As of 13 August 2026, AI can create a timesheet template for a UK business.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, no skill needed, and roughly 15 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open Excel or Google Sheets and create a blank workbook for the timesheet.
   2. Gather your pay period, usual working pattern, break recording method, overtime approach, project codes and approval arrangements.
   3. Paste the prompt into an AI chat, replace each bracketed slot with your business details, and answer any questions it asks.
   4. Copy the proposed headings, instructions, summary area and formulas into the spreadsheet, keeping the example row separate from live records.
   5. Enter several dummy shifts, including a break, overtime and a day with no hours, then compare the calculated totals with totals worked out manually.
   6. Ask your payroll or HR contact to confirm that the fields and approval process match how your business records working time and processes pay.
   7. Remove the dummy data, protect formula cells if appropriate, and send the finished blank template to the people who will complete and approve it.

   Prompt

   Create a simple timesheet template for a UK business that I can recreate in Excel or Google Sheets.
   
   Business context:
   - Business type: [business type]
   - Number of workers: [number]
   - Pay period: [weekly or monthly]
   - Working pattern: [working days and usual hours]
   - Record needed: [hours worked, start and finish times, breaks, overtime, holiday, sickness, project or client code, or other fields]
   - Approval process: [who completes it and who approves it]
   - Special rules or requirements: [details, or "none known"]
   
   Return:
   1. The sheet name and a clear column-by-column layout.
   2. A copyable header row.
   3. Excel and Google Sheets formulas for regular hours, break deductions, overtime and total hours where applicable. State any assumptions before giving formulas.
   4. A separate summary area for the pay period, worker, approver and total hours.
   5. One realistic example row using clearly labelled dummy data.
   6. Plain instructions for the worker and approver.
   7. A short list of items I must confirm with my payroll or HR process before using it, without claiming that the template is legally compliant.
   
   Use British English, 24-hour time, and do not invent business rules. If information is missing, ask concise questions first. Keep the design practical and avoid unnecessary fields.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.