Quick answer
- Start with the small business employee handbook template: 19 policy sections with sample wording and [bracketed] blanks, in Word and PDF.
- Restaurants and stores can start from the restaurant or retail version, which add tips, food safety, cash handling and loss prevention.
- Every free employee handbook template here needs your state’s rules added: sick leave, breaks, final pay and protected categories differ by state.
A free employee handbook template gives you the structure and sample wording for the policies every US business needs, so you are editing, not writing from a blank page. This page is for owners, office managers and HR leads at US small businesses, from a five-person café to a 60-person service company, who want a clear handbook without paying for one first. Below are 8 templates: a complete employee handbook template, a handbook outline to check what you have, restaurant and retail versions, a time off and leave section, a remote work section, a signed acknowledgment form and a review tracker. Each is shown as an employee handbook sample filled in for a realistic US business, and comes as a Word or Excel file with a PDF.
Which employee handbook template do you need?
Most businesses need one handbook plus the acknowledgment form. Use the section templates to add or replace a chapter in a handbook you already have.
| Situation | Best template | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Your first handbook, any industry | 1. Small business handbook | Word, PDF |
| Checking an existing handbook for gaps | 2. Handbook outline | Word, PDF |
| Restaurant, bar, café or catering | 3. Restaurant handbook | Word, PDF |
| Store or other retail location | 4. Retail handbook | Word, PDF |
| Rewriting your PTO, sick and holiday rules | 5. Time off and leave policy | Word, PDF |
| Some staff work from home | 6. Remote work policy | Word, PDF |
| Proof each employee received the handbook | 7. Acknowledgment form | Word, PDF |
| Keeping every policy current | 8. Policy review tracker | Excel, PDF |
1. Small business employee handbook template
Best for a first handbook in any industry, 5 to 100 employees
This is the full employee handbook template. Replace each [bracketed] item, such as your workweek, payday and who to report to, and delete anything you do not offer. It is written in plain English on purpose; a handbook employees can read is one they follow. The sections that depend most on your state are marked inside the file: breaks, sick leave, final pay, protected categories and, for Montana employers, the at-will paragraph.
2. Employee handbook outline
Best for planning a handbook or checking one you already have
Employee handbook outline · Summit Outdoor Supply, Denver, CO · 22 employees · Handbook owner: Karen Price · Target date: January 15, 2027
| Section | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2. About this handbook and at-will statement | Recommended | Have it; add “not a contract” |
| 4. Harassment, discrimination and retaliation | Required in writing in some states | Add a second person to report to |
| 7. Work hours, timekeeping, overtime | Recommended | Add Colorado daily overtime rule |
| 8. Meal and rest breaks | State law decides | Missing; add Colorado rules |
| 10. PTO, sick leave and holidays | Sick leave required in many states and cities | Update for Colorado paid sick leave |
| 11. Leaves of absence (FMLA, military, jury) | FMLA notice required if covered | Under 50 employees; FMLA not yet required |
| 15. Technology, privacy and social media | Recommended | Remove “do not discuss pay” line |
Use the outline before you write, or hold it next to an old handbook and mark what is missing or out of date. The status column is a guide, not a legal opinion: very little in a handbook is required by federal law, but a few items are required in writing in some states or once you reach a certain size. In the example, the store found three real problems in an hour, including a rule against discussing pay that should never be in a handbook.
3. Restaurant employee handbook template
Best for restaurants, bars, cafés and catering companies
Tips cause more restaurant wage claims than anything else, so this handbook spells them out. Under the FLSA, an employer, manager or supervisor may never keep employees’ tips, even through a pool, and an employer taking a tip credit must pay at least $2.13 an hour in cash wages and make up any shortfall to the full minimum wage. Many states set a higher cash wage or ban the tip credit, so replace the Texas figures in the sample with your state’s. Food handler card and alcohol training rules also vary by state and county.
4. Retail employee handbook template
Best for stores and other retail locations with cashiers and stock staff
Valley Fresh Market Employee Handbook (excerpt) · Fresno, CA
| Policy | What the handbook says |
|---|---|
| Cash handling | Count your drawer with a manager at the start and end of each shift. Report any shortage over $5. Valley Fresh Market does not deduct register shortages from pay. |
| Loss prevention | Report suspected shoplifting to the manager on duty. Do not chase, touch or detain a customer. |
| Customer service | Greet every customer within 30 seconds. Call a manager for any refund over $50. |
| Schedules | Schedules are posted at least 14 days ahead. From November 20 to December 31, time off requests are limited to one employee per department per day. |
| Employee discount | 15% off regular-price groceries for personal use; another employee rings up your purchase. |
| Dress code | Green store apron, closed-toe shoes and your name badge on every shift. |
Retail handbooks need clear rules on cash and theft, written so they protect employees as well as the store. The sample says the store does not deduct register shortages from pay: under the FLSA, a deduction like that cannot reduce pay below the minimum wage or cut into overtime, and many states restrict such deductions further. If you are a large retailer, check for predictive scheduling laws: Oregon’s, for example, covers retail, hospitality and food service employers with 500 or more employees worldwide and generally requires schedules 14 days ahead.
5. Time off and leave policy section
Best for adding or rewriting the PTO, sick leave and holiday chapter
Time off and leave policy · Lakeview Logistics, Charlotte, NC · Effective January 1, 2027
| Employee type | PTO earned | Yearly maximum | Carryover limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 4.62 hours per biweekly pay period | 120 hours | 40 hours |
| Part-time | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | 40 hours | 20 hours |
| Temporary or seasonal | Sick leave only, as required by law |
| Holiday | Date observed in 2027 |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday, January 1 |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 31 |
| Independence Day | Monday, July 5 (July 4 is a Sunday) |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 6 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 25 |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 24 (December 25 is a Saturday) |
Time off is the section employees read most, so make the numbers exact. In the example, 4.62 hours per biweekly pay period works out to 120 hours (15 days) a year. State it in hours, say whether unused PTO carries over or is paid out, and check your state: some, such as California, treat earned vacation as wages that must be paid at separation. Federal law does not require paid vacation, but many states and cities require paid sick leave. Our guide to paid time off covers policy choices, and our holiday pay guide explains what employers owe on holidays.
6. Remote and hybrid work policy section
Best for businesses with staff who work from home some or all of the week
Two rules matter most for remote staff. First, non-exempt employees must be paid for all hours worked, including the 9 p.m. email, so the policy tells them to record it. Second, where someone works decides which state’s payroll taxes and labor laws apply, so they must tell you before they move. Some states, including California, require employers to reimburse necessary business expenses, which is why the sample pays a stipend; in those states, make sure the stipend covers what employees actually spend.
7. Employee handbook acknowledgment form
Best for every employee, at hire and after each major update
The signed acknowledgment is the proof that an employee got the rules. Collect it on the first day, with the other forms on our onboarding checklist, and again whenever you issue a new version. Keep it in the personnel file. The line about discussing wages is there because a handbook or form that seems to forbid it can create a problem under federal labor law.
8. Handbook policy review tracker (Excel)
Best for keeping every policy current as laws change
Employee handbook policy review tracker · Comfort Air Heating & Cooling, Raleigh, NC · As of November 7, 2026
| Section | Owner | Applies to | Last reviewed | Next review due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. Harassment, discrimination and retaliation | Greg Lyons | NC, SC | 01/15/2026 | 01/15/2027 | Current |
| 7. Work hours, timekeeping, overtime | Greg Lyons | NC, SC | 12/01/2025 | 12/01/2026 | Due soon |
| 10. PTO, sick leave and holidays | Dana Fox | NC, SC | 09/10/2025 | 09/10/2026 | Overdue |
| 11. Leaves of absence (FMLA, military, jury) | Dana Fox | All | 06/30/2026 | 06/30/2027 | Current |
| 15. Technology, privacy and social media | Greg Lyons | All | Not reviewed |
Handbooks go out of date quietly. Give each section an owner, type the date it was last checked, and sort by status once a month. Review early when something changes: a new state, a new location, or growth past 15, 20 or 50 employees, when federal laws such as Title VII, the ADEA and the FMLA start to apply.
How to write your handbook from these templates
- Check your size and states. Count employees, including part-time, and list every state where someone works. Both decide which laws apply.
- Start from the right template. The small business handbook, or the restaurant or retail version, and the outline to check for gaps.
- Fill in every bracket. Workweek, payday, PTO numbers, who to report to and how to call out. Match your attendance policy and no call, no show rules to what managers actually do.
- Add your state’s rules. Minimum wage, overtime, breaks, sick leave, final pay timing and protected categories. Our minimum wage by state guide is a starting point; your state labor department is the final word.
- Get a legal review. An hour with an employment attorney in your state is worth it for a document every employee signs.
- Distribute and collect signatures. Give it to everyone, collect the acknowledgment form, and keep a copy of each version you issue.
- Review every year. Use the tracker, and tell employees about changes in writing.
The handbook should match your systems. If it says employees can see their PTO balance and request time off in an app, make sure they can; if you still track balances in a spreadsheet, our PTO tracker templates keep the numbers consistent with the policy.
US rules to know before you publish a handbook
These are general principles checked against federal and state agency sources. They are not legal advice; laws vary by state and city and change often.
- No federal law requires a handbook, but if you are covered by the FMLA and have eligible employees, the Department of Labor says the FMLA general notice must be included in the handbook, or given to each new employee at hire if you have none. Our FMLA leave guide explains who is covered.
- Some states require a written harassment policy. California requires employers to have and distribute a written harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention policy, with a complaint process that does not require going to the direct supervisor. New York requires every employer to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and give it to employees at hire and at each annual training.
- Do not ban pay discussions. The NLRB says a rule that prohibits employees from discussing wages, or requires permission first, is unlawful for most private employers, even if it is never enforced.
- Overtime and breaks. Under the FLSA, non-exempt employees get 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Federal law does not require breaks, but short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes that you do give count as paid work time, and bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid only when the employee is fully relieved of duty. Several states, such as California, add daily overtime; see our California overtime law guide.
- Tips belong to employees. The DOL says employers, managers and supervisors may not keep employees’ tips for any reason, whether or not a tip credit is taken.
- At-will is not universal. Montana’s labor department says the state is not at-will once the probationary period ends, so the at-will paragraph must be replaced there. Elsewhere, keep it and add that the handbook is not a contract.
Frequently asked questions
Is an employee handbook required by law?
No federal law requires a handbook. But some policies must be in writing in some places: California and New York require a written harassment prevention policy, and covered FMLA employers with a handbook must include the FMLA general notice in it. A handbook is usually the easiest place to keep these written policies together.
What should an employee handbook include?
At minimum: a welcome, a statement that the handbook is not a contract, at-will wording where it applies, equal opportunity and anti-harassment policies with reporting steps, work hours and timekeeping, overtime, breaks, pay, time off and leave, attendance, conduct, safety, leaving the company, and a signed acknowledgment form.
Do employees have to sign the employee handbook?
No federal law requires a signature, but a signed acknowledgment is strong proof that an employee received the handbook and knew the rules. Ask for it at hire and after every major update, keep it in the personnel file, and accept an electronic signature if you distribute the handbook online.
How often should an employee handbook be updated?
Review it at least once a year and whenever a law changes. Many state minimum wage and leave laws change on January 1 or July 1, and opening a location in a new state or growing past a size threshold, such as 15 or 50 employees, can bring new obligations. Tell employees about changes in writing.
Can a handbook say employees may not discuss pay?
No. The National Labor Relations Board says a rule that bars employees from discussing wages with each other, or requires permission first, is unlawful for most private employers, union or not. Many handbooks now state the opposite: that employees may discuss pay, benefits and working conditions.
Is a free employee handbook template enough?
It is a strong start for a small business, because most policies are the same everywhere. What a template cannot know is your state and city law: sick leave, breaks, final pay and protected categories differ. Fill in those sections from your state labor department and have an employment attorney review the finished handbook.