Free Staff Roster Template (Excel & Google Sheets), and When You’ve Outgrown It
Updated 17 October 2026 · 7 min read
A staff roster template is a ready-made table for planning who works when: one row per shift with the day, person, role, start and finish times and any unpaid break. Ours is free, has no sign-up, works in Excel and Google Sheets, and adds up paid hours for you. Download it below, then use this guide to fill it in and to recognise when a spreadsheet is holding you back.
Download the free roster templates
Pick the format that suits how you work. All three are free to use, change and share with your team, with no email required. The Excel file does the most work for you; the PDF is for a wall or a clipboard.
Excel
Staff roster template
Shift list with automatic paid hours (including overnight shifts), hours and base wages by person, and a how-to sheet. Opens in Google Sheets too.
Open Google Sheets, choose File → Import → Upload and pick the Excel file. The formulas carry over, and you can share the sheet with your managers from there.
What’s in the template
The Excel template has three tabs. Shaded cells are for typing; white cells calculate, so you never need to touch a formula.
The three tabs in the Excel template
Tab
What it’s for
What it works out
How to use
What it’s for: Short instructions and Google Sheets steps
What it works out: Nothing; read it once and keep it for new managers
Roster
What it’s for: One row per shift: location, day, date, name, role or skill, start, end, unpaid break, notes
What it works out: Paid hours for every shift, including shifts that finish after midnight
Hours by person
What it’s for: Each person once, with an optional base hourly rate
What it works out: Total paid hours per person, a base wage estimate and team totals
A shift-list layout (one row per shift) is easier to sort, filter and total than a grid of names and days, and it handles split shifts, two locations and fortnightly rosters without redesigning anything. The printable PDF uses the familiar grid instead, because that is what people want to read on a noticeboard.
How to fill in your roster, step by step
1.
Delete the three example rows on the Roster tab. They show the format: Mia, Leo and Aisha at a café called Main St.
2.
Add one row for every shift next week. Pick the day from the drop-down, then type the person’s name exactly the same way each time, because the Hours by person tab matches on the name.
3.
Write the role or skill the shift needs, such as Barista, Keyholder or Kitchen. Sorting by this column shows at a glance whether every opening has someone who can open.
4.
Type start and end times as 24-hour times, such as 06:30 and 14:00, and the unpaid break in minutes. Paid hours appear on their own. In the CSV version, add the formula =ROUND(MOD(G2-F2,1)*24-H2/60,2) in the Paid hours column and copy it down.
5.
Fill in Location if you run more than one site and Date if you plan more than a week at a time; fortnightly rosters work exactly the same way.
6.
On Hours by person, list each person once. Their weekly paid hours total themselves. Add a base hourly rate to see a base wage estimate for the week.
7.
Check the week before you send it: is anyone over the hours they want, is every busy period covered, and does each shift have the right skill?
8.
Share it. Export a PDF, print the grid template, or share the Google Sheet as view-only so staff can’t change it by accident.
Remember that base wages are not your full labor cost. Overtime, penalty rates and employer on-costs such as payroll tax, superannuation or pension sit on top. Our guide to calculating labor cost percentage shows how to add them and includes a free calculator.
Tips for a roster people can actually follow
•
Publish at the same time every week, and as far ahead as you can, so staff can plan childcare, study and second jobs.
•
Use one spelling per person. “Sam”, “Sammy” and “S. Lee” become three people when the hours are added up.
•
Keep a column for the skill each shift needs. It is the quickest way to catch a Saturday with no one trained to open.
•
Record unpaid breaks on the roster, not just in people’s heads, so timesheets and pay match the plan.
•
Copy last week as the starting point. Most weeks look like the one before, so change only what moved.
•
Write down how swaps work: who approves them, how much notice is needed and whether the person covering must have the same skill.
Five signs you’ve outgrown a spreadsheet roster
Spreadsheets are a good place to start. They are free, flexible and everyone knows how to use one. But they were built for numbers, not for people who swap shifts, take leave and work at more than one site. These are the five signs it is costing you more than it saves.
1.
Swaps happen in a group chat. Someone asks to swap, someone else says yes, and the spreadsheet never hears about it. The roster on the wall is wrong by Wednesday, and you find out when nobody turns up.
2.
Skills are checked by memory. The template can show who is rostered, but it can’t stop you giving the opening shift to someone who has never opened, or a bar shift to someone without their responsible service of alcohol certificate.
3.
You rebuild the same week every week. Copying tabs, fixing formulas that broke when someone sorted the sheet and re-sending the file takes an hour or more that could go elsewhere.
4.
Timesheets are typed up by hand. The roster says one thing, the paper sign-in sheet says another, and someone has to reconcile both before payroll.
5.
You run more than one location. Separate files for each site mean nobody can see who is working where today, and staff who work at two sites get double-booked.
If two or more of these sound familiar, it is worth trying rostering software alongside your spreadsheet for a week. You don’t have to switch overnight.
Spreadsheet template vs rostering app
An honest comparison
Spreadsheet template
Rostering app such as Rosterly
Cost
Spreadsheet template: Free
Rostering app such as Rosterly: Paid after a free trial (Rosterly: flat price per workspace, staff never pay)
Setup
Spreadsheet template: Download and start typing
Rostering app such as Rosterly: Add your business and invite staff by email
Shift swaps
Spreadsheet template: Agreed in messages, updated by hand
Rostering app such as Rosterly: Requested in the app and approved by a manager
Skills
Spreadsheet template: Checked by you
Rostering app such as Rosterly: Checked before anyone is assigned
Clock-in and timesheets
Spreadsheet template: Paper or a separate system
Rostering app such as Rosterly: One-tap clock-in; unpaid breaks removed from paid time
Staff access
Spreadsheet template: Printed, emailed or shared file
Rostering app such as Rosterly: Each person sees their own shifts on their phone
Several locations
Spreadsheet template: A file or tab per site
Rostering app such as Rosterly: One workspace with every location
A template is the right choice for a small team with a stable roster and one manager. An app pays off when swaps, skills, timesheets or several sites start eating your week.
Moving from a spreadsheet to Rosterly
Your spreadsheet already holds what you need to get started: your people, their roles and a typical week. Add your business and first location, invite staff by email (each person joins with a one-time code), tag their skills, then rebuild one normal week and copy it forward. Run the spreadsheet and the app side by side for a week if that feels safer.
Already comparing apps? Our honest Rosterly vs When I Work comparison covers pricing per user versus per workspace, features and where each one is the better choice.
Try it with next week’s roster
Rebuild one week from your spreadsheet in Rosterly and compare. 14-day free trial, no card needed.