Free Employee Attendance Sheet Template (Excel & PDF)
Many small businesses and HR teams want a ready-made employee attendance sheet: somewhere to record each day's times, and a month-end total of hours, lateness and overtime. This free template does exactly that. The Excel file does the arithmetic using Saudi labor-law rules, and the PDF is for printing and filling in by hand.
Download the Excel template(xlsx) Download the printable PDF(pdf)An Arabic version (right-to-left) is on the Arabic page.
Short answer: download the Excel file, enter the employee's name and the first day of the month, then type each day's check-in and check-out as 08:10. The sheet works out hours worked after the unpaid break, late minutes beyond the grace period, and overtime above 8 hours a day (or 6 in Ramadan), then totals the month. Use the PDF if you need a printed sheet.
What's in the attendance sheet?
One sheet per employee per month, with a settings block at the top and a 31-day table:
| Field | What you enter or what the sheet calculates |
|---|---|
| Employee name and ID | Entered once at the top |
| Month (first day) | For example 2026-10-01; dates and weekday names fill in, and extra days stay blank in short months |
| Shift start | For example 08:00; lateness is measured from it |
| Daily hours | Usually 8, or 6 in Ramadan for Muslim employees |
| Grace (minutes) | Minutes allowed before lateness counts |
| Unpaid break (minutes) | Rest, prayer and meal time that doesn't count as working time |
| Check-in and check-out | Entered every day |
| Hours worked | Calculated: check-out minus check-in minus the break |
| Late (min) | Calculated: minutes after shift start, once they exceed the grace period |
| Overtime (h) | Calculated: hours above the daily hours |
| Notes | Leave, absence or a work assignment |
A totals row at the bottom adds up days present, hours worked, late minutes and overtime, followed by signature lines for the employee and manager. Formula cells are locked so they can't be overwritten by accident; you type in the grey cells.
How to fill in the sheet
- Copy the sheet for each employee and name the tab after them.
- Enter the first day of the month in the month field; the dates appear.
- Set the options once: shift start, daily hours, grace minutes and break.
- Record times every day as hh:mm, such as 08:10 and 17:30. A night shift that ends after midnight (22:00 to 06:00, say) is calculated correctly.
- Note absences and leave in the notes column and leave that day's times blank.
- At month end, check the totals row, sign it with the employee, and hand the figures to whoever runs payroll.
How hours, lateness and overtime are calculated
The formulas follow the labor-law rules explained in our guide to Saudi working hours and overtime:
| Calculation | Formula in the sheet | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Hours worked | Check-out − check-in − break | Rest, prayer and meal breaks are not working hours (Article 101) |
| Daily limit | 8 hours, or 6 in Ramadan for Muslim workers | Article 98 |
| Overtime | Hours worked − daily limit, when positive | Article 107 |
| Lateness | Minutes after shift start, once above the grace period | Your company's internal work regulations |
Example: an 8-hour shift starting 08:00 with a one-hour break. The employee checks in at 08:10 and out at 17:30. Hours worked = 9 h 20 min − 1 h = 8.33 hours, lateness is 10 minutes, and overtime is 0.33 hours (20 minutes).
The template counts hours only. Overtime pay is set by the Labor Law: the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage (Article 107); the overtime guide has a worked example in riyals. TECFY is a software company, not a law firm, so check special cases with the ministry or a legal adviser.
From the sheet to payroll
The totals row is what payroll needs: days present, absences, lateness beyond your deduction thresholds, and approved overtime. Payroll then produces the Wage Protection file, which is uploaded to Mudad within 30 days. If you run payroll in Excel too, the free payroll sheet template takes these totals and works out absence deductions, overtime pay, GOSI and net salary. The whole chain is explained in attendance to Mudad and WPS.
When Excel stops being enough
A spreadsheet is a tidy start, but it has clear limits:
- Times are typed, not verified: the sheet can't prove the employee was on site, or stop one colleague clocking in for another.
- Edits leave no trace: any time can be changed later, with no record of who changed it or when.
- Field staff and branches: collecting sheets from several sites is slow and error-prone.
- Shifts and leave: every different shift, or a Ramadan schedule, means editing each sheet by hand.
That's usually when teams move to a mobile attendance app. Employees check in by GPS location or face recognition, hours, lateness and overtime are calculated for everyone automatically, and the month's reports export to Excel or PDF.
Try TECFY Attendance free for up to 5 employeesRelated guides
Comparing systems? Read the best attendance apps in Saudi Arabia and how to choose a workforce attendance system.
Frequently asked questions
Is the attendance sheet template free?
Yes. The Excel and PDF files are completely free, need no sign-up, and can be edited and used for any number of employees.
How do I handle Ramadan hours in the template?
Change the daily hours setting from 8 to 6 during Ramadan for Muslim employees: Labor Law Article 98 caps actual working hours in Ramadan at 6 a day or 36 a week. The sheet then counts overtime after the sixth hour.
How does the template calculate overtime?
It subtracts check-in from check-out, removes the unpaid break, and counts anything above the daily hours as overtime. Overtime pay itself follows Article 107: the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage.
Can I print the template and fill it in by hand?
Yes. The PDF is a blank A4 landscape sheet for a full month (31 days), with fields for the employee's name and ID and signature lines for the employee and manager.
When should I move from Excel to an attendance app?
When you can no longer trust the times written down, staff work across several sites, or collecting every sheet at month end takes too long. TECFY Attendance is free for up to 5 employees.
Ready to get started with TECFY?
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