Free shift pattern calendars and schedules

Employee Schedule Template

List your employees and roles, assign a shift to each day and compare each person's hours with a target before you print.

An employee schedule template is a grid with one row per person and one column per day, where each cell holds a shift code. This Employee Schedule Template is an editable, printable work-schedule sheet that runs in your browser, is free, and needs no account or sign-up. It works as an online work schedule template: you type names, roles and shift codes, and the sheet totals each person’s shifts and paid hours as you go.

The page opens on the Monday of the current week if you arrive without a saved link. You can also choose a one-week, two-week, calendar-month or custom-day period. The default sheet is a worked example with five people for Oct 5, 2026 to Oct 11, 2026, showing 160 paid hours over 20 shifts. Use it to plan who works when, check hours per person and see how many people cover each shift.

Employee schedule template example

How to use the Employee Schedule Template

  1. Choose a period: one week (7 days), two weeks (14 days), a calendar month, or a number of days. Week-like periods start on the date you pick.
  2. Replace the title, which reads “Employee schedule, Oct 5, 2026 – Oct 11, 2026” until you type your own.
  3. Type a name in each row and a role in the Role column next to it.
  4. Type a number in the Target hours column for each person.
  5. Click cells and type shift codes such as S1, S2 or O. Codes can be up to 12 characters and are not case sensitive. A code missing from the shift table turns red and counts 0 hours.
  6. Read the totals. Each row shows its shifts, paid hours and days off. The bottom row counts how many people work each code on each day.
  7. Check the warnings. The page flags overlapping shifts, unreadable times and duplicate codes.
  8. Save time with Quick fill. It repeats a pattern such as “S1 S1 S1 S1 S1 O O” along one row or every row, copies the first week onto the following weeks, or clears cells. You can also tap a code chip and paint cells by tapping them.
  9. Type notes in the Notes column at the end of each row. When the sheet is ready, use Print schedule, Download CSV or Copy link, which are explained below.

The totals use plain time arithmetic on the values you type. For each shift, paid hours equal the end time minus the start time, minus the unpaid break in minutes. The result never goes below 0. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift runs past midnight. The S1 code in the default sheet runs 08:00 to 16:30, which is 8.5 hours minus a 30-minute break, giving 8 paid hours. The O code has no times, so it counts 0 hours.

A row’s paid hours are the sum of its shifts. Days off are the days without a worked shift: blank cells, off codes and codes with no times. In the default example, Employee 1 and Employee 2 each work five 8-hour shifts, giving 40 hours. Across all five rows the sheet reaches 20 shifts and 160 paid hours. The page applies no legal or pay rule, so check break and overtime requirements yourself.

How do I fill in the cells quickly?

Click a cell and type a code, or use the arrow keys and Enter to move from cell to cell; the code list offers the codes defined in the shift table. On a phone, tap a code chip and then tap the cells to paint them. Quick fill repeats a pattern such as “D D N N O O O” along a row, optionally starting each row one step later, and can copy the first week onto the following weeks. A dash in the pattern leaves a cell blank.

What is in the CSV file?

Download CSV saves the grid with one row per person: the name, the codes for each date, and the totals. The header row uses dates in yyyy-mm-dd form. The file opens in any spreadsheet program. Nothing is sent anywhere; the file is made in your browser.

How does the staffing count work?

The count row at the bottom shows, for each date, how many people have each code. Use it to see at a glance whether a day has enough people on a shift. The page does not decide what is enough: you read the counts and judge for yourself.

Worked examples

InputResult
5 rows, 7 days, Oct 5, 2026 – Oct 11, 2026160 paid hours in total, 20 shifts
5 rows, 31 days, Oct 1, 2026 – Oct 31, 2026160 paid hours in total, 20 shifts

Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my month show 29 days in February?

A month always shows the whole calendar month. A leap-year February has 29 days, so the grid shows 29 columns for it. Other months show 28 to 31 days.

What does a red code mean?

A red code is not in your shift table. It counts 0 hours and is listed in a warning. Add the code to the shift table, or correct the spelling, to fix it.

What does the Target hours column do?

Target hours is a number you type for each row. If a row’s paid hours go above that number, the row is marked and listed in the warnings. The example targets are 40, 40, 32, 24 and 24 hours.

Why do I see an overlap warning?

The page warns when two worked shifts in a row overlap, such as a night shift that ends after the next day’s shift starts. Adjust the times or the codes so the shifts follow each other correctly.

Why does the example start on Oct 5, 2026?

The worked example uses the fixed start date 2026-10-05 so that it always shows the same numbers. A new visit without a saved link starts on the Monday of the current week instead.

Can I start a new sheet from scratch?

Yes. Reset returns the page to the example sheet, so you can then clear cells with Quick fill and type your own names, codes and title.

Is this tool free, and is anything I type uploaded?

Yes, it is free and needs no account or sign-up. Everything is calculated in your browser, and nothing you type is uploaded.

Can I print it or share it?

Yes. Print / save as PDF prints the page as you see it; choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep a file. Copy link copies a page address that stores your inputs, so the same schedule can be reopened later or sent to someone else.