Free HR Templates for Excel & Google Sheets
How small Indian teams keep attendance, leave, and employee records in Excel — column layouts, COUNTIF formulas, and the payroll files that already sit next to HR work.
A 12-person shop does not need an HRIS. It needs a grid that answers three questions at month-end: who was present, who took leave, and what number goes on the salary slip. The mistake is a WhatsApp group of 'P' and 'A' messages that nobody can total. A single attendance sheet with employee names down the side and calendar dates across the top, plus COUNTIF for Present / Absent / Half-day, is enough to feed payroll.
Mark attendance with a short code list — P, A, L, H, WO — not free text. Free text ('came late', 'half') breaks every COUNTIF. Late arrival belongs in a separate remarks column; it should not overwrite the attendance code. For a 26-day working month, net payable days = COUNTIF(P) + 0.5 × COUNTIF(H). That figure is what the salary slip uses when you prorate a joiner.
Leave balances are a second sheet, not extra columns on attendance. Opening balance + credited leave − approved leave = closing balance. Mixing leave into the daily grid is how shops lose track of casual leave carried into the next year. Until a dedicated attendance workbook is published here, use the Salary Slip template for the pay document and keep the attendance grid in the same folder as that file.
Onboarding checklists (ID proof, bank details, UAN, ESI number) belong on a third tab with a date completed. Do not hide PAN and Aadhaar on the attendance sheet — that file gets printed and left on desks.
Downloadable files
There is no .xlsx in this category yet. The guide above is still meant to be used: copy the column layout into a blank workbook. Related downloads are linked at the bottom of this page.
What to look for in a hr template
- One code list (P/A/L/H/WO) with data validation so COUNTIF stays accurate
- Employee ID, name, and department as locked header columns
- Separate leave-balance sheet; do not mix casual leave into daily marks
- A remarks column for late entry that does not overwrite the attendance code
- Month and year in the header so last year's file is not reused by accident
- A payroll-ready payable-days formula you can paste into the salary slip
Frequently asked questions
Is an Excel attendance sheet legally valid in India?+
Yes, as a muster roll for a small establishment, provided it is filled daily and retained. Shops and Establishments rules vary by state, but inspectors look for names, dates, and in/out or present-absent marks — not for a branded HR app. Keep the file for at least the period your state requires for wage records.
How do I calculate payable days for a salary slip?+
Payable days = number of Present codes + half of Half-day codes. Unpaid leave and absent days drop out. If the employee joined on the 10th, do not COUNTIF the whole month — start the range at the joining date. Then net pay on the salary slip is (monthly CTC / paid days in month) × payable days, or your firm's own proration rule.
Should biometric logs replace the Excel sheet?+
Biometric data is a source, not a pay document. Export the month, reconcile exceptions (missed punch, outdoor duty) in Excel, then lock that reconciled sheet. Payroll should never read raw punch logs without a human pass.