PeopleMuster

Biweekly timesheet template

Biweekly timesheets cover the 14 days of a two-week pay period on one sheet, but the hours still get totalled week by week. That split is the point. Extra hours are usually counted against a weekly limit, so a light first week can't soak up a heavy second one. This sheet gives each week its own subtotal, then adds the two.

Use it when pay runs every two weeks, or when a manager signs off hours once a fortnight. People who log hours by project need a project timesheet instead, since this one records time in and out. Start a fresh sheet on the first day of each pay period, not on the first of the month.

BIWEEKLY TIMESHEET
Name: [EMPLOYEE NAME]
Employee ID: [EMPLOYEE ID]
Pay period: [PERIOD START] to [PERIOD END]
Weekly limit before extra hours: [WEEKLY LIMIT]

WEEK 1
Date | Day | In | Out | Unpaid break (min) | Hours worked | Leave or holiday hours | Note
[DATE] | Mon | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Tue | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Wed | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Thu | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Fri | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Sat | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Sun | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
Week 1 total: worked [WEEK 1 HOURS]  |  leave or holiday [WEEK 1 LEAVE]
Week 1 split: regular [WEEK 1 REGULAR] (up to [WEEKLY LIMIT])  |  extra [WEEK 1 EXTRA]

WEEK 2
Date | Day | In | Out | Unpaid break (min) | Hours worked | Leave or holiday hours | Note
[DATE] | Mon | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Tue | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Wed | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Thu | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Fri | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Sat | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
[DATE] | Sun | __:__ | __:__ | ___ | __._ | __._ | [NOTE]
Week 2 total: worked [WEEK 2 HOURS]  |  leave or holiday [WEEK 2 LEAVE]
Week 2 split: regular [WEEK 2 REGULAR] (up to [WEEKLY LIMIT])  |  extra [WEEK 2 EXTRA]

PAY PERIOD TOTAL
Regular hours: [WEEK 1 REGULAR] + [WEEK 2 REGULAR] = [PERIOD REGULAR]
Extra hours: [WEEK 1 EXTRA] + [WEEK 2 EXTRA] = [PERIOD EXTRA]
Leave or holiday hours: [PERIOD LEAVE]

Status: Draft / Submitted / Approved
Employee: [EMPLOYEE NAME]  Signed: ________  Date: [SUBMIT DATE]
Manager: [MANAGER NAME]  Signed: ________  Date: [APPROVAL DATE]

What to put in each blank

[PERIOD START]
Write the first day of the pay period. Most biweekly periods start on the same weekday every time, often a Monday or a Sunday.
[WEEKLY LIMIT]
Enter the hours a normal week holds under your contract or policy, such as 40. Anything worked above it in that week is extra.
[WEEK 1 REGULAR]
Take the smaller of Week 1 hours worked and the weekly limit. With 43 hours against a 40-hour limit, that's 40.
[WEEK 1 EXTRA]
Subtract the weekly limit from Week 1 hours worked, never below zero. 43 hours against 40 gives 3.
[PERIOD LEAVE]
Add the leave and holiday hours from both weeks. Keep them out of hours worked, so they never push a week over the limit.
[MANAGER NAME]
Name the manager who approves the period. Their signature confirms the split as well as the total.

Before you send it

  • Total each week separately, even when the pay period feels like one block. Adding 14 days first and splitting later gives a different, wrong number.
  • Write the pay period dates before the sheet goes out. A sheet that starts on the wrong Monday throws both weekly totals off.
  • Record holiday and leave hours in their own column. Mixed into hours worked, they inflate the week and invent extra hours nobody worked.
  • Submit the sheet on the last day of the period, then approve within a day or two. A queue of unapproved fortnights is what makes pay day late.

PeopleMuster sends every submitted timesheet into an approvals queue, with a Needs Attention view for the ones still waiting, and each status change from draft to submitted lands in the activity log.

Questions people ask about this letter

What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly timesheets?

Biweekly means every two weeks, which gives 26 pay periods a year. Semi-monthly means twice a month, usually on fixed dates, which gives 24. A biweekly period is always 14 days, while a semi-monthly one runs 13 to 16.

Why are extra hours counted per week and not per pay period?

Most working-time rules and contracts set the limit per week. Counting across two weeks lets a 35-hour week hide a 45-hour one. Split first, then add the two weeks.

How should a public holiday appear on a biweekly timesheet?

Put the paid hours for the day in the leave or holiday column and leave hours worked at zero. If the person worked the holiday, log the hours worked as normal and note it.

Other templates