Quick answer
- Pick the employee schedule template that matches how you staff: by restaurant section, by open, mid and close, by role coverage or by production shift.
- Paying every two weeks? The two-week schedule checks overtime for each workweek, which is how federal law counts it.
- All 8 templates are free with no sign-up, as Excel or Word files plus a printable PDF, and open in Google Sheets and Docs.
A free employee schedule template gives you a ready-made grid of names, days and shifts, so you can plan who works when without starting from a blank spreadsheet. This page is for US owners and managers of hourly teams in restaurants, retail stores, clinics, warehouses and offices. Instead of one generic grid, these eight staff schedule templates each match a different way of staffing: a two-week schedule for biweekly payroll, a restaurant schedule with front and back of house, a retail schedule that checks every opening and closing shift has a key holder, a clinic schedule that counts providers, MAs and front desk staff against your minimums, a three-shift schedule for warehouses and plants, a hybrid office schedule, plus an employee availability form and a schedule change log. Each one is shown filled in with realistic US sample data before you download it.
Which staff schedule template fits your business?
| Business or need | Template | What it checks for you |
|---|---|---|
| Any team on biweekly payroll | 1. Two-week employee schedule | Hours and overtime per workweek |
| Restaurant, cafe, bar | 2. Restaurant employee schedule | Labor hours by section, minors highlighted |
| Retail store | 3. Retail staff schedule | Openers, mids, closers, key holder every day |
| Medical or dental clinic | 4. Clinic staff schedule | Staff per role against your minimums |
| Warehouse, plant, distribution | 5. Three-shift staff schedule | Headcount per shift per day |
| Before you build any schedule | 6. Employee availability form | When each person can work |
| After you post the schedule | 7. Schedule change log | Days of notice for each change |
| Hybrid office | 8. Hybrid office schedule | People in the office against desks |
1. Two-week employee schedule
Best for any team paid every two weeks
Two-week employee schedule · Cedar Ridge Landscaping, Raleigh, NC · Pay period November 30 to December 13, 2026 · Hours per day
| Employee | Role | Mon 30 | Tue 1 | Wed 2 | Thu 3 | Fri 4 | Sat 5 | Sun 6 | Mon 7 | Tue 8 | Wed 9 | Thu 10 | Fri 11 | Sat 12 | Sun 13 | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Romero | Crew lead | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 45 | 40 | 5 | 85 | ||||
| Jake Fowler | Crew member | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 50 | 35 | 10 | 85 | |||
| Andre Wilson | Crew member | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 80 | ||||
| Kim Tran | Office, part-time | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 30 |
Biweekly payroll hides overtime. In the example, Jake is scheduled 50 hours in week 1 and 35 in week 2. That is 85 hours for the pay period, and 10 of them are overtime, because federal law looks at each workweek on its own. Luis has 45 and 40, so 5 hours of overtime even though his pay period total looks normal. The template shows this before the schedule is posted, while you can still move a shift. Our guide on how to calculate overtime walks through the pay math.
2. Restaurant employee schedule
Best for restaurants, cafes and bars with front and back of house
Restaurant employee schedule · Lone Star Taqueria, San Antonio, TX · Week of November 16, 2026 · Shifts over 6 hours include a 30-minute unpaid meal
| Employee | Position | Under 18? | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRONT OF HOUSE | ||||||||||
| Maria Santos | Server | 10a–3p | 10a–3p | OFF | 4p–10p | 4p–10p | 4p–10p | OFF | 28 | |
| Derek Moss | Bartender | OFF | 4p–11p | 4p–11p | 4p–11p | 4p–11p | OFF | 11a–6p | 32.5 | |
| Emily Cruz | Host | OFF | OFF | 4p–9p | 4p–9p | 4p–10p | 11a–7p | 11a–5p | 29.5 | |
| Noah Garza | Busser | Yes (15) | OFF | OFF | OFF | OFF | 4p–7p | 10a–4p | 10a–4p | 15 |
| BACK OF HOUSE | ||||||||||
| Hector Ruiz | Line cook | 9a–5:30p | 9a–5:30p | 9a–5:30p | OFF | OFF | 9a–5:30p | 9a–5:30p | 40 | |
| Jada King | Line cook | 2p–10:30p | OFF | 2p–10:30p | 2p–10:30p | 2p–10:30p | 2p–10:30p | OFF | 40 | |
| Sam Ortiz | Dishwasher | Yes (17) | OFF | 4p–10p | 4p–10p | OFF | 4p–10p | 4p–10p | OFF | 24 |
| Total scheduled labor hours | 209 | |||||||||
Restaurants schedule in two worlds, so the template keeps them apart and totals each, which makes it easy to compare kitchen and floor labor with covers. The under-18 column is there for a reason. Noah is 15, so during the school year federal law allows him at most 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in the school week, and no work after 7 p.m. His Friday shift ends at 7:00 and his weekend shifts are 6 hours each, 15 hours in all. Sam is 17, so the federal hour limits for 14- and 15-year-olds do not apply, but your state may set its own. Tipped servers raise their own questions; see our Texas minimum wage guide for the tip credit rules in this example’s state.
3. Retail staff schedule (open, mid, close)
Best for retail stores that need a key holder to open and close every day
Retail staff schedule · Pine & Co. Outfitters, Burlington, VT · Week of November 16, 2026 · O = open 8:30a–5p, M = mid 11a–7:30p, C = close 1:30p–10p, 8 paid hours each
| Employee | Role | Key? | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Shifts | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia Martin | Assistant manager | Y | O | O | OFF | OFF | C | C | O | 5 | 40 |
| Omar Haddad | Key holder | Y | C | C | O | O | OFF | OFF | C | 5 | 40 |
| Ivy Turner | Sales | N | M | OFF | C | C | O | M | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| Lily Evans | Cashier | N | OFF | M | M | M | M | O | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| Grace Lee | Key holder | Y | OFF | OFF | C | C | O | O | C | 5 | 40 |
| Openers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Mids | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Closers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Key holder opening? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Key holder closing? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
Shift codes keep a retail schedule readable and let the sheet do the counting. Change the times in the small table at the top and every person’s hours update. The two key holder rows answer the question that matters most at 8:30 a.m.: is someone with keys and the alarm code on the opening shift? The example is covered every day; change Omar’s Monday close to OFF and Monday turns red. If your store is in a city with a fair workweek law, also use the schedule change log.
4. Clinic staff schedule with coverage by role
Best for medical, dental and therapy practices that staff by role
Clinic staff schedule · Maple Street Family Medicine, Columbus, OH · Week of November 16, 2026 · Needed counts set by the practice manager
| Staff member | Role | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Laura Bennett | Provider | 8a–5p | 8a–5p | OFF | 8a–5p | PTO | 8a–12p |
| Mark Ellis, NP | Provider | OFF | 8a–5p | 8a–5p | 8a–5p | 8a–5p | OFF |
| Dr. Anika Rao | Provider | 8a–5p | OFF | 8a–5p | OFF | OFF | 8a–12p |
| Jordan Lee | MA | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | OFF |
| Tia Harris | MA | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | OFF | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–12:30p |
| Ben Shaw | MA | OFF | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–12:30p |
| Rosa Diaz | Front desk | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | 7:30a–4p | OFF |
| Kate Moore | Front desk | 9a–5:30p | 9a–5:30p | 9a–5:30p | OFF | 9a–5:30p | 7:30a–12:30p |
| Provider: needed / scheduled | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 1 short | 1 / 2 | |
| MA: needed / scheduled | 2 / 2 | 3 / 3 | 2 / 2 | 3 / 3 | 3 / 3 | 2 / 2 | |
| Front desk: needed / scheduled | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 1 short | 2 / 2 | 1 / 1 | |
In a clinic the question is not just who is working but whether each role is covered. Set the minimum providers, MAs and front desk staff for each day in the yellow cells, and the sheet compares them with the schedule. In the example, Dr. Bennett’s Friday PTO leaves the clinic one provider short, which the practice can solve by closing her slots or bringing in a per diem provider, and Thursday has only one person at the front desk. For 12-hour nursing shifts, use our 12-hour shift schedule templates instead.
5. Three-shift staff schedule
Best for warehouses, distribution centers and plants running first, second and third shift
Three-shift staff schedule · Midway Distribution, Joliet, IL · Week of November 16, 2026 · 8.5-hour shifts with a 30-minute unpaid meal (8 paid hours)
| Employee | Area | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Days | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st shift, 6:00a–2:30p | ||||||||||
| Carlos Vega | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | OFF | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| Dee Johnson | Pick | Pick | Pick | Pick | Pick | OFF | Pick | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| 2nd shift, 2:00p–10:30p | ||||||||||
| Paul Kim | Pack | Pack | Pack | Pack | Pack | Pack | OFF | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| Erin Lopez | Pick | OFF | Pick | Pick | Pick | Pick | Pick | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| 3rd shift, 10:00p–6:30a | ||||||||||
| Victor Hale | Loading | Loading | Loading | Loading | Loading | PTO | OFF | Loading | 5 | 40 |
| Nia Brooks | Loading | OFF | Loading | Loading | Loading | Loading | Loading | OFF | 5 | 40 |
| 1st shift headcount | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2nd shift headcount | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 3rd shift headcount | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
Type the area each person works (Receiving, Pick, Pack, Loading) rather than an X, so the schedule doubles as the daily assignment sheet. Headcount rows show thin days at a glance: in the example, first shift drops to one person on Friday. Overlapping shift times (2:00 to 2:30 p.m. and 10:00 to 10:30 p.m.) give each handoff 30 minutes. If you rotate crews between shifts or run 24/7, see the rotations on our DuPont schedule guide.
6. Employee availability form
Best for collecting availability from part-time and student employees before you schedule
Every good schedule starts with knowing when people can work. Ask each employee to fill this in when they are hired and whenever their availability changes, with two weeks’ notice. The “most hours” and “fewest hours” lines prevent the two common complaints: being scheduled too much and too little. Note that the form says availability is a guide, not a promise of hours.
7. Schedule change log
Best for employers in cities and states with predictive scheduling laws, and anyone who wants a paper trail
Schedule change log · Harvest Market store #214, Portland, OR (part of a 600-employee grocery chain) · November 2026
| Date of change | Employee | Shift date | Original | New | Change type | Requested by | Agreed in writing? | Days notice | Premium owed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/9/2026 | Maya Torres | 11/19/2026 | 4p–10p | Off | Cancelled shift | Employee | Yes | 10 | No |
| 11/12/2026 | Chris Patel | 11/14/2026 | 11a–7p | 11a–4p | Cut hours | Employer | No | 2 | Check |
| 11/13/2026 | Ana Lopez | 11/27/2026 | Off | 8a–4p | Added shift | Employer | Yes | 14 | No |
| 11/16/2026 | Jamal Wright | 11/17/2026 | 9a–5p | 12p–8p | Swap | Employee | Yes | 1 | No |
Once a schedule is posted, every change has a cost in goodwill, and in some places in pay. Oregon’s law, for example, covers retail, hospitality and food service employers with 500 or more employees worldwide; when such an employer changes a posted schedule without the required notice, it can owe one extra hour of pay for adding more than 30 minutes or moving a shift, and half pay for scheduled hours it cuts. Changes an employee asks for in writing are generally not subject to the notice rule. The log records who asked and when, so the premium column is easy to fill in. In the example, the hours cut for Chris on two days’ notice is marked to check.
8. Hybrid office schedule
Best for offices with more people than desks
Hybrid office schedule · Harbor Insurance Agency, Portland, ME · Week of November 16, 2026 · 5 desks
| Employee | Team | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Office days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Ross | Finance | Office | Office | Remote | Office | Remote | 3 |
| Daniel Kim | Finance | Office | Office | Remote | Office | Remote | 3 |
| Aaron Webb | Sales | Remote | Office | Office | Office | Remote | 3 |
| Lucy Hart | Sales | Remote | Office | Office | Office | PTO | 3 |
| Priya Nair | Operations | Office | Remote | Office | Office | Remote | 3 |
| Tom Baker | Operations | Office | Remote | Office | Office | Off | 3 |
| In the office | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Desks left (5 desks) | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 5 | ||
A hybrid schedule fails quietly: everyone picks Thursday and nobody comes in Friday. In the example Thursday needs six desks and there are five, while Friday has nobody in, so the sheet shows a −1 on Thursday and moving one person solves it. Set team anchor days (finance on Monday and Tuesday) and let people choose the rest. Our guide to hybrid work schedules compares the common models.
How to schedule employees with these templates
- Collect availability first. Hand out the availability form at hiring and when anything changes. Keep the completed forms beside the schedule.
- Set your minimums. Decide how many people each shift, section or role needs. Write them down; they are the yellow cells in the clinic and retail templates.
- Enter fixed time off and limits. Approved PTO, school hours for minors, standing days off.
- Fill shifts and watch hours. Check each person’s weekly total against 40 hours and against what they asked for.
- Check coverage, then post. Every coverage row should meet your minimum. Post with the date, one or two weeks ahead, or more where local law requires it.
- Log changes and compare with actual hours. Record changes in the log and compare the schedule with timesheets before payroll.
A free employee schedule template works well up to a point. When you spend hours each week on swaps, call-outs and texting people their shifts, compare the best scheduling apps for small business. For one team’s week on a single page, see our weekly schedule templates.
US rules to know when you schedule employees
General principles, checked on federal and state agency sites. States and cities add their own rules, so confirm with your state labor department.
- Overtime is weekly. Non-exempt employees must get at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The workweek is a fixed, recurring seven-day period, and hours cannot be averaged over two weeks, even on biweekly payroll.
- Minors have federal hour limits. 14- and 15-year-olds may work up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 in a school week, 8 on a non-school day and 40 in a non-school week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). States can be stricter.
- Breaks are set by states. Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks; short breaks you give are paid time, and meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is fully relieved of duty.
- Predictive scheduling laws exist in some places. Oregon requires covered employers to give written schedules 14 days ahead, and Seattle requires covered employers to post 14 days ahead and pay time-and-a-half for close-to-open shifts under 10 hours apart.
- Records. Keep work and time schedules for two years and payroll records for three, according to the Department of Labor’s recordkeeping rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free employee schedule template in Excel?
Yes. Every template on this page is a free Excel file with a printable PDF, and none needs a sign-up or email. The spreadsheets include working formulas for hours, overtime and coverage counts, and they open in Google Sheets as well as Excel. Save a copy for each week or pay period.
How do I make an employee schedule?
Collect each employee’s availability and approved time off, decide how many people each shift needs, then fill shifts while watching each person’s weekly hours. Check coverage for every day, post the schedule as early as you can, and record any changes after posting along with who asked for them.
What is the best way to schedule employees for free?
For one location and a stable team, a spreadsheet template plus an availability form is enough. Use the template that matches how you staff: by section for restaurants, by open and close for retail, by role for clinics. When changes and shift swaps take hours every week, compare scheduling apps; some have free plans, so check each vendor’s site.
How much notice do employers have to give for work schedules?
There is no federal requirement. A few states and cities have predictive scheduling laws for covered employers: Oregon requires large retail, hospitality and food service employers to give schedules 14 days ahead, and Seattle requires covered retail and food service employers to post 14 days ahead. Check your state and city rules.
Do employers have to give breaks between shifts?
Federal law does not require breaks or a minimum rest between shifts. Some states and cities do: Seattle, for example, requires covered employers to pay time-and-a-half for hours worked when a closing and the next opening shift are less than 10 hours apart. Check your state’s meal and rest break rules too.
How long should I keep old employee schedules?
Keep them at least two years. The Department of Labor lists work and time schedules among the records employers keep for two years, and payroll records must be kept for three. Saving each week’s schedule file with the date in its name is an easy way to meet the rule.