A Google Sheets time log can total weekly hours; Everhour turns recurring tracking into approved records.
Enter your time in and out for each day. Overtime and gross pay are calculated automatically.
| Day | Time In | Break Start | Break End | Break | Time Out | Total |
|---|
The calculator gives you the number — Everhour takes it from there.
One click and you're timing. Start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Everhour.
Set a budget, assign rates, and get alerted before you're over.
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Use this page to structure a Google Sheets time tracking spreadsheet for a single worker, freelancer, or small team. The practical goal is a weekly record that shows each date, project, task, client, start time, end time, break time, total hours, billable status, and notes. That layout gives you a clear source for invoices, project reviews, and basic payroll checks.
For U.S. work records, the FLSA gives covered employers flexibility on the timekeeping method. A spreadsheet can work if it is complete and accurate for covered nonexempt workers. Records for employees covered by the FLSA minimum wage or overtime provisions must include hours worked each workday and total hours worked each workweek.
Start with fields that answer three questions: who worked, where the time belongs, and how much time counts. A practical row includes employee or contractor name, date, client, project, task, start time, stop time, unpaid break, total hours, billable or non-billable status, rate, and approval status. U.S. billing and rate fields normally use U.S. dollars.
Keep weekly totals separate from daily rows. FLSA overtime for covered nonexempt employees is based on hours worked over 40 in a fixed 168-hour workweek, at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay. Hours cannot be averaged across two or more workweeks for FLSA overtime purposes, so each weekly tab or summary needs its own total.
Spreadsheet time tracking fails when people overwrite old entries, mix paid time off with hours actually worked, or leave project names free-form across rows. Use dropdowns for clients, projects, billable status, and approval status. Protect formula cells so totals do not change during normal editing. Keep one row per work segment when a person switches client, task, or billable status during the day.
Weekend and holiday rows need the same care as weekday rows. The FLSA does not require overtime premium pay solely for Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or regular rest-day work unless the weekly overtime rule is triggered or another law, contract, or policy applies. Label those days clearly, but let the weekly hours and applicable rules drive payroll treatment.
A Google Sheets tracker is enough for a freelancer, a one-time client project, or a small team that needs a simple weekly total. It also works when one person controls the file, reviews entries quickly, and archives a clean copy. Employers should preserve payroll records for at least three years and basic time and earnings records, including time cards or sheets, for at least two years.
A managed workflow becomes necessary when multiple people track time across projects and clients every week. Everhour Time Tracking captures task and project hours through timers or manual entries, then feeds timesheets, reports, budgets, invoices, and payroll review. Admins can use approvals, locked periods, reminders, and timer rules instead of chasing spreadsheet edits after the billing period closes.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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Google Sheets can be used for time tracking if the sheet captures complete and accurate records. For covered nonexempt workers under the FLSA, employer records must include hours worked each workday and total hours worked each workweek. A spreadsheet is a method, not an exemption from recordkeeping duties.
A practical sheet includes worker name, date, client, project, task, start time, stop time, unpaid break, total hours, billable status, rate, notes, and approval status. Add a weekly summary that totals hours by person, project, and billable category. Keep formula cells protected so users enter time without breaking totals.
For the federal FLSA baseline, overtime for covered nonexempt employees is weekly. Unless exempt, covered employees must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a fixed 168-hour workweek at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay. State rules, contracts, or policies can add separate requirements.
Track unpaid breaks, hours actually worked, and paid time not worked in separate columns or categories. Payroll, billing, and overtime review often need different totals. Mixing all paid categories into one number makes it harder to show daily hours worked, weekly hours worked, and non-working paid time.
Employers must keep payroll records for at least three years and basic time and earnings records for at least two years. Daily start and stop time cards or sheets fall into the basic time and earnings record category. Keep archived copies stable so later edits do not change the historical record.
Everhour Time Tracking logs task and project hours through live timers or manual entries, including tracking inside tools such as Asana, ClickUp, GitHub, Jira, Monday, Notion, Trello, and Basecamp. Those entries flow into timesheets, reporting, budgeting, invoicing, and payroll review without rebuilding weekly spreadsheet tabs.
Everhour supports approvals and locked periods for submitted time. Managers can approve, reject, or partially approve timesheets before payroll or billing review, and submitted or approved time can be protected from regular member edits. That creates a clearer review trail than a shared spreadsheet with open editing.
Use a spreadsheet for one-off weekly totals. For recurring project work, Everhour captures task time, applies approvals and locked periods, and turns tracked hours into billing, reporting, and payroll-ready records.
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