Restaurant shift timesheet template

Who it's for: Servers, bartenders, hosts, line cooks, and managers who need a simple weekly log before payroll or tip reporting.

How to fill it: Label the pay period, then for each day enter clock-in, clock-out, and unpaid break minutes. Use Shift for AM, PM, or close; Meal break for taken / waived / paid notes; Declared tips for cash and charge tips you are reporting for that shift.

Overtime: Nonexempt restaurant employees are generally covered by the FLSA overtime rules (over 40 hours in a workweek). Tipped employees may be paid a direct cash wage plus tips with a tip credit where allowed—see DOL Fact Sheet #15 on tipped employees. State law often governs meal breaks. Overtime calculator, California OT, and the timesheet calculator can split regular and OT from clock times.

Restaurant hours are messy: doubles, split shifts, and side work that runs past the last ticket. A generic weekly grid often drops the details payroll asks for—Which shift? Were meal breaks taken? How much did you declare in tips? This restaurant shift timesheet keeps the familiar seven-day layout and adds three industry columns while staying free, with no login and no data uploaded to HourPunch.

Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks; meal-break rules come from state law. The DOL breaks topic page states that Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. California, for example, requires that an employer may not employ an employee for a work period of more than five hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than thirty minutes (DLSE).

Declared tips ($) is for the amount you are reporting for that day or shift, whether from cash, charged tips, or tip-pool allocations your house policy requires. HourPunch does not compute tip credit or verify minimum wage—that math belongs in payroll. The DOL Fact Sheet #15 on tipped employees states that An employer must pay a tipped worker at least $2.13 per hour under the FLSA. Some cities add local minimums on top.

Clock-in, clock-out, and Break (min) still drive total hours. Enter punches when you have them; HourPunch totals hours and lets you override regular and OT columns if payroll already split them. Overtime for nonexempt kitchen and FOH staff generally follows federal workweek rules—the DOL notes that employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay (DOL overtime overview)—though a few states add daily overtime thresholds; see our overtime laws by state guide or the California DIR overtime FAQ if daily rules apply.

Export to Excel when the bookkeeper wants editable cells, PDF for manager sign-off, or CSV for import tests. Everything generates on your device. Tip pools, service charges, and tronc rules vary by employer; use Notes for pool percentages or event buyouts. When you need scheduling, POS integration, and tip reporting in one system, see our when you outgrow a free calculator guide—this template stays available without an account.

Split shifts and late-night closers often span two calendar dates; either use one row per calendar day with partial punches or put the after-midnight portion on the next row so weekly totals stay readable. Training shifts and sidework at reduced rates should be labeled in Notes because this sheet does not apply multiple pay rates—payroll applies those rules after export. If your state requires paid rest breaks for short shifts, document them in Meal break rather than Break (min) when they are paid time rather than unpaid meal periods.