Schedule Template: Excel & PDF download for free [2026 & 2027]

Plan your team with an Excel weekly schedule, hour calculations and monthly overview. Download monthly PDFs for 2026 and 2027. No sign-up for basic files.

Choose year and templateTry free for 14 days

Schedule 2026 and 2027: choose year and format

Excel for editing, PDF for printing: both yearly versions and all monthly PDFs are available directly without email sign-up. The downloadable files are in German.

Schedule template 2026

Four tabs for up to 15 employees: weekly plan with calendar-week selection, master data, a separate monthly overview with a month dropdown, and instructions.

Download Excel 2026
Choose monthly PDFs 2026

Dated monthly grid for handwritten shift codes. No automatic hour calculations.

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

Schedule template 2027

Four tabs for up to 15 employees: weekly plan with calendar-week selection, master data, a separate monthly overview with a month dropdown, and instructions.

Download Excel 2027
Choose monthly PDFs 2027

Dated monthly grid for handwritten shift codes. No automatic hour calculations.

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

Important: save a separate file copy for each week or month. Changing the selection updates the dates, not the shifts you have already entered. Fill in the weekly plan and monthly overview separately.

More templates and the Premium package

The existing basic files remain available. Get the additional Premium package through newsletter sign-up and email confirmation.

Excel schedule template

4 tabs: weekly plan with start-end times, breaks, automatic hour calculation, master data with VLOOKUP linking and a monthly overview. Cell protection and color-coded shifts included.

FreeDownload Excel

PDF schedule template

A4 landscape with start-end and break columns, a staffing row (actual/minimum), a notes area and a legend. Professional layout for printing and posting.

FreeDownload PDF

Premium package

Premium

7 tabs: everything in the basic version + 3-shift rotation (4 teams, 12 calendar weeks), a dynamic ArbZG checklist with a traffic-light system and a staff-cost dashboard with a chart.

Free · by email

Double opt-in · in line with GDPR principles

What's inside?Create a schedule with Excel: step by step

Want your team to see the current schedule?

Plan shifts centrally in Shiftdesk and publish the current schedule for your team. Employees can view it in the smartphone app. Keep absences in view while planning, without distributing new Excel files.

Try free for 14 daysExplore online scheduling

Try Pro for 14 days. No credit card. No automatic subscription.

What's included in our schedule template?

Weekly plan with start-end times and shift colors

The Excel schedule template includes a weekly plan for up to 15 employees (Premium: 20). For each day you pick the German shift code from a dropdown (F/S/N/U/K/X), enter start-end times and the break duration. The hours are calculated automatically. Every shift code is color-coded: early shift light blue, late shift light orange, night shift light purple. You can see at a glance who's working when.

Automatic hour calculation and weekly target comparison

The template calculates each employee's planned hours from the start-end times minus the break. Target hours come from the master data. The target-vs-actual comparison refers to the entered schedule, not hours actually worked. The yearly versions show each employee's weekly difference, not a running overtime account. A staffing row helps you check daily coverage.

Linked master data and monthly overview

In the master data tab you record name, contract type, weekly hours and contact details. This data is used automatically in the weekly plan, as a dropdown for the names and via VLOOKUP for the target hours. In the yearly versions, choose a month from the dropdown in the separate monthly overview. Dates and German weekday names adjust to the selected month.

Dynamic ArbZG checklist with traffic-light system (Premium)

The Premium package includes a 10-point checklist that's linked automatically to the weekly plan: maximum working hours, break rules and the weekly hours limit are checked and shown with a traffic-light system (green = OK, yellow = check manually, red = warning). Not legal advice – but a handy tool. More on the legal basics in our guide to rest periods and breaks.

Shift rotation and cost dashboard (Premium)

For businesses with a shift system: four teams rotate over 12 calendar weeks in a forward model (E→L→N→Off), color-coded with a coverage indicator. The cost dashboard automatically calculates staff costs per employee and week, including a budget comparison and a bar chart. More on shift models on our Online shift scheduler page.

PREMIUM PACKAGE

7 tabs that make the difference

A look inside the four most important tabs – all with real formulas, not screenshots.

Wochenplan

F/S/N Farbcodes

Rotation

4 Teams · 12 KW

ArbZG

Ampel · 10 Regeln

Kosten

Budget + Diagramm

Create a schedule with Excel: step by step

Here's how to use the schedule template in 5 steps:

1

Choose the year and open the Excel file

Download the 2026 or 2027 version. Choose the calendar week in the weekly plan and a month from the dropdown in the separate monthly overview. The files are prepared for Excel. When importing into another application, check formulas, dropdowns and print preview.

2

Enter employees and contract types

In the 'Stammdaten' (master data) tab, enter the names, contract types (full-time, part-time, mini-job) and weekly hours. The names appear automatically as a dropdown in the weekly plan.

3

Plan shifts with start-end times

Pick the German shift code (F/S/N/U/K/X) from a dropdown, enter start-end times and choose the break duration. The hours per shift are calculated automatically.

4

Check planned hours and staffing

Compare planned weekly hours with target hours from the master data. Check the staffing row and warnings about incomplete time entries. The schedule does not record hours actually worked and is not a running overtime account.

5

Check, save a copy and share

Check the dates, hours and print preview. Save a separate copy for each week or month before changing the period. Share the completed schedule with your team. Monthly PDFs are also available as blank printouts.

You'll find a more detailed guide on the blog: Creating a schedule: the complete guide.

PDF schedule template: when is a printout enough?

The PDF template is ideal for posting in the break room, as a backup, or for teams that deliberately want to work on paper. It's quick to print and ready to use right away – no Excel, no software.

Honestly: for teams of up to 5 employees with fixed hours, a PDF printout can be enough. The limits show up when shifts change, mini-jobbers join or overtime has to be calculated. That's when the Excel version with formulas is the better choice – or a digital solution straight away.

When an Excel schedule template is no longer enough

5 warning signs that it's time for the next step:

1

More than 15 employees with changing hours

The basic template is optimized for 15 employees (Premium: 20). With more it gets confusing – and error-prone.

2

Regular conflicts over rest periods or breaks

Excel doesn't warn you about rule violations. Software with ArbZG alerts can.

3

WhatsApp groups for swapping shifts

If shift swapping only works via chat, you're missing a system. No one knows which version is current.

4

Mini-job limits are being exceeded

Checking the monthly earnings limit manually is time-consuming and error-prone.

5

No overview of overtime and vacation

Without a digital hours account and a vacation overview, you lose track.

Static vs. dynamic: the same plan, two worlds

The same 4 employees, the same calendar week – Excel on the left, Shiftdesk on the right. The software takes over exactly the parts the template lacks: drag and drop, live status and automatic ArbZG checks.

Vergleich: Die Excel-Vorlage zeigt manuelle Dateneingabe und statische Zellen ohne Validierung. ShiftDesk zeigt dieselben Daten mit Drag-and-Drop, farbigen Team-Avataren, Live-Status und automatischer ArbZG-Compliance-Prüfung.
EXCEL-VORLAGEstatisch
SHIFTDESKdynamisch · live

If the right-hand side fits your business better, the next step is worth it.

Try free for 14 days

You'll find a detailed comparison in the article Scheduling with Excel or software?

Frequently asked questions about schedule templates

Is the schedule template really free?▼
Yes. The basic Excel files for 2026 and 2027, monthly PDFs and existing basic files can be downloaded free without signing up. The additional Premium package is also free, but requires newsletter sign-up and email confirmation. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Are schedule templates available for 2026 and 2027?▼
Yes. Each year has an Excel file with a weekly plan, master data, a separate monthly overview and instructions. Dated schedule PDFs are also available for every month from January to December.
How do I change the month or calendar week in Excel?▼
Click the highlighted selection field in the yearly template. Choose a calendar week in the weekly plan or a written-out month name in the monthly overview. The dates update, but entered shifts remain in place. Save a separate file copy for each week or month. The weekly plan and monthly overview are separate inputs, not an automatically synchronized archive.
Can I adapt the template to my business?▼
Yes. The Excel template is fully editable. You can add employees, adjust shift times and change the color coding.
How many employees is the template suitable for?▼
The basic template is set up for 15 employees, the Premium package for 20. Both can be expanded manually. From about 15 employees with changing hours, specialized software can make sense.
Does the template meet the legal requirements?▼
A completed schedule alone does not guarantee legally compliant planning or automatically record the hours actually worked. The ArbZG checklist in the separate Premium package is a point of reference and does not replace individual legal advice.
Is there a shift plan template too?▼
Yes. For fixed shift blocks (early/late/night) there's a separate free shift plan template with a coverage check and a rotation plan at shiftdesk.app/vorlagen/schichtplan. In addition, the Premium package includes a 3-shift rotation over 12 calendar weeks.

Download your schedule template now

Choose your weekly or monthly template for 2026 and 2027. If your team needs a central schedule, try Shiftdesk.

Choose year and templateTry free for 14 days

Do you plan in fixed shifts (early/late/night)? Go to the free shift plan template

The templates serve as a point of reference and do not replace individual legal or tax advice. The ArbZG checklist in the Premium package gives guidance based on standard statutory values – for a legal assessment in your specific case, consult a specialist employment-law attorney.