Guide and free template
The timesheet. A free template and how to fill it in.
A ready-to-use Excel template for the timesheet and the collective timesheet, plus everything you need to know to keep the record correct.
Free, no registration. Contains the monthly sheet for a team and the code legend.
In short
- A timesheet records, for each day, an employee’s start time, end time and hours worked.
- The Labour Code (Article 119) requires the employer to keep a record of the hours worked each day by each employee and to present it during an inspection.
- The law does not require a particular form, nor paper. The record can be kept electronically.
- The timesheets produce the collective timesheet, used to calculate salaries.
What a timesheet is
The timesheet, also called a time sheet or attendance sheet, is the document in which an employee’s presence is recorded every day: when they started work, when they finished and how many hours they worked. When the same data is collected for the whole team over a month, the document is called a collective timesheet.
In practice the terms are used interchangeably. What matters is not the name, but that the record shows the start and end time of the schedule for each day and each employee.
What it must contain
- The employee’s name and, if there is one, their staff number or internal code
- The month and year
- For each day: start time, end time and number of hours worked
- Overtime, separate from the normal schedule
- Absences, marked with a code: annual leave, sick leave, unexcused absence and others
- Monthly totals: hours worked, overtime, days of leave and absences
- The signature or confirmation of the person keeping the record
Common absence codes (Romanian practice)
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CO | Annual leave |
| CM | Sick leave |
| CFS | Unpaid leave |
| EV | Special event (marriage, birth, death) |
| D | Business trip |
| N | Unexcused absence |
| LP | Paid time off |
How to fill in the timesheet, step by step
- Enter the employees’ names and the month at the top of the table.
- For each working day, note the arrival and departure times, then the hours worked, excluding the lunch break if it is not part of the schedule.
- Mark absences with the right code.
- Note approved overtime separately.
- At the end of the month, calculate the totals and check them against leave requests and overtime approvals.
- Send the collective timesheet to the person who calculates salaries and keep it for inspections.
Common mistakes
- Only „8 hours” per day is noted, with no start or end time. The law requires both times.
- The timesheet is filled in at the end of the month, from memory, not daily.
- Overtime is neither separated nor approved.
- Corrections are written over the text, with no record of who changed what and why.
- Timesheets for field or telework teams are missing or filled in by someone else.
The automated option
An electronic time tracking system records start and end times by itself, by card, phone, fingerprint or PC, and generates the attendance register and the collective timesheet without manual entry. Corrections stay in the history, with author and reason. The licence starts at EUR 1 per employee per month.
Sources
- Law no. 53/2003, the Labour Code, Article 119, version in force, on legislatie.just.ro
- CJEU ruling of 14 May 2019, case C-55/18, on measuring working time
- Creasoft guide: electronic time tracking legislation
Frequently asked questions.
Is a timesheet mandatory?
A record of the hours worked each day by each employee, with the start and end time of the schedule, is mandatory (Article 119 of the Labour Code). A timesheet, an attendance register or an electronic system are ways of keeping this record.
Can the timesheet be kept electronically?
Yes. The law requires a record, not a particular medium. The electronic record must be available to labour inspectors on request.
What is the difference between a timesheet and a collective timesheet?
A timesheet usually refers to one employee. The collective timesheet consolidates the hours and absences of all employees for a month and is used for payroll.
Can I use the free template for any company?
Yes. The template is a starting point. Adapt it to your company’s work schedule and internal regulations.
Stop filling in timesheets by hand.
Creasoft electronic time tracking generates the attendance register and the collective timesheet automatically, from EUR 1 per employee per month.
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