Template
Time tracking: spreadsheet template
One sheet per person and month: date, start, end, break. Net working time and the monthly total are calculated for you. Free, no sign-up.
No email, no registration. The download starts immediately. · Excel file (.xlsx), opens in LibreOffice Calc too · 6 columns · 31 prepared rows · 32 formulas
- €0 · forever
- No sign-up
- No email address
- German & English
| # | A | B | C | D | E | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time tracking | |||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | Employee: | Month: | ||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | Date | Start | End | Break (min) | Net hours | Note |
| 6 | 01.09.2026 | 08:00 | 16:30 | 30 | 8.00 | Example row, please overwrite |
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 |
Ready in three minutes
How to use it
Make one copy per person and month, and put both in the file name.
Enter start, end and break; the net-hours column calculates itself.
Breaks are recorded in minutes so the calculation avoids time-format traps.
The calculated columns are locked so they are not overwritten by accident. The protection has no password and can be removed at any time. It guards against slips, not against changes.
When the spreadsheet stops being enough
Gemploy is HR software from Hamburg. Free for up to and including 10 active users, with no time limit.
Honestly
Where this template runs into limits
A spreadsheet is a good calculation sheet, but it is not a recording system. Know these points before relying on it permanently:
Editable after the fact, and nobody can tell
Following the ECJ (C-55/18) and the German Federal Labour Court (1 ABR 22/21), employers must set up a system that records working time objectively, reliably and accessibly. A file every party can overwrite without a trace does not do that: there is no history showing who changed which value, and when.
Recording duties with deadlines
For mini-jobs and the sectors listed in § 2a SchwarzArbG, § 17 MiLoG applies: start, end and duration of daily working time must be recorded within seven days and kept for two years. Whether a spreadsheet met that deadline cannot be established later from the file itself.
Personnel data in an uncontrolled file
Working hours are personal data. A file on a laptop or in a shared folder lacks what the GDPR presumes: controlled access, traceable changes, and a deletion concept with deadlines.
No check on maximum hours or rest periods
The template calculates, it does not warn. Exceeded maximum working hours or shortfalls in rest periods under the Working Hours Act are yours to spot.
As of: 2026-08-18 · All information without warranty. This page is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is tracking time in Excel allowed?
The law prescribes no particular medium, so paper or a spreadsheet are possible in principle. The case law does require a system that is objective, reliable and accessible. The larger the company and the more people edit the same file, the harder that is to demonstrate with a spreadsheet.
How long must working-time records be kept?
Within the scope of § 17 MiLoG, two years from the point relevant for the record. Other retention periods, for instance under tax or social-security law, may be longer.
Does the template calculate overtime?
It calculates actual net working time per day and the monthly total. It does not compare that against contractual target hours, because those differ by contract and working-time model.
Can I adapt the template?
Yes. Sheet protection is set without a password and can be removed in Excel and LibreOffice Calc. It only prevents the formula columns from being overwritten by accident.