Which template do I need for billing versus tracking hours?

Use the invoice template to bill a client a fixed amount with line items, tax, and a total. Use the timesheet to log hours worked and calculate regular and overtime pay before you invoice for them.

What is the difference between the Gantt chart and the project budget?

The Gantt chart plans the schedule — which tasks run when, drawn as a timeline. The project budget plans the money — what each line of work costs versus its estimate. Most projects use both: one for time, one for spend.

Should I use the content calendar or the employee schedule?

The content calendar plans what you publish and when across channels, so it suits marketers and creators. The employee schedule assigns shifts to staff across days, so it suits managers staffing a team. Different jobs, different sheets.

Are these business templates free for commercial use?

Yes — commercial use is the point of this collection. Invoice your clients, post staff rotas, and submit timesheets to payroll without paying for the files, crediting this site, or counting how many people on your team open them.

Business Excel Templates

Last updated June 2026

Six free Excel templates for running a small business: an invoice that totals subtotal, tax, and amount due; a timesheet that splits regular and overtime pay at 40 hours; a Gantt chart that draws a timeline from task dates; a project budget; a content calendar; and an employee schedule. Built for freelancers, contractors, and small teams. Download the .xlsx files once and reuse them client after client.

invoice.xlsx

Free Invoice Template for Excel

Bill a client without fighting layout: this single-sheet .xlsx invoice has From and Bill To blocks, invoice number and date fields, and a line-item table where Amount, Subtotal, Tax, and Total calculate themselves. The print area is preset to one page, so freelancers, contractors, and small businesses can fill it in, export a PDF, and send it the same hour.

Free download

timesheet.xlsx

Timesheet Template with Overtime Formulas

Enter start, lunch, and end times next to your hourly rate, and the math is done for you: daily hours per row, regular and overtime split at the 40-hour line, and total pay at the bottom. Two tabs cover a seven-day Weekly view and a fourteen-day Biweekly pay period — a free .xlsx for hourly workers and small employers.

Free download

gantt-chart.xlsx

Free Gantt Chart Template for Excel

A task table on the left — Task, Start, Duration, End — and a day-by-day calendar strip across the top: that's the whole Gantt sheet. Give each task a start date and a duration; the end date calculates itself and a green bar fills every active day. Project timelines in one free .xlsx, with no chart objects to wrestle.

Free download

project-budget.xlsx

Project Budget Template (Excel)

Enter the approved budget once; watch the spend line creep toward it. Each cost row takes an estimate and an actual amount, and the Variance column, totals row, and summary block update instantly — past 90% of budget, the percent-spent cell turns red. A free two-sheet .xlsx (Budget plus Categories) for anyone answerable for a project's money.

Free download

content-calendar.xlsx

Content Calendar Template (Excel)

One hundred publishing slots, six columns each: Date, Title, Channel, Status, Owner, and Notes on a single Calendar sheet (rows 4–103). Channel and Status are drop-downs, a COUNTIF Pipeline block tallies how many pieces sit at each stage, and published rows gray themselves out. Made for social media and editorial teams planning in a free .xlsx instead of another subscription tool.

Free download

employee-schedule.xlsx

Employee Schedule Template (Excel)

Pick a shift code like 9–5 from a drop-down and the rota fills itself in: the Schedule sheet covers Monday through Sunday for up to 10 staff, while a Shifts sheet defines each code and its hours. A VLOOKUP-driven Hours column totals every person's week without manual adding. Two sheets, one free .xlsx, ready for small teams and rotating rosters.

Free download

Guides that pair with these templates

Frequently asked questions

Which template do I need for billing versus tracking hours?: Use the invoice template to bill a client a fixed amount with line items, tax, and a total. Use the timesheet to log hours worked and calculate regular and overtime pay before you invoice for them.
What is the difference between the Gantt chart and the project budget?: The Gantt chart plans the schedule — which tasks run when, drawn as a timeline. The project budget plans the money — what each line of work costs versus its estimate. Most projects use both: one for time, one for spend.
Should I use the content calendar or the employee schedule?: The content calendar plans what you publish and when across channels, so it suits marketers and creators. The employee schedule assigns shifts to staff across days, so it suits managers staffing a team. Different jobs, different sheets.
Are these business templates free for commercial use?: Yes — commercial use is the point of this collection. Invoice your clients, post staff rotas, and submit timesheets to payroll without paying for the files, crediting this site, or counting how many people on your team open them.