Forschungszulage Timesheet Templates (Free Download)

Why This Article Matters (in Brief)

If you want to claim tax incentives for innovation projects, what counts is not just the idea — but also clean, auditable documentation. To determine eligible expenditures, companies must record working hours on a project-specific basis and keep them in a traceable manner. This is relevant for the technical application process (including submissions to the BSFZ) and later for the application to the tax office.

A well-maintained timesheet helps you:

• Document hours systematically, clearly, and traceably,
• assign the time unambiguously to an innovation or development project,
• and remain audit-proof in later reviews (even years down the line).

What a "Forschungszulage Timesheet" Must Deliver

For your timesheet to be genuinely useful in practice, it should above all:

• be maintained promptly,
• be complete (working hours recorded traceably),
• document in a project-specific way (assignment to a project),
• include a brief activity description,
• correctly account for public holidays and vacation days for each employee (public holidays can vary depending on the federal state),
• and be set up in a way that fits into proper documentation (keyword: GoBD).

An important practical note: while there are official sample templates (e.g. from the Federal Ministry of Finance), using a specific template is generally not mandatory. What matters is that your documentation is clear and auditable.

Free Timesheet Template: Download Here (PDF/Excel/Word)

If you want to get started right away: at stundenzettelvorlage.de you will find free timesheet templates in common formats, for example:

• PDF (ideal for printing),
• fillable PDF,
• Excel (digital, with structure),
• Word (easy to customize).

This is especially convenient when you need a standardized starting point quickly — for example for monthly or weekly overviews.

How zeitmaker.com Supports You with Innovation Funding

This post is part of the blog at zeitmaker.com: we help companies make use of the Forschungszulage as an attractive option for innovation projects — with clear structure, straightforward context, and a focus on documentation-safe implementation.

You can find more context and entry points on our website: zeitmaker.com.