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FREE TIMESHEET TEMPLATE

Time in tenths.
Narratives that bill.

A free attorney and law firm timesheet template: matter number, narrative, time in tenths of an hour and billable status. Download it for Excel or Google Sheets (with formulas), Word or as a CSV, without an email gate.

Download Word (.docx)Preview the templateExcel (.xlsx)CSVMarkdown (.md)

Word, Excel, Google Docs and PDF. No email required.

Last updated

TIMESHEETTemplate preview · Example
01

Who and when

Name, period, client and the person who approves the timesheet.

02

Entries

Mon: Drafting for Westbrook Holdings, 3.5 time (0.1 h), billable.

03

Totals

Total hours, billable hours, non-billable hours and utilisation.

04

Approval

Submitted by, approved by and the date, ready to attach to the invoice.

Timekeeping for lawyers

Law firms usually record time in six-minute units (0.1 hour) against a matter number, with a narrative that describes the task. Clear narratives are what make a law firm invoice easy to approve.

MinutesUnits
1–60.1
7–120.2
13–180.3
19–240.4
25–300.5
31–360.6

The template

Details

  • Name: [Your name]
  • Period: [Start date — end date]
  • Client / project: [If the whole timesheet is for one client]
  • Approver: [Name]

Time entries

DateMatter no.Client / projectTaskTime (0.1 h)Billable (Y/N)Notes
Mon[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]
Tue[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]
Wed[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]
Thu[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]
Fri[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]
Sat[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]
Sun[ ][Client — project][Task][0.0][Y/N][ ]

Totals

  • Total hours: [0.0]
  • Billable hours: [0.0]
  • Non-billable hours: [0.0]
  • Utilisation: [Billable ÷ available hours]

Approval

  • Submitted by: [Name, date]
  • Approved by: [Name, date]

How to fill it in

  1. Fill in your name, the period and who approves your time.
  2. Add an entry for each block of work: date, client and project, task and hours.
  3. Mark each entry billable or not, and add a short note where the client might ask.
  4. Total the hours, split billable from non-billable, and work out utilisation.
  5. Submit it for approval at the end of the period.
  6. Use the approved timesheet as the backup for your invoice.

Use it in Word, Excel, Google Docs or PDF

Microsoft Word

  1. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
  2. Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
  3. Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.

Google Docs

  1. Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
  2. Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
  3. Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.

Excel and Google Sheets

  1. Download the Excel (.xlsx) file. It has a blank sheet and a worked example.
  2. Enter quantities, hours and rates: amounts, totals and tax calculate with built-in formulas.
  3. To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Drive and choose Open with → Google Sheets; the formulas carry over.

PDF

Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).

Example: Hollis & Grant LLP week

A filled-in example. The companies are fictional.

Time entries

DateMatter no.Client / projectTaskTime (0.1 h)Billable (Y/N)Notes
Mon2024-117Westbrook Holdings — commercial lease negotiationDrafting3.5Y
Tue2024-117Westbrook Holdings — commercial lease negotiationResearch2.25Y
Wed2024-117Westbrook Holdings — commercial lease negotiationClient call4Y
ThuAdminWestbrook Holdings — commercial lease negotiationCorrespondence1.5NInternal

Tips for accurate timesheets

  • Record as you go. Time reconstructed on Friday afternoon is lower and vaguer than time recorded daily.
  • Round consistently and say so in your agreements, e.g. to 15 minutes, or 6 minutes for law firms.
  • Track non-billable time too. It’s the only way to see real utilisation and price future work properly.
  • Use the client’s language. “Drafting” is easier to approve than “work”.

Turn approved hours into an invoice with the hourly invoice template.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU

Useful structure.
Your way of working.

01

Capture it daily.

A few minutes at the end of each day beats an hour of guesswork at the end of the week, and recovers time you’d otherwise forget to bill.

02

Split billable from the rest.

Knowing your non-billable hours shows where time really goes and whether your prices cover it.

03

Approve before you invoice.

An approved timesheet behind every hours-based invoice means fewer queries and faster payment.

GOOD QUESTIONS

Before you download.

Talk to us
How should attorneys record time?

Contemporaneously, in tenths of an hour, against a matter number, with a narrative that describes the task. Reconstructing time at the end of the week loses billable hours and makes narratives vaguer.

Can I open this timesheet in Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes. Download the CSV version and open it in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, then add a SUM formula to the hours column. The Markdown version is easy to edit in any text editor.

How often should timesheets be submitted?

Weekly is the most common for client work: it’s frequent enough that people remember what they did, and it lines up with weekly or monthly invoicing.

What’s the difference between billable and non-billable time?

Billable time is work you charge a client for. Non-billable time is everything else, such as admin, sales and internal meetings. Tracking both shows your real utilisation.

Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?

Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.

Does the Excel version calculate totals?

Yes. Enter quantities, hours and rates and the amounts, subtotal, tax and total calculate automatically. It also works in Google Sheets: upload it to Drive and open it with Google Sheets.

KEEP THE WORK MOVING

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THE CLIENT EXPERIENCE, IN ORDER

Good habits. A shared home.

Bring the work you share with clients into one place.

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