Free Time Card Template
A time card is a week of hours on one page, signed by the person who worked them and the person who checked them. It is the document payroll is built from and the document a wage claim is defended with, which is the same reason to take it seriously.
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What belongs on a time card
- The week ending date, so two cards cannot be confused
- Employee name, number and classification
- One row per day, with the job or cost code the hours were worked against
- Clock in, clock out and unpaid break, not just a total
- Hours per day and a total for the week
- A line for overtime, because the rate is not the same
- Two signatures: the employee, and whoever approved it
Record in and out, not just the total
A card that says "Tuesday, 9 hours" proves nothing. A card that says in at 06:45, out at 16:15, 30 minutes unpaid, is a record. Wage and hour disputes turn on exactly this difference, and the employer carries the burden of having kept the records.
Federal rules require covered employers to keep the hours worked each day and the total each week. Your state may require more, and several require the break to be recorded separately.
Put a cost code on every row
Hours without a job attached are a payroll number. Hours with a job attached are a job cost, and job cost is the only way to find out which work you are actually making money on.
It costs the crew four seconds a day and it is the input every one of the calculators on this site is hungry for.
Get it signed by both people
An employee signature means the hours are what they say they worked. A supervisor signature means somebody checked. A card with neither is a spreadsheet entry with extra steps.
Keep the signed cards. Three years is the federal minimum for payroll records, and some states want longer.
Questions people ask
How long do I have to keep time cards?
Under federal rules, payroll records including hours worked must be kept for three years, and the records the wage computations are based on for two. Several states require longer, so check your own state labor department.
Can employees fill in their own time cards?
Yes, and most do. What matters is that the record is accurate, contemporaneous and approved by a supervisor. Filling a week in on Friday from memory is where errors and disputes start.
Does this template calculate overtime?
The printed card has a total line you fill in. Overtime rules vary by state, including daily overtime in states like California, so the template does not assume a rule. Use the labor burden calculator on this site if you want the fully loaded cost.
Is there an Excel version?
Yes, a real .xlsx with the columns laid out, so you can add your own formula column if you want one.