Looking for an easier way to track employee time off? Use these free employee PTO tracker templates, and discover a better way to manage all types of employee leave with one simple tool.
Keeping track of time off in Excel is better than nothing, but it can get messy pretty fast.
Between manual updates and inevitable errors, it’s a lot to handle.
A PTO tracking app can cut the chaos, save you time, and keep everyone on the same page.
Click here to jump directly to our top 5 free PTO tracker templates below.
New to Digital PTO Tracking? Start Here.
If you’re tired of spreadsheets and want a simpler alternative, a time off management app is the smart move. These tools automate the whole process and cut out manual errors to save you time.
Here’s what to look for in a great PTO tracker:
- Mobile PTO requests: Employees should be able to request time off right from their phones. You’ll get a notification to approve or deny it quickly.
- Automatic balance tracking: The app should handle PTO balances and update them automatically as days are used.
- Smart scheduling alerts: A solid app will flag if you try to schedule someone who’s off, and auto-scheduling should skip unavailable employees entirely.
Digital timesheets: Look for built-in timesheets that factor in PTO, overtime, and are ready for payroll without the spreadsheet hassle.
Connecteam – The Best App for PTO Tracking
Connecteam is an all-in-one employee PTO and vacation tracker that gives you everything you need to receive, manage, and document your team’s absences with complete ease and efficiency, even while on the go.
Its powerful features include time off management, employee time tracking, automated timesheets, and payroll integrations. Connecteam offers excellent customer support, an intuitive user experience, and is highly customizable, which allows you to tailor the platform to your exact business needs.
Let’s take a closer look at Connecteam’s time off management capabilities and how they can help you simplify your day-to-day.
Time off management
Connecteam is a time off app that allows you to set up and manage your company’s time off policies for any type of absence (paid or unpaid), by choosing from various policy templates or creating your own.
Your employees can submit absence requests right from the mobile app. Based on your preferred settings, you can either manually accept or decline requests or have the system do it for you automatically.
The app will then calculate and process the absence according to your defined policies, notify employees of the status of their requests, and record the process. This saves you from the back-and-forth, complex manual calculations, and scattered spreadsheets.
As an admin, you can oversee and manage everything from one centralized dashboard. The best part? Connecteam can handle your timesheets, schedule, and team chat all in one app.
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Automated timesheets
With Connecteam, employee hours are automatically tracked and recorded onto digital timesheets for payroll. You can easily view and edit all logged data, including total work hours per day or payroll period, time off, overtime, and employee wages.
The app also flags any irregularities, allowing you to easily spot and correct potentially costly payroll mistakes.
From the app, your employees can access their timesheets, request edits, and send in their approval before you process payroll.
Payroll integrations
After reviewing and approving employee timesheets, you can export them directly to your payroll software. Skip the manual process by using Connecteam’s payroll integrations, including:
5 Free Excel PTO Tracker Templates
Connecteam’s Free Leave Management Template
With our free template, you can easily keep track of all employees’ days off, including vacation days, sick days, maternity and paternity days, mourning days, and personal days. It will flag in red if someone goes into negative and will immediately mark how many negative days they have in a separate column.
While this template offers a straightforward way to manage PTO, Connecteam’s PTO management software can simplify the process and reduce errors. The app offers automated tracking and notifications, updates PTO balances in real-time, integrates with payroll, and provides employees easy access to their remaining leave.
Click here to make a copy of and download our free Excel template. Then, customize it however you need.
Leave Monitor’s Free Vacation Tracker Excel Template
LeaveMonitor’s free template makes tracking vacations more manageable. The spreadsheet gives you an overview of when employees are off, which helps you better manage vacation requests and ensure that not too many people take time off simultaneously.
Download the template here.
Pro Tip
Replace Excel PTO and vacation trackers with Connecteam’s time off management app. You can customize PTO policies and vacation rules, set accrual rates, and track employee balances in real time.
Vacation Tracker’s Free Excel Vacation Tracker Template
This free Excel template helps you track and manage leave for up to 20 employees manually. Leave is divided into deductible and non-deductable leave to give you a more transparent overview.
Download the template here.
ClockIt’s Free PTO Tracking Template
ClockIt’s free Excel template allows you to mark days for different types of leaves, such as sick days, vacation time, or maternity leave. This template shows public holidays and can be adjusted based on your company’s PTO policy.
Download the template here
Indzara’s Leave Tracker & Vacation Tracker Excel Template
With Indzara’s Excel template, you can track partial and whole days of sick leave and vacation for multiple employees in a calendar view. It also allows you to calculate their attendance and print an annual report.
Download the template here.
The Drawbacks of Manual PTO Tracking
While tracking time off is key to managing your workforce effectively, many businesses still use time-consuming and error-prone methods to get the job done manually.
Using Excel PTO tracker templates is one step toward making this task easier. However, the best option is to use a digital PTO tracking app. Here’s why:
- Faster requests and approvals: Employees can submit time off with a click, and managers can approve or deny it instantly.
- Fewer errors: Everything is logged in a centralized system, reducing mistakes common with spreadsheets.
- Built-in integration: Most PTO trackers are part of a larger employee management app that also handles scheduling, time tracking, and payroll.
- Better oversight: View PTO balances, past requests, and upcoming time off at a glance. This is especially helpful as your team grows.
- Smarter data tools: Filter by employee, sort by pay period, and review records quickly without digging through spreadsheets.
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Check out our guide on how to make timesheets in Excel, how to make and track attendance with Excel and how to make a work schedule using Excel.
Bottom Line on PTO Tracking Templates vs PTO Tracking Software
Excel templates are a handy starting point, but they were never built to scale. As soon as your team grows beyond a handful of employees, you’ll spend more time fixing errors and chasing updates than actually managing time off.
A dedicated PTO tracking app like Connecteam gives you the same visibility and control—without the spreadsheets. You get accurate balances, faster approvals, seamless payroll integration, and a system your whole team can use in real time.
Stop patching together spreadsheets. Start managing leave with confidence.
The #1 Employee Leave Management App
Set up time off policies, handle employee absence requests, calculate time off automatically, and more – all with one easy-to-use app.
