How to make a timesheet in Google Forms

How to make a timesheet in Google Forms

Whether you’re managing a remote team, a pool of freelancers, or an entire organization of employees clocking regular hours, accurate time tracking is vital. Google Forms provides an easy, accessible way to create digital timesheets, simplifying data collection and analysis.

Let’s dive into how you can create your timesheet step-by-step.

5 steps to make a timesheet in Google Forms

To get started with your timesheet:

Step 1: Create a Google Form

  1. Open Google Forms.
A dashboard view of Google Forms showing a number of active templates
  1. Click “Blank form” to start a new form.
A dashboard view of Google Forms with an arrow pointing at the "Blank form" option
  1. Title your form clearly, for example, “Weekly Employee Timesheet.”
A blank timesheet with the title "Weekly Employee Timesheet"

Step 2: Design your timesheet

The layout and question types should clearly capture essential details:

  • Date: Start by adding an option for the date of work performed. Select “Date” from question types to make entry quick and precise.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Date" option in the question drop down
  • Short answer: Use “Short answer” for employees to input hours worked. You might have separate fields for regular hours, overtime, or breaks.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Short answer" option in the question drop down
  • Dropdown: Select “Dropdown: for task descriptions, project names, or departments. This ensures consistent data entry. For example:
  • Date of work
  • Employee Name/ID
  • Hours worked
  • Project/task
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Dropdown" option in the question drop down

Step 3: Customize your timesheet

While Google Forms offers a minimalistic design, some of these enhancements go a long way in boosting usability. To ensure your timesheet captures all necessary information, customization is key:

  • Add section: Organize the form into logical sections (e.g., Employee details, work hours, project information).
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Add section" option in the sidebar
  • Required questions: Mark essential fields as required to avoid incomplete submissions.
An example question on a Google Forms template with the "Required" option highlighted
  • Theme: Customize with your organization’s colors or logo by clicking the palette icon to maintain professionalism.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards "Theme" option and the customization side bar highlighted
  • Conditional logic: Choose the “Go to section based on answer” option to show task-specific questions.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with "Go to section based on answer" highlighted
  • Customize the confirmation message: Let respondents know their timesheet was successfully submitted.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Settings" section and a "Confirmation message" highlighted

Step 4: Share and collect data

After customizing, it’s time to distribute your timesheet:

  • Direct link: Click “Publish” to get a link you can directly share with your team.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Publish" button
  • Email distribution: Enter email addresses within Google Forms to send personalized invitations.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with the "Publish" pop-up window and an arrow pointing to the "Add people, groups, and calendar events" box
  • Embed on website: Integrate the form directly onto your intranet or company website for easy access.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with the "Get add-ons" option highlighted

Step 5: View and analyze timesheet data

All responses automatically feed into a Google Sheet:

  1. Click “Responses” at the top of your Google Form.
A Google Form titled "Weekly Employee Timesheet" with an arrow pointing towards the "Responses" section
  1. Click the Sheets icon to create or link to a Google Sheet. From here, you can easily analyze data:
  • Pivot tables: Quickly summarize hours per employee or project.
  • Charts: Visualize time data with pie charts or bar graphs to identify trends or manage resources effectively.

Looking for a Google Forms alternative? Try Jotform

Google Forms offers a quick and free solution to create digital timesheets — ideal for basic time tracking needs. However, if you’re looking for more functionality, automation, and design flexibility, Jotform is a smart upgrade.

  • Rich template library: Jotform provides a wide variety of customizable, ready-to-use templates like Employee Timesheet or General Time Sheet, making setup quick and straightforward.
  • Advanced customization options: Enhance your forms with conditional logic to show or hide fields based on user responses, integrate branding seamlessly, and automate workflows to save time.
  • Centralized data management: Utilize Jotform Tables to store, organize, and analyze timesheet responses in one accessible, user-friendly platform. Examples include the Employee Timesheet Table.
  • Efficient approval processes: Jotform Workflows automates the review and approval of submitted timesheets, ensuring a smooth and transparent process. Templates like Timesheet Approval streamline workflow, reducing manual oversight.
  • Comprehensive reporting: Generate detailed visual reports and dashboards directly from Jotform to effortlessly track performance and productivity.

Whether you’re managing a small team or an entire organization, time tracking doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Choose the tool that works best for you — and get your time back.

This article is aimed at managers, team leads, and business owners looking to create and manage digital timesheets using Google Forms or seeking a more advanced alternative like Jotform.

AUTHOR
Jotform's Editorial Team is a group of dedicated professionals committed to providing valuable insights and practical tips to Jotform blog readers. Our team's expertise spans a wide range of topics, from industry-specific subjects like managing summer camps and educational institutions to essential skills in surveys, data collection methods, and document management. We also provide curated recommendations on the best software tools and resources to help streamline your workflow.

Send Comment:

Jotform Avatar
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Podo Comment Be the first to comment.