Employee Time Sheet Form

Use a Employee Time Sheet template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What the Employee Time Sheet Form records

The Employee Time Sheet Form records an employee’s work dates, hours, overtime, leave, and approval for payroll and employment records. An employee or supervisor completes the applicable fields, reviews the totals, and signs electronically when the organization permits electronic records. With signNow, a sender uploads the form, confirms detected fillable fields, assigns employee and approver roles, and sends it for completion. The resulting signed PDF and audit trail preserve the document history. For payroll records, 29 CFR §516.5 requires employers to retain records for three years.

Payroll departments

Payroll teams use the Employee Time Sheet Form to collect regular hours, overtime, leave, employee attestations, and supervisor approvals before processing wages. They can route each period through signNow, preserve the completed PDF and audit trail, and connect records to controlled storage for later payroll review.

Employees and supervisors

Supervisors and employees use the form for recurring work-period reporting, including on-site construction, healthcare administration, and office schedules. Clear recipient roles distinguish who enters hours from who approves them, while signNow supports mobile completion and a retrievable completion record.

Structured fields

Capture work dates, regular hours, overtime, leave, and employee identifiers in one structured record before approval.

Role routing

Assign employee and supervisor responsibilities so each person completes only the fields relevant to the time sheet.

Electronic signing

Collect electronic signatures with intent and consent evidence suitable for qualifying U.S. business records under ESIGN and UETA.

Audit trail

Preserve timestamps, actions, and document history alongside the signed Employee Time Sheet Form for review.

Mobile completion

Route recurring time sheets from desktop or mobile devices without requiring every employee to meet payroll staff in person.

Record storage

Store completed forms with controlled access and connect them to Google Drive, Box, or Microsoft 365 workflows.

How to complete an employee time sheet

Use this signNow workflow to prepare, route, sign, and retain the Employee Time Sheet Form.

Upload form:
Upload the Employee Time Sheet Form and confirm its fields.
Check fields:
Review detected employee, date, hours, and approval fields.
Assign recipients:
Assign each signature or approval field to its recipient.
Send for signing:
Send the completed routing package through signNow.
Download record:
Review signed hours and download the completed record.

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Setting	Recommendation
Signer authentication method	Email link with SMS verification
Signature type for employees	Typed or drawn electronic signature
Audit trail for approvals	Enable detailed action history
Document retention period	Keep 3 years for FLSA payroll records
Encryption for stored records	Use AES-256 with TLS 1.2/1.3 transit protection

Security for employee time sheets

Transport encryption:

TLS 1.2/1.3 in transit

Stored encryption:

AES-256 at rest

Security certification:

SOC 2 Type II certified

Information security:

ISO 27001 certified

Health data:

HIPAA compliant with BAA

Electronic signatures:

ESIGN and UETA compliant

Platform requirements for time sheets

Complete the Employee Time Sheet Form in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge on Windows or macOS, or use the signNow mobile apps on iOS and Android.

Supported browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
Operating systems Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
Mobile apps signNow mobile apps for iOS and Android

Organizations should use managed accounts, role-based access, and approved storage for employee records. Teams connecting payroll or HR systems should confirm API, SSO, and retention requirements before deployment, especially where state employment-record rules require longer preservation than the federal baseline.

Best practices for employee time sheets

Accurate fields, documented approvals, and controlled retention make Employee Time Sheet Form records easier to reconcile and review.

Complete every time field

Capture the employee’s name, work period, regular hours, overtime, leave, and supervisor approval before sending. Compare totals with payroll inputs, resolve discrepancies, and prevent blank fields from reaching the signer.

Preserve the audit trail

Use signNow’s audit trail to preserve signer identity, timestamps, recipient actions, and the final completed document. Export the audit record with the signed time sheet when payroll or an employment dispute requires supporting evidence.

Apply the three-year baseline

Retain payroll-related time sheets for at least three years under 29 CFR §516.5, while checking state rules and collective bargaining requirements for longer periods. Restrict access to payroll, supervisors, and authorized administrators.

Archive records securely

Store completed forms in a controlled archive with consistent employee and pay-period naming. Use signNow integrations such as Google Drive, Box, or Microsoft 365 only with role-based permissions and an established deletion policy.

Employee time sheet retention schedule

Use the applicable record class below, then check state employment rules and any related payroll or safety obligation before deleting signed time sheets.

Three years payroll records

Retain payroll time records for three years under 29 CFR §516.5.

Three years FLSA support

Retain employee time sheets supporting FLSA compliance for three years under 29 CFR §516.5.

Five years injury records

Retain OSHA injury records for five years under 29 CFR §1904.33 when the time sheet relates to covered incident documentation.

Thirty years exposure records

Retain OSHA exposure records for 30 years under 29 CFR §1910.1020 when linked to occupational exposure documentation.

Longer period when required

Retain records longer when state employment law, a collective bargaining agreement, litigation hold, or an agency request requires it.

Risks of incomplete time sheets

Disputed hours

Missing payroll record

Incomplete payroll evidence

Unclear approver

Unattributed approval

Uncontrolled edits

Altered time entries

Challenges with employee time sheets

Employees enter regular and overtime hours in different formats, making totals difficult to reconcile before supervisor approval.
A missing work period or employee identifier can separate a signed time sheet from the payroll record it supports.
Emailing unprotected time sheets can expose employee names, schedules, leave details, and approval information to unintended recipients.
A supervisor may approve hours without a preserved audit trail showing when the approval occurred or which version was reviewed.

Legal standing for employee time sheets

An Employee Time Sheet Form can support payroll evidence when it identifies the employee, records the relevant hours, shows intent to sign, and remains reproducible with its audit history. ESIGN and UETA generally recognize qualifying electronic signatures, but payroll duties and state employment-record rules still apply.

Why teams look for DocuSign alternatives

Employee time sheet troubleshooting

Resolve field, routing, signature, plan, and retention issues by checking the form setup, recipient assignments, signNow plan, and applicable payroll rule.

Upload the Employee Time Sheet Form as a PDF, then use signNow’s field detection and review the employee, hours, date, and approval fields before sending. If detection misses a field, place the correct text, date, checkbox, or signature field manually.

Check that every required field has an assigned recipient and that the employee’s email address is correct. signNow routes fields by recipient role, so an unassigned approval field can prevent completion even when the employee has signed.

Use signNow’s audit trail and completion record to review recipient actions, timestamps, and document history. Under ESIGN and UETA, electronic records require intent, attribution, and reliable retention; internal payroll policy may impose additional controls.

The Business plan includes templates, audit trails, mobile apps, and legally binding eSignatures at $8 per user per month with annual billing. Subscription plans include 100 signature invites per user per year; overage fees may apply.

For more than one employee at a time, signNow Business Premium adds bulk send at $15 per user per month with annual billing. Confirm each recipient’s assigned fields and review the returned records separately.

Retain payroll time records for three years under 29 CFR §516.5, subject to longer state or agreement-based requirements. Export the signed form and audit trail, restrict access, and preserve an accessible copy in controlled storage.

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