Weekly timesheet template for freelancers

This is a rough guide, not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules vary by country and situation, so ask an accountant or lawyer about yours.

A timesheet is a record of the hours you worked, for whom and on what. Clients use it to check an invoice, and you use it to bill every hour you worked. This guide covers what a weekly timesheet should contain, gives you a free template, and shows how Tally fills one in for you.

What a weekly timesheet should contain

Keep one row per piece of work. Each row needs enough detail that your client can see what they're paying for:

• Date (and the day of the week, if your client thinks in weeks)
• Client, and the project or task
• Description: a short note of what you did, like "Homepage layout" or "Call about launch dates"
• Start and end time, or just the hours if you don't track clock times
• Hours, as a decimal (2.5, not 2:30), so the totals add up in a spreadsheet
• Billable: yes or no, so internal or free work doesn't end up on the invoice
• Hourly rate and amount (hours × rate), if you bill by the hour

At the bottom, add the week's total hours and total amount, your name, the week's dates and, if your client asks for one, a line for their approval. Check your contract for anything else your client needs to see.

Free weekly timesheet template

The template is a CSV file with the columns above and one example row. It opens in Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets. Delete the example row, add a row for each piece of work, and add a total under the Hours and Amount columns.

In Google Sheets, choose File → Import and upload the file. In Excel or Numbers, open it directly.

Tips for a timesheet clients trust

• Fill it in as you go. Hours written down at the end of the week are guesses. A timer, or a note straight after each task, keeps it accurate.
• Be specific. "Homepage layout, 2 revisions" says more than "Design work".
• Send it with the invoice. The invoice says what you're owed; the timesheet shows where it came from.
• Keep a copy. If a client asks about an old invoice, you'll have the detail.

How Tally fills in your timesheet

With Tally you don't type a timesheet at all. Start a timer on a client (or on a Jira, Linear, Asana or ClickUp ticket), stop it when you're done, and add a note. Each session becomes a row.

• CSV export (Premium): export your sessions from Reports or Sessions, one row per session with the date, start and end time, client, team, hours, timer or manual, billable, rate, amount, task note and type of work.
• Client report links (every plan): share a private link to a live timesheet of your hours for one client, by day and ticket. Your client needs no account, can switch the period, and can print it or save it as a PDF.
• Timesheet approvals (Premium, teams): members submit their week, and the owner or an admin approves it or sends it back with a note. An approved week is locked for the member.
• Invoices (Premium): pick a client and dates, and Tally builds a line-item invoice from the same sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What should a freelance timesheet include?

One row per piece of work, with the date, client, project or task, a short description, start and end time or hours, whether it's billable, and the rate and amount if you bill by the hour. Add the week's totals at the bottom.

Should I write hours as decimals or hours and minutes?

Decimals (2.5 rather than 2:30) add up correctly in a spreadsheet and multiply cleanly by an hourly rate.

Can Tally export a timesheet?

Yes. On Premium, export your sessions as a CSV from Reports or Sessions. On every plan, you can share a client report link, a live timesheet your client can print or save as a PDF.