How should I record breaks?

Record start and end times for each break and mark paid or unpaid status. Follow your employer’s rounding and break policies, and add a short comment for any on-the-clock exception to maintain clear documentation for audits.

What time format should I use?

Use the company’s standard format — HH:MM AM/PM or 24-hour — and enter times consistently. Inconsistent formats can cause calculation errors; note any rounding applied per policy to simplify reconciliation.

Can a timesheet be e-signed?

Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the ESIGN Act and UETA when intent, consent, attribution, and retention are present. Choose an eSignature solution that provides an auditable certificate for the signing event.

What if the employee made a mistake?

Do not alter signed entries. Use an approved corrections workflow—add a signed amendment or correction note and obtain supervisor approval. Maintain original and corrected copies to preserve an audit trail for payroll and regulatory reviews.

Who must approve submitted timesheets?

Generally a direct supervisor or designated payroll approver must review and sign or electronically approve daily entries. Approval rules should be defined in company policy and enforced by the timekeeping system.

How long should records be kept?

Retain Daily Time Sheets per applicable law and company policy: federal FLSA records at least three years, HIPAA-related records six years, and longer periods for tax, SEC, or contract requirements where applicable.

Daily Time Sheet

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

What a Daily Time Sheet Records and Why it Matters

A Daily Time Sheet is a short, dated record that captures an individual employee’s work on a single day, listing start and end times, unpaid and paid breaks, job or project codes, and total hours worked. Employers use daily timesheets to calculate pay, verify attendance, track job costs, and support compliance with wage-and-hour laws. When signed by the employee and approved by a supervisor, a time sheet becomes an auditable record for payroll, tax reporting, and dispute resolution. Formats range from paper forms to fillable PDFs and fully digital timekeeping systems.

Primary Benefits and Legal Role of a Daily Time Sheet

Daily Time Sheets provide accurate day-by-day records for payroll calculation, overtime monitoring, job costing, and legal compliance. They reduce payroll errors, create an audit trail for disputes, and support tax and labor reporting obligations under federal and state wage laws.

Who Typically Completes and Reviews a Daily Time Sheet

Employers, payroll administrators, supervisors, and hourly employees use Daily Time Sheets to document work hours and support accurate pay.

Payroll teams process pay runs and reconcile daily totals with scheduled hours and accruals.
Supervisors approve entries, verify overtime eligibility, and confirm job allocations.
Employees record start/end times, breaks, and task codes; sign when required.

Essential Parts of a Professional Daily Time Sheet

A professional Daily Time Sheet captures identity, date, start/end times, break details, job codes, totals, approvals, and a signature or electronic acknowledgement for auditability.

Employee Name

Enter the employee's full legal name exactly as on payroll records; mismatches with payroll or tax records can delay processing and may trigger backup withholding or identity verification steps.

Date & Period

Record the date and pay period (MM/DD/YYYY). Accurate dating determines which pay period and tax reporting cycle the hours apply to and affects overtime calculations.

Punch Times

Enter start and end times for each shift using a consistent format (HH:MM AM/PM or 24-hour). Round per company policy and document adjustments for transparency.

Breaks

List unpaid and paid breaks with start/end times. Proper break documentation affects overtime thresholds and can be required evidence during wage audits or dispute resolution.

Job/Project Code

Assign the correct job or project code for each task to support job costing and billing reconciliation; incorrect codes distort project profitability and client invoicing reports.

Approval & Signature

Supervisor approval and the employee’s signature or electronic acknowledgement confirm the hours. Include name, title, date, and contact information for the approver to create a clear audit trail.

Required Data Elements at a Glance

Employee ID: Unique payroll identifier used for records.

Date: Always use MM/DD/YYYY format.

Start/End Times: Enter as HH:MM AM/PM or 24-hour.

Breaks: Record paid and unpaid breaks.

Job Code: Project or cost-center code.

Total Hours: Calculated daily hours, include decimals.

Step-by-Step: Completing a Daily Time Sheet

Follow these steps to complete a Daily Time Sheet accurately and create a verifiable record for payroll and audits.

01

Enter identity: Type full legal name and payroll ID.
02

Add times: Record start, end, and break times precisely.
03

Assign codes: Select job or project code for each task.
04

Sign and submit: Sign, date, and send to supervisor for approval.

Configuring Online Timesheet Workflows

Configure online Daily Time Sheets to enforce required fields, auto-calculate totals, and route submissions to payroll or HR systems.

Field	Configuration
Signature Method	eSignature field capturing name and timestamp.
Authentication Settings	Email link, SMS code, or SSO for stronger verification.
Auto-Calculation Rules	Formula fields compute daily totals and overtime automatically.
Export & Storage Options	Export as PDF or CSV; integrate with HRIS or cloud storage.

Typical Submission Flow for a Daily Time Sheet

Submitting a Daily Time Sheet is a simple workflow: fill fields, sign, send, and retain a copy for payroll and audits.

Fill the form: Complete identity, times, codes, and breaks fields.
Sign or approve: Electronically sign or enter manual signature with date.
Route for review: Send to supervisor or payroll via email or system.
Archive copy: Store final PDF in HRIS and backup storage.

Delivery and Integration Options for Digital Time Sheets

Delivery options depend on company systems and compliance needs; choose methods that preserve timestamps and signatures.

Email: Attach signed PDF copy.
HRIS Integration: Direct sync to payroll system.
Cloud Storage: Archive encrypted backups with access controls.

Recommended Internal Deadlines and Cutoffs

Set internal submission and approval deadlines to align daily timesheet capture with payroll cycles and legal recordkeeping requirements.

Daily submission deadline:

Employee submits timesheet by end of shift.

Supervisor approval window:

Approvals completed within two business days.

Payroll cutoff for processing:

Timesheets finalized three business days before payroll.

Correction and disputes window:

Employees request corrections within next pay period.

Retention and audit start:

Retention count begins on payroll posting date.

Common Preparation Mistakes to Avoid

Misaligned time formats and rounding lead to inconsistent totals and complicate payroll reconciliation, especially when multiple supervisors approve changes without a clear audit note.
Missing or incomplete job codes make project billing and internal cost allocation inaccurate, increasing downstream accounting workload and client invoicing disputes.
Failure to sign or electronically acknowledge entries can weaken enforceability in audits or wage disputes and may delay payroll processing.
Using multiple unlinked storage locations fragments records, increases retrieval time during audits, and raises the risk of inconsistent or missing historical timesheet data.

Concise Risks and Potential Consequences

Payroll Fines: Late or incorrect pay penalties.

Overtime Disputes: Back wages and interest possible.

Tax Withholding Errors: Backup withholding and IRS notice.

I-9 Noncompliance: Civil fines and enforcement actions.

Recordkeeping Violations: Regulatory fines and audit risk.

Time Theft Exposure: Fraud investigations and termination.

Short Examples: Real Organizations and Digital Records

Real organizations use digital signing and timekeeping to speed approvals and ensure compliance; two short examples illustrate typical benefits in practice.

Martin Properties — Tim Martin

Martin Properties adopted online document execution to process payroll and operational forms remotely, including timesheets and approvals for staff working offsite.

Processed documents with 100% compliance.
The shift reduced turnaround for approved timesheets, simplified supervisor sign-off, and created an auditable record that supported payroll accuracy and dispute resolution without in-person signature collection and reduced administrative hours spent on corrections and manual entry by eliminating redundant paperwork across departments.

Optica Ventures — Brian Fitzgibbons

A small investment firm implemented digital timesheets to streamline client billing and reduce manual entry when reconciling consultant hours against invoices.

Interface remained simple for staff and clients.
The result was fewer billing disputes, faster invoice cycles, clearer audit trails for time entries, and measurable reduction in reconciliation time month-over-month across multiple projects.

Pricing and Feature Snapshot for eSignature Providers

The table compares signNow pricing and feature availability with other common eSignature vendors for organizations considering digital signing of Daily Time Sheets.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day free trial	Varies	Varies	Varies	Varies
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/year	Varies	Varies	Varies

Who Is Authorized to Sign or Approve a Daily Time Sheet

Employee — Hourly Staff

The employee who performed the work signs or electronically acknowledges the Daily Time Sheet to attest accuracy of recorded hours. Their signature establishes intent and attribution and is essential for payroll authorization and for resolving later disputes over recorded time.

Supervisor — Approver

A direct supervisor or designated payroll approver reviews and signs to verify work performed and job allocations. The approver’s signature confirms managerial review, supports internal controls, and is required in many organizations to trigger payroll processing and client billing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Daily Time Sheets

Answers to common questions about completing, signing, submitting, and storing Daily Time Sheets, including digital signing and audit trail considerations.

Need help? Contact support

How should I record breaks?
Record start and end times for each break and mark paid or unpaid status. Follow your employer’s rounding and break policies, and add a short comment for any on-the-clock exception to maintain clear documentation for audits.
What time format should I use?
Use the company’s standard format — HH:MM AM/PM or 24-hour — and enter times consistently. Inconsistent formats can cause calculation errors; note any rounding applied per policy to simplify reconciliation.
Can a timesheet be e-signed?
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the ESIGN Act and UETA when intent, consent, attribution, and retention are present. Choose an eSignature solution that provides an auditable certificate for the signing event.
What if the employee made a mistake?
Do not alter signed entries. Use an approved corrections workflow—add a signed amendment or correction note and obtain supervisor approval. Maintain original and corrected copies to preserve an audit trail for payroll and regulatory reviews.
Who must approve submitted timesheets?
Generally a direct supervisor or designated payroll approver must review and sign or electronically approve daily entries. Approval rules should be defined in company policy and enforced by the timekeeping system.
How long should records be kept?
Retain Daily Time Sheets per applicable law and company policy: federal FLSA records at least three years, HIPAA-related records six years, and longer periods for tax, SEC, or contract requirements where applicable.

Explore Templates

Notice of Discontinuance of Form I-18 Election Notice of Denial of Claim Exempt Employer Notice of Acceptance Form I-8 Notice of Change or Termination Application for Reservation of LP Name Application for Reservation of Name

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