Free Payroll Templates

By Andy Marker | July 18, 2017 (updated September 28, 2025)

We’ve assembled the most useful free payroll templates for Excel, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and Google Docs and Sheets.

Included in this article, you’ll find the following:

Simple Payroll Template

Simple Payroll Template

Download a Simple Payroll Template for
Excel  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Managers can use this simple payroll template to track hours and wages on a weekly basis without turning to complex payroll software. It’s a practical option for freelancers, contractors, or small businesses that handle a limited roster of employees.

Notable Template Features: This template keeps all payroll details in one place with built-in fields for hours worked, hourly rate, gross amount, taxes, and net amount. Automatic weekly totals help prevent calculation mistakes and provide a quick snapshot of wages due.

Track hours and streamline payroll with Excel timesheet templates that auto-tally weekly totals, simplify approvals, and cut down on manual errors.

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Payroll Register Template

Payroll Register Template

Download a Payroll Register Template for
Excel  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: This payroll register template is designed for teams that need a comprehensive record of employee wages and deductions across pay cycles. Accountants and HR staff can use it to keep payroll data organized for compliance and audits.

Notable Template Features: This template organizes key fields, such as hours, gross wages, deductions (including taxes), and net pay, by employee and pay period for clarity. Its rolling format makes it easy to review year-to-date totals and compare multiple payroll runs at a glance.

Payroll Check Stub Template

Payroll Check Stub Template Example

Download Blank and Sample Versions of a Payroll Check Stub Template for
Excel  |  Microsoft Word  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Employees can use this payroll check stub template when they need a clear, itemized statement of their earnings and withholdings. It’s especially useful for organizations that issue paper checks or supplement direct deposit with a printable record.

Notable Template Features: This template includes fields for employee information, earnings, taxes, and net pay in a concise breakdown. It also features a side-by-side view of gross pay and deductions to make take-home pay fully transparent. Download the sample-text version for an example of how to fill out the template, or select the blank option to customize it with your own details.

Explore free pay stub templates to provide employees with clear, itemized records of earnings and deductions to ensure transparency, compliance, and professional presentation.

Payroll Journal Template

Payroll Journal Template Example

Download a Payroll Journal Template for
Excel  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Select this template when you need to record payroll entries into your general ledger for month-end close or audits. It’s useful anytime you’re reclassing wages, taxes, or benefits between accounts and you want a clear audit trail.

Notable Template Features: This template includes space for to note journal date, account, description, and whether it’s debit or credit. With its structured layout, you can post balanced entries quickly and trace every payroll amount back to source calculations.

Biweekly Payroll Schedule Template (2025–2026)

Biweekly Payroll Calendar Template

Download a Biweekly Payroll Schedule Template (2025 - 2026) for
Excel  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Planning the year’s pay cadence? This biweekly payroll schedule template lists pay periods, pay dates, and processing cutoffs so that payroll, HR, and finance teams stay in lockstep. Use it to map bank holidays and direct deposit lead times.

Notable Template Features: This biweekly payroll schedule template includes space for pay period start and end dates, pay date, and notes. Its consistent two-week rhythm reduces surprises and keeps runs on schedule. The template has versions for 2025, 2026, and future years.

Monthly Payroll Calendar Template

2026 Monthly Payroll Calendar Template

Download a Monthly Payroll Calendar Template 2025 for
Excel  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Sheets

Download a Monthly Payroll Calendar Template 2026 for
Excel  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Select this monthly payroll calendar template when you want to see a year of payroll activity at a glance. The template clarifies when each run happens and what approvals are due beforehand. Share it with managers and approvers to coordinate timesheets, benefits, and funding.

Notable Template Features: This template includes space to note month, pay date, cutoff and approval dates, and notes. The simple grid makes planning obvious and avoids last-minute scrambles. The template has versions for the years 2025 and 2026.

See these free Excel Calendar templates for more options. 

Payroll Statement Template

Payroll Statement Template

Download a Payroll Statement Template for
Excel  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Use this template when an employee needs a verified summary for a lender, rental application, or HR file. It provides period totals without exposing full stub detail and can also be useful for internal checks and historical confirmations.

Notable Template Features: This template includes space to list employee name, pay period, gross pay, deductions, and net pay. Clear, separated figures in this template speed up third-party verification.

Payroll Invoice Template

Payroll Invoice Template Example

Download Blank and Sample Versions of a Payroll Invoice Template for
Excel  |  Microsoft Word  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Agencies and shared-services teams that bill reimbursable labor can use this payroll invoice template to clearly present service periods, rates, and totals. Use it for client billing or internal cost allocations tied to payroll activity.

Notable Template Features: This payroll invoice template includes space to note invoice number, bill-to, service period, line items, and total amount due. It will help reduce disputes and speed up payment with its consolidated terms and totals.

Payroll Deduction Form Template

Payroll Deduction Form Template

Download a Payroll Deduction Form Template for
Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Docs | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Use this payroll deduction form whenever an employee starts, changes, or cancels a deduction to document consent and effective dates for compliance. It works well for recording employee authorizations related to benefits, garnishments, union dues, or charitable giving.

Notable Template Features: This template includes space for employee name, deduction type, amount deducted, effective date, and an authorization signature. It also includes a signature field to safeguard both the employer and the employee by documenting authorization. 

Payroll Change Form Template

Payroll Change Form Template

Download a Payroll Change Form Template for
Excel  |  Microsoft Word  |  Adobe PDF  | Google Docs | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Use this payroll change form template to handle address updates, bank changes, or tax elections. This printable form keeps updates consistent across HR and payroll to ensure every change carries the right approvals and effective date.

Notable Template Features: This template includes space to note employee ID, change type, effective date, manager approval, and HR signature. One page of approvals minimizes rework and delays.

Payroll Reconciliation Template

Payroll Reconciliation Template Example

Download Blank and Sample Versions of a Payroll Reconciliation Template for
Excel  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Use this payroll reconciliation template to close out your books. It ties payroll reports to the general ledger and bank activity to confirm that everything nets out. You can also use it after corrections or off-cycle runs to validate outcomes. 

Notable Template Features: This payroll reconciliation template includes space to list account, beginning and ending balance, adjustments, and variance. It features side-by-side columns to surface discrepancies fast so that you can resolve them before close.

Payroll Tax Template

Payroll Tax Template Example

Download Blank and Sample Versions of a Payroll Tax Template for
Excel  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Use this template to manage multiple-jurisdiction payroll and to track taxable wages, withholdings, and filing cycles by authority. It’s a great tool to prevent late filings and plan cash needs across pay periods.

Notable Template Features: This payroll tax template includes space to list jurisdiction, taxable wages, withheld amount, filing frequency, and due date. The template centralizes obligations to cut penalty risk and keep compliance on track.

Payroll Expense Template

Payroll Expense Template Example

Download Blank and Sample Versions of a Payroll Expense Template for
Excel  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template: Use this payroll expense template to aggregate wages, employer taxes, and benefits by department or period. It’s a great tool for budgeting season or monthly reviews, and finance and leadership can use it to spot trends and manage labor spend without digging into the details.

Notable Template Features: This payroll expense template includes space to note department, wages, employer taxes, benefits, and total expense. Use the roll-up totals to highlight cost trends across departments and sharpen payroll forecasting.

Payroll Template Tips

The best way to manage payroll is to focus on accuracy, efficiency, and compliance. A payroll template streamlines wage calculations, deductions, and scheduling while reducing errors. The right template also standardizes processes, clarifies policies, and saves time so that small businesses can stay organized and compliant.
 

  • Accuracy: Payroll relies on correct data entry. Use a payroll template to track hours worked, pay rates, deductions, and net pay so that errors don’t slip into employee checks. Accuracy builds trust and maintains compliance.
  • Efficiency: Great payroll systems save time and money. The right payroll template auto-calculates wages, tallies overtime, and totals taxes in minutes, which frees managers to focus on people, not spreadsheets.
  • Clarity: A payroll template should be simple enough for anyone to understand at a glance. Fields should be clear, jargon-free, and organized so that employees can see what was earned, what was withheld, and what’s left to take home.
  • Compliance: Payroll templates help enforce rules around overtime, benefits, and state-specific deductions. By aligning your templates with labor law requirements, you can keep your records consistent and ready for audits.
  • Customization: Every business is different, so one size rarely fits all. Payroll templates should adapt to company size, industry, or pay frequency — whether weekly, biweekly, or monthly — and be continually updated as the organization grows.
  • Tools: Payroll templates do the heavy lifting on calculations and structure, but their real value is in consistency. When managers use the same format every pay run, payroll stays organized, employees stay informed, and compliance issues stay minimal.

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