Can we keep the register in a spreadsheet?

Often yes, if the records are reliable, dated and protected from casual edits. Confirm what your rules accept, and keep a backup.

How should half days be counted?

Define a rule in your attendance policy, for example a minimum number of hours for a half day, and apply it uniformly. Use the HD code and note the half.

Who should approve corrections?

The reporting manager approves, and HR verifies against leave and gate records. Keep the reason with the correction.

Free template

Attendance register format

A monthly grid you can print or copy into a spreadsheet. One row per employee, one column per day. Mark each day with a status code from the legend. State and sector rules may require specific registers, so check them first.

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An HR consultant and business owner reviewing employee records together

Register details

Company: [Company name]
Location or unit: [Location]
Department or shift: [Name]
Month and year: [Month Year]
Weekly off: [Day / rotation]
Register kept by: [Name and title]

Monthly grid

Mark each day with one status code. Add rows as needed. Use the totals columns at the end of the month.

No.	Employee name	ID
1	[Name]	[ID]
2	[Name]	[ID]
3	[Name]	[ID]
4	[Name]	[ID]
5	[Name]	[ID]
6	[Name]	[ID]

Status codes

Code	Meaning	Notes
P	Present	Full day worked
A	Absent	No leave approved
HD	Half day	Note which half
CL	Casual leave	Approved
SL	Sick leave	Certificate if policy requires
EL	Earned leave	Approved
WO	Weekly off	As per roster
PH	Public holiday	As declared
CO	Compensatory off	Against extra day worked
OD	On duty	Official work outside the site
WFH	Work from home	Where policy allows
LOP	Loss of pay	Unapproved or unpaid leave

Rules for marking

Mark attendance on the same day, not at month end.
Corrections go through the regularisation form with the manager's approval and a reason.
Late arrivals and early exits are noted in the remarks column as [Policy rule].
Do not overwrite entries. Strike through, write the correction and initial it.

Remarks

[Notes on exceptions, corrections and pending approvals]

Signatures

Prepared by (supervisor): ______________________ Date: ____________

Verified by (HR): ______________________ Date: ____________

Approved by (head): ______________________ Date: ____________

Note before use

Registers required by law, their format and how long to keep them depend on your state, sector and size. Confirm these with a qualified adviser.

A starting point, not legal advice. Check the final wording against your contracts and the rules of your state, and have a qualified professional review it before you issue it.

Attendance regularisation request form →Leave policy template →Attendance, shift and leave process →

How to use this template

Fix one register per team or shift, with one named person responsible for marking it.
Print the legend on every page so codes stay consistent.
Mark daily. Sign weekly if the team is large.
At month end, count the totals, reconcile them with leave records and send them to payroll.
Route any corrections through the attendance regularisation form, not by overwriting.
Keep registers safely for the period your adviser confirms.

A filled example (illustrative)

This example is invented for illustration. Replace every value with your own.

Employee	Days 1 to 7 (codes)	Present	Leave	Weekly off
Employee A	P P P P P P WO	6	0	1
Employee B	P CL P P HD P WO	4.5	1	1
Employee C	P P A P P P WO	5	0	1

Common mistakes

Filling the register at month end from memory, so it does not match the gate or system record.
Using personal codes that only one supervisor understands.
Overwriting entries instead of striking through and initialling.
Counting weekly offs and holidays differently in the register and in payroll.
Letting the same person mark and approve attendance for their own team without a check.

Adapt it to your business

Factory or plant: add shift columns, overtime hours and a contract worker section.
Shop or retail: use a roster-based weekly off and mark late close or peak day work.
Clinic or hospital: add on-call, night duty and rotational off codes.
Office or services firm: add work from home and client-site codes.

Questions about this template

It depends on your state, sector and size. Some establishments must keep specific registers in a set format. Confirm the requirement with a qualified adviser before relying on this format.

Attendance register format

Register details

Monthly grid

Status codes

Rules for marking

Remarks

Signatures

Note before use

How to use this template

A filled example (illustrative)

Common mistakes

Adapt it to your business

Questions about this template

Let’s make HR work better.

Let’s start with your business

Attendance register format

Register details

Monthly grid

Status codes

Rules for marking

Remarks

Signatures

Note before use

How to use this template

A filled example (illustrative)

Common mistakes

Adapt it to your business

Questions about this template

01Which attendance register must we keep?

02Can we keep the register in a spreadsheet?

03How should half days be counted?

04Who should approve corrections?

Let’s make HR work better.

Let’s start with your business