Free Google Sheets Time Tracker Template (2026)

Guessing how long projects take is how you underprice, overcommit, and run out of hours by Thursday. A Google Sheets time tracker takes two minutes a day and tells you exactly where your time goes.

Part of the Google Sheets expense tracking guide — all Google Sheets finance and productivity templates in one place.

Why track time in Google Sheets

Dedicated time-tracking apps are excellent if you are billing dozens of clients and need integrations with invoicing software. For most freelancers, small teams, and individuals, they are overkill — and they require a subscription for anything beyond the basics.

Google Sheets does everything most people actually need:

Log start time, end time, project, and task
Calculate hours automatically with a simple formula
Sum hours by client, project, or date range with pivot tables
Calculate billable amounts from an hourly rate
Export or share with clients without them needing an account

It is free, works on every device, and the data is yours — no vendor lock-in, no export fees, no risk of the app shutting down with your records inside it.

Get the free Google Sheets time tracker →

What is inside the Google Sheets time tracker template

The template has three tabs:

Time log tab

One row per work session. Columns:

Date — the day of the session
Client — dropdown populated from the Clients tab
Project — what you were working on
Task — a short description of the specific work
Start Time — when you started
End Time — when you finished
Hours — calculated automatically: =(End Time - Start Time)*24
Billable? — Yes/No dropdown
Rate (£/hr) — pulled from the Clients tab via VLOOKUP
Amount — =Hours * Rate
Invoiced? — checkbox to mark when billed
Notes — optional context

Clients & rates tab

One row per client with their hourly rate. The time log pulls rates from here automatically, so if a rate changes, you only update it in one place.

Summary tab

Pivot table summary showing total hours and billable amount per client per month. Filters by date range so you can pull any billing period in seconds.

Google Sheets time tracker formulas explained

Calculating hours from start and end time

Google Sheets stores times as decimal fractions of a day. To convert the difference between two times into hours:

=(C2-B2)*24

Where B2 is Start Time and C2 is End Time. Format the result as a number, not as time — otherwise 1.5 hours displays as 1:30 AM.

Tracking hours across midnight

If a session crosses midnight (rare, but it happens), the formula needs an adjustment:

=IF(C2<B2,(C2+1-B2)*24,(C2-B2)*24)

Summing hours by client

=SUMIF(D:D,"Client Name",G:G)

Where D:D is the Client column and G:G is the Hours column. Replace "Client Name" with a cell reference to make it dynamic.

Total billable amount for a date range

=SUMIFS(J:J,A:A,">="&start_date,A:A,"<="&end_date,H:H,"Yes")

Where J:J is Amount, A:A is Date, H:H is the Billable? column, and start_date/end_date are cells containing your date range.

Google Sheets timesheet template (weekly)

If you need a traditional timesheet — Monday to Sunday, total hours per day, total for the week — rather than a project-based log, the template includes a weekly timesheet tab. It works well for:

Employees logging hours for payroll
Remote workers tracking hours for a single employer
Students tracking study hours by subject
Anyone who needs a simple work hours log without client or project breakdown

The weekly timesheet shows Mon-Sun in columns, with a row per project/task, and totals at the bottom. Print it, export it as PDF, or share the link with your manager or client directly.

Google Sheets work hours tracker vs dedicated apps

Feature	Google Sheets	Toggl / Clockify
Cost	Free	Free tier limited; paid from ~£9/mo
One-click timer	No — manual entry	Yes
Custom formulas and reports	Yes — full spreadsheet	Limited to built-in reports
Export / share with clients	Yes — share link or export CSV/PDF	Yes (some features paid)
Works offline	Partial — Sheets offline mode	Yes (most apps)
Data ownership	Full — your Google Drive	Vendor-controlled
Setup time	5 minutes	5-10 minutes

If you track time across six clients in parallel all day and need a running timer, use Toggl. If you log time once or twice a day and want full control of your data, Google Sheets wins.

How to set up your Google Sheets time tracker (under 10 minutes)

Step 1 — Add your clients (2 minutes). Fill in the Clients tab with your client names and hourly rates. If you are tracking personal time rather than client work, use project names instead.

Step 2 — Log your first session (1 minute). Enter today's date, select the client from the dropdown, write the project and task, and enter your start and end time. The hours and amount calculate automatically.

Step 3 — Check the summary weekly (2 minutes). Open the Summary tab, set the date range to the current week or month, and review where your hours went. Most people are surprised — either by how much time certain clients take, or by how little focused work time they actually have.

Step 4 — Export before invoicing (1 minute). Filter the time log to the client and billing period, copy the rows, and paste into your invoice. Or share the filtered view directly with the client as a PDF.

Google Sheets billable hours tracker for freelancers

The most useful column in the template for freelancers is the Invoiced? checkbox. When you raise an invoice, check the box for every row included in that invoice. Next time you filter to unbilled rows, you see exactly what has not been invoiced yet — no double-billing, no missed hours.

Pair the time tracker with a freelance invoice template and you have a complete client billing system in two Google Sheets tabs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I track time for multiple clients in one sheet?
Yes. The Client column and Client dropdown handle multiple clients in the same time log. The Summary tab breaks down hours and amounts per client automatically.

Does this work as a Google Sheets timesheet for employees?
Yes — the weekly timesheet tab is designed for traditional employee timesheets. It shows hours by day and calculates weekly totals. Print or share as PDF for manager sign-off.

How do I handle different rates for the same client?
If you charge different rates for different types of work for the same client, add them as separate rows in the Clients tab (e.g. "Client A — Strategy" and "Client A — Implementation") and use those as dropdown options.

Can I track non-billable time too?
Yes. Use the Billable? column — set it to No for internal work, admin, or personal projects. The summary separates billable and non-billable totals so you can see both.

What if I forget to log my hours?
Log them from memory at the end of the day. Estimates that are 80% accurate are far more useful than no data at all. After two weeks of logging, you will find you need to estimate less because the habit is established.

Is there a Google Sheets time tracker with automatic start/stop?
Not in this template — it is a manual log. For automatic start/stop, use Toggl or Clockify and export the data into Google Sheets weekly. Most apps have a CSV export that pastes directly into the time log format.

Get the free Google Sheets time tracker template

The time tracker template is free — open it, make a copy to your Google Drive, and start logging today. No sign-up required.

Get the free Google Sheets time tracker →