, highlight the cells next to the cell where you added the Employee label (in our case, B2 to D2). Select the Bottom Border <\/em>option from the borders drop-down next to the font format buttons in the taskbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doing so will add a line at the bottom of the selected cells. Merge the cells and have the perfect space for your employees to input their information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Repeat these steps for each of the other labels you\u2019ve added until your spreadsheet looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, you need to add labels to indicate where employees should add their time-related information, like day, date, time in, and time out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, divide the employee and time-related details by merging all the cells in the first row underneath the employee information. In our example, it would be A6 to L6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start inputting your time-related labels in the next row to create column headings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feel free to customize these labels to fit your company\u2019s needs. For example, you can add extra Time In\/Time Out sections for breaks or remove them altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that your labels are added, you can format them to your liking. Start by filling in the row with your color of choice by highlighting the row and selecting Fill Color from the toolbar. Make the text bold so it stands out, Wrap It, and center it in the middle of the cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select All Borders from the Borders tool drop-down. Then add the days of the week in the first column on the left under the \u201cDay\u201d label, and your timesheet should look a bit like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Formatting your cells in the timesheet for readability is a good idea to ensure all your cells are fully legible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by selecting all the rows where time entries will be entered. In our example, it would include rows 8 to 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drag the bottom edge of any row to make all the cells wider, then, with the same rows highlighted, select Center Text and Align to Middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, select the cells that form part of the time tracking sheet, like so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apply All Borders to make boxes around the cells so your sheet can be read easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, tidy up your spreadsheet by removing any unnecessary borders or colors in cells you won\u2019t use, make your final adjustments to fonts, colors, and formats, and you\u2019re done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tada! \ud83c\udf89<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a little time-consuming to create time tracking spreadsheets in Excel or Google Sheets from a fresh worksheet. That\u2019s where templates come in, and we\u2019ve gathered some for you in our next section \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n NB: <\/em><\/strong>Click here to download the Excel timesheet template we created in this section<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Using a timesheet template<\/a> to create your Excel timesheet can save you a lot of time and effort \u2014 especially when it comes preloaded with formulas to tally up your hours and bill for the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a look at these free, ready-made Excel time tracking templates<\/a> from Toggl Track \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n This template is super simple. It breaks the day down into 30-minute slots, where freelancers or contractors can input the tasks they\u2019ve carried out over their workday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply enter an hourly rate and fill in the blanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download this daily timesheet template here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This timesheet template includes spaces for start time, end time, and break duration for a full week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here to download the weekly template.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This timesheet template is the same as the one above but works for two weeks instead of one. You can also add your overtime hours to this sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the biweekly timesheet here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, we have the monthly Excel timesheet template from Toggl Track. Here, regular hours and overtime hours for each day of the month are added, along with the billable rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here for the monthly timesheet template download.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve given you the tools to start tracking your time in Excel, but advanced functions, like calculating total hours, multiplying them by your rates, and applying formulas to your data, can take your Excel time tracking game to the next level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some top tips that will kick you up a gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To calculate totals in Excel, such as for your total hours worked in a week or month, click in the first empty cell under the numbers you wish to tally, Then click the home menu and click this symbol \ud83d\udc47 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Excel will automatically create a SUM formula to calculate the total number of hours from the list. Still, you can manually edit the formula if it\u2019s missing something or adding cells you don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re done, click the green check mark or hit the enter key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, you can manually enter the formula into the empty cell by typing =SUM followed by the cell range you wish to total in brackets, separated by a colon. So, for our example below, we would enter =SUM(B6:B12) like this \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hit enter, and you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To calculate how much to invoice, you must multiply your total hours by your hourly rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To do this, select the cell where you want the result of your formula to appear. Type the = symbol followed by the cell with your total hours, then the * symbol, then the cell that has your hourly rate, like so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hit the enter key, and Excel will automatically populate the cell with the amount you should invoice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll probably need more than one Excel formula in your spreadsheet to tally up your hours and calculate your total costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To do this quickly for multiple rows, input the formula into the first cell, then click the small square at the bottom right corner and drag it down to the last cell where you need your formula, like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boom! Now, your timesheet is filled with formulas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you add start and end times to your timesheet instead of the specific hours worked, you\u2019ll need to figure out the hours from the times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, bear with us, as this can get a little complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, times and dates are expressed using a different numeric system called duodecimal or base 12<\/a> instead of the decimal system we\u2019re used to, where 10 is the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To calculate costs from time in your Excel timesheet, add an extra step that converts the duodecimal time entries into decimal numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excel expresses an hour in the duodecimal system as 1\/24 in the decimal system, or 0.0416666666666667. So, to calculate the decimal version of your hours, you need to divide the hours in duodecimal by 0.0416666666666667.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by subtracting the start time from the end to give you your hours in duodecimal format. Type the \u201c=\u201d character, the cell where your end time is entered (say C7), the \u201c-\u201d character, then the cell where your start time is entered (say B7) to give you the formula =C7-B7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, make sure the column where you wish to show the hours in decimal is formatted to General<\/strong>\u2014this is very important; otherwise, the formula will not work. For our example, we\u2019ll use column E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the cell is formatted, you need to enter the formula that will divide the hours in the duodecimal cell (D7 in our example) by 0.0416666666666667. Type in =D7\/0.0416666666666667 then hit enter, and you should see the decimal version of your hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, click and drag the small box in the lower right corner of the cell to copy the formula to the rest of the cells in the base 12 column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: <\/em><\/strong>This can be avoided if you can fill in your timesheet with the <\/em>hours only<\/em><\/strong> instead of the exact times. However, if your company requires start and end times, this formula will make your billing calculations a breeze.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we discussed in the previous section, how your cells are formatted to display data is vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Excel mostly applies the correct format automatically, you may need to check and edit the format to ensure everything displays correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some common examples \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right-click the cell you want to format and select format cells. Choose the correct format and click OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drag the cell with the new format to apply the formatting to all the cells you want to include.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right-click your chosen cell, select Format cells, and then click Time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select your chosen format from the list, click OK, then click and drag the cell to apply the format over your selected cell range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right-click the cell, select Format cells, then click Currency from the category list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, you can edit the format according to your needs by changing the decimal places, currency symbol, and how negative numbers are displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, click OK, then click and drag the cell to copy the format to the other cells you need it in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracking time in Excel is simple once your timesheet is set up. It\u2019s a basic, no-frills approach to time tracking, but it is effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few benefits of using Excel to track your time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these benefits, there are some drawbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excel time tracking is useful, but it is quite an outdated approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply put, there are better methods of employee time tracking as Excel time tracking has several limitations, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These drawbacks and limitations might have put you off using Excel to track time. But what are the alternatives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes! Instead of using Excel to track time, you can use a time tracking tool like Toggl Track<\/a> to track employee time better, faster, and smarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of Toggl Track\u2019s features that you won\u2019t get with Excel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracking time with Toggl Track, one of the best time tracking apps, couldn\u2019t be easier. There are different ways you can do it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting up a timesheet in Excel is an effective way to track employee time on a small scale, but it can be tedious and time-consuming, with a high risk of inaccuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, more time tracking tools like Toggl Track can help automate time tracking and reporting, eliminating the need for manual work and reducing the chances of human error.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to track time in Excel?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1. Decide what to track<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Step 2: Format your spreadsheet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Excel](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image30.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image4-3.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 3: Add a title to your timesheet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image7-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image8.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 4: Create basic information labels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image17.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image32.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image29.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image21.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 5: Add time-related labels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image24.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image19.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image27.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 6: Add some final touches<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image14-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image26.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSave time with these ready-made Excel time tracking templates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Daily timesheet template<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Daily](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image12.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWeekly timesheet template<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Weekly](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image18.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBiweekly timesheet template<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Biweekly](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image16.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMonthly timesheet template<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Monthly](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image3-3.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAdvanced tips and tricks for tracking time in Excel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to calculate totals in Excel<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"SUM](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image9-1024x146.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"SUM](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image10.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to multiply hours with rates<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Excel](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image15.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to apply formulas to your data<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Excel](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image2-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to calculate hours from start to end time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image25.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image1-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to display data in the right format<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Date format<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image6-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTime format<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image11.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCosts format<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image20.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are the benefits of tracking time in Excel?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What are the limitations of tracking time in Excel?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Is there a better way to track time than Excel timesheets?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Toggl](\"https:\/\/toggl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image22.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s your turn now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n