Free timesheet generator for contractors

What to include on a contractor timesheet

A useful timesheet explains whose hours you recorded, when they worked, and what they did. For a remodel with several trades on site, “Monday: 8 hours” is harder to match to the job than “October 12: kitchen cabinet installation, 8 hours.”

Worker name and work dates

Keep one worker’s hours together. Enter their name and a date for each entry, including the month and year. If the worker moves between jobs, identify the project in the work description or notes so the hours can be reviewed against the right job.

Hours, start and end times, and breaks

In the miniature, enter the hours worked for each date manually. In the full editor, you can instead record start and end times and break minutes, including a shift that ends the next day. Use the break field for time you intend to deduct from the worked hours. Check the resulting hours before saving.

Keep your entries consistent: 7 hours and 30 minutes is 7.5 decimal hours, not 7.30. Don’t deduct a break a second time from hours that already exclude it.

Description of the work

Use the full editor’s description field to name the work performed, such as cabinet installation, door trim, or punch-list corrections. Add a job reference in the description or notes when it helps distinguish one remodel from another.

Hourly rate, total hours, and amount

The hourly rate is optional. When you enter one, the generator multiplies total hours by the rate to show an amount. Review both the daily entries and the total. This calculation can help illustrate labor cost; it isn’t payroll processing or a determination of what an employee must be paid.

Example contractor timesheet

In this fictional example, Sample Remodeling records carpenter Casey Example’s hours on a kitchen remodel. The three entries use a 30-minute break deduction each day. The rate is illustrative, not a recommended rate.

Worker: Casey Example · Project note: Example kitchen remodel · Hourly rate: $32.00

The daily hours are 8.5 − 0.5 = 8, 8 − 0.5 = 7.5, and 6.5 − 0.5 = 6. Together they total 21.5 hours × $32 = $688. This is an illustrative labor amount, not a processed payroll payment.

Enter the three dates and worked hours in the miniature. Continue to the full editor to add the start and end times, breaks, and descriptions shown above.

How to create and save a timesheet

1. Enter the worker’s name. Keep each worker’s record separate.
2. Add work dates and hours. The miniature accepts up to three dated entries with manually entered hours. Enter decimal hours after any applicable unpaid break deduction.
3. Add an hourly rate if needed. Leave it blank when you only need an hours record. When you enter a rate, check the calculated amount.
4. Continue to the full editor. Your entries carry over into an initially unsaved draft. Add more rows if you need additional work dates.
5. Complete the time details. Add work descriptions, start and end times, and break minutes where needed. Review the resulting hours, especially when a shift crosses midnight.
6. Review the totals. Check the worker, dates, daily hours, break deductions, optional rate, and calculated amount against your records.
7. Print or save as PDF. Review the timesheet in the full editor, then choose a printer or Save as PDF through your browser. Share the PDF using your preferred email or messaging application.

The free generator doesn’t automatically submit the document to a manager or payroll system. Keep an exported copy with your job records. Saved documents remain in the same browser on the same device.

Common timesheet mistakes

Leaving work dates blank

A total without dates is difficult to match to a job’s daily record. Add a date to every entry and check the month and year before exporting.

Deducting a break twice

If you entered worked hours manually after a break deduction, don’t subtract the same break again. When using start and end times, check the break minutes and resulting hours together.

Mixing minutes and decimal hours

Use 7.5 for seven hours and thirty minutes. Treating thirty minutes as 0.30 hours changes the total and any rate-based amount.

Omitting the work description

“Carpentry” gives less context than “Fit kitchen cabinet trim.” Use a specific description and a project reference when the worker visits several jobs.

Skipping the total review

A single mistyped entry can affect the whole sheet. Add up the daily hours and check the optional rate before printing or sharing.

Combining different workers’ hours

Use separate timesheets for different people. One worker name with several people’s hours makes it harder to check who performed the work.

For a blank form to fill out by hand, use the contractor timesheet template. Customize the company details and print the empty form before writing in the time entries.