Download the worksheet
One row per person: rate when worked, current rate, scheduled and actual hours, and whether the actual hours are approved. It works out scheduled cost, actual cost, the variance, the part caused by hours and the gap a current-rate report would show, and flags rows with no rate or no confirmed time. We checked the formulas in LibreOffice Calc.
Compare the same thing
- Same people and the same shifts on both sides: only shifts that have finished.
- Same definition of cost: here, wages only, hours × rate, no overtime premium, taxes or benefits.
- Only confirmed time as actual. A row copied from the schedule because nobody clocked in is not actual time.
A worked week
| Person | Rate | Scheduled | Actual | Variance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maya | $18.50 | 32 h · $592.00 | 34 h · $629.00 | +$37.00 | Two extra hours |
| Jordan | $17.00 | 40 h · $680.00 | 40 h · $680.00 | $0.00 | |
| Priya | $16.50 | 24 h · $396.00 | 24 h · $396.00 | $0.00 | Raise to $17.25 after this week |
| Luis | $16.00 | 8 h | Not confirmed | Left out | No punches; row came from the schedule |
| Total | 96 h · $1,668.00 | 98 h · $1,705.00 | +$37.00 |
The whole variance is hours: Maya's two extra hours × $18.50 = $37.00. Luis is left out on both sides until someone confirms he worked; adding his scheduled 8 hours as actual would hide the question.
Current rates vs rates when worked
Priya's rate went up after this week. A report that prices past weeks at today's rates shows her 24 hours at $17.25: $414.00, not the $396.00 payroll paid. That $18.00 gap isn't overspending; it's the rate change. The worksheet shows it in its own column so you don't mistake it for extra hours.
Finding the cause
- Sort by variance and start with the biggest.
- For hours, check the shift: late close, early start, a missed clock-out, an unscheduled shift.
- For a rate gap, check when the rate changed and which weeks you're comparing.
- For rows left out, confirm the time or record why it can't be confirmed.
- If the same shift runs long every week, schedule it longer or fix what keeps people late.
Missed clock-outs are a common cause; see the payroll timesheet checklist. To price a planned week before it starts, use the hourly labor cost calculator.