Payroll Excel Template (Free India Format with PF, ESI, TDS)

For teams of under about 10 employees, a payroll Excel template can do the job. The structure below is the de-facto India payroll sheet. Paste it into Excel or Google Sheets, plug in your formulas, and you have a working monthly payroll register. Beyond 25 to 30 employees the manual error rate climbs sharply, and most teams move to HRMS-based payroll.

What a Payroll Excel Template must include

  • Employee ID, Name, Designation, Department, Date of Joining
  • Bank A/C, IFSC, PAN, UAN, ESI number
  • CTC components: Basic, HRA, Conveyance, Special Allowance, LTA, Bonus
  • Days payable (worked + paid leave) and LOP days
  • Statutory deductions: PF (12% of Basic), ESI (0.75% if gross ≤ ₹21,000), TDS, Professional Tax
  • Other deductions: loan / advance / salary recovery
  • Gross earnings, total deductions, net pay
  • Employer contributions row: PF (12%), ESI (3.25%), Gratuity (4.81%). Not deducted, paid above CTC.

Drafting tips

  • Lock formula cells in Excel. Payroll mistakes happen most often when someone overwrites a formula by accident.
  • Maintain a separate "Salary Master" sheet so monthly payroll only fills in days payable and LOP. Copy errors disappear.
  • Once you cross 25 to 30 employees, the time spent on Excel plus the cost of one missed PF deadline usually exceeds an HRMS subscription.

Payroll Excel Template format

PAYROLL REGISTER for [Month YYYY]
(Copy this header into row 1 of an Excel/Google Sheet, then add one row per employee.)

Emp ID | Name | Designation | Dept | DOJ | Bank A/C | IFSC | PAN | UAN | ESI No | Days Payable | LOP Days | Basic | HRA | Conveyance | Special Allow | LTA | Bonus | Reimbursements | Gross Earnings | PF (12% of Basic) | ESI (0.75%) | PT | TDS | Loan / Advance | Total Deductions | Net Pay | Employer PF (12%) | Employer ESI (3.25%) | Gratuity (4.81%)

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SAMPLE ROW
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMP-001 | Ramesh Kumar | Software Engineer | Engineering | 01-Apr-2024 | 1234567890 | HDFC0001234 | ABCDE1234F | 100123456789 | - | 30 | 0 | 30000 | 12000 | 1600 | 8400 | 2000 | 0 | 0 | 54000 | 3600 | 0 | 200 | 5000 | 0 | 8800 | 45200 | 3600 | 0 | 1443

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KEY FORMULAS (replace cell refs with your sheet)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PF (employee)        = Basic * 12%             (cap at ₹15,000 wage if you follow the wage ceiling)
ESI (employee)       = Gross * 0.75%           (only if Gross ≤ ₹21,000)
Gross Earnings       = Basic + HRA + Conveyance + Special + LTA + Bonus + Reimbursements
Total Deductions     = PF + ESI + PT + TDS + Loan
Net Pay              = Gross Earnings − Total Deductions
Employer PF          = Basic * 12%
Employer ESI         = Gross * 3.25%           (only if Gross ≤ ₹21,000)
Gratuity (provision) = Basic * 4.81%

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PROFESSIONAL TAX SLABS (per state. Check your state PT Act.)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Maharashtra : ₹0 (≤7500) → ₹175 (7501–10000) → ₹200 (>10000, ₹300 in Feb)
Karnataka   : ₹0 (≤25000) → ₹200 (>25000)
Tamil Nadu  : Half-yearly slabs starting ₹100
West Bengal : ₹0 (≤10000) → ₹110/130/200 by slab

FAQs

Is Excel-based payroll legal in India?

Yes. There is no requirement to use software. The Code on Wages requires accurate calculation, timely payment, and a wage slip per pay period. Excel can satisfy all three for small teams.

Why do most companies move off Excel for payroll?

Three reasons: (1) statutory return generation (ECR for PF, half-yearly ESI return) is manual, (2) one wrong formula update affects every employee, (3) audit trails and approvals are non-existent.

Can I download this as an Excel file?

Copy the header row above into your own Excel or Google Sheet. The formulas are listed below. We do not distribute .xlsx files because every company's salary structure differs slightly; pasting and customising is faster.

When should I switch from Excel to HRMS payroll?

When you cross ~25 employees, when you start outsourcing PF/ESI filings, or when one error per quarter becomes unacceptable. Indian HRM's payroll module starts at a price most SMEs find lower than the cost of a payroll consultant.