Last reviewed: 8 September 2026
Day work sheet — definition
A day work sheet — also written day worksheet or daywork sheet — is a record of the labour, plant or equipment and materials actually used to complete a piece of work. It is commonly used in UK construction and trades when work is valued from the resources used rather than from a fixed price, and it is usually acknowledged on site as a record of what was supplied.
What should a day work sheet contain?
A useful record identifies the job and customer, dates the work, describes what was done, and lists the people, hours, materials and equipment involved. Photographs give both sides something concrete to refer back to.
- Job reference and site address
- Customer or main contractor
- Date and hours worked
- Each operative and their rate
- Materials used and quantities
- Plant and equipment on site
- Description of the work carried out
- Photographs as supporting proof
Day work sheet vs job sheet vs timesheet
| Record | Main purpose | Typical detail |
|---|---|---|
| Timesheet | Record time worked | Person, date and hours |
| Job sheet | Record the whole job | Work done, labour, materials, equipment and proof |
| Day work sheet | Evidence the resources used | Labour, plant or equipment and materials used for the work |
Why use an app instead of paper?
| Paper pad | Day Worksheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | In the van, until it is lost | On the phone, with the job |
| Photos | Separate camera roll | Attached to the job record |
| Rewriting | Copied out again at home | Recorded once on site |
| What the customer gets | A photo of a paper sheet | A branded PDF |
Day Worksheet keeps the labour, materials, equipment and photos together while they are being captured, then produces a professional PDF ready to send. The free plan gives you 2 job sheets (watermarked, sending disabled) so you can test it on a real job before deciding.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Writing it up laterHours and materials get rounded, guessed or forgotten once you have left the site.
- No acknowledgementFollow the acknowledgement process agreed for the job and keep a dated copy of the record.
- Vague descriptionsDescribe the task, location and resources so the record is easier to review.
- Missing plantRecord relevant plant or equipment and the units used, in line with the agreed basis for the work.
- No photosBefore and after photographs are the easiest way to show the condition you found and the work you left.
Is a day work sheet the same as a day worksheet?
In the trade context covered here, day work sheet, day worksheet and daywork sheet usually refer to the same kind of resource record: the labour, plant and materials actually used on a piece of work. The spelling matters less than the contents, so check what your job actually requires.
Check the rates, required records and approval process agreed for your job. Signing a record does not by itself guarantee payment or satisfy every contract.
A worked example
Here is what a completed day work sheet contains for a single day on site. The figures below are an illustration written for this page — not a real customer job, and not a quote for work. Your own rates and the basis agreed for the job are what count.
| Line | Recorded detail | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Job and site | Unit 4, Example Trading Estate — drainage investigation, Tuesday 14 April 2026 | Instructed on site by the site manager |
| Operative 1 | Groundworker, 8 hours | Hourly rate from your own settings |
| Operative 2 | Labourer, 6 hours | Hourly rate from your own settings |
| Plant | Mini excavator, 1 day | Day rate, recorded with the hire units used |
| Materials | 6 m of 110 mm pipe, 2 couplers, 1 bag of pea shingle | Quantities as used, not as ordered |
| Photographs | Excavation before work, exposed pipe, backfilled surface | Up to four images on the sheet |
| Description | Located blocked run, exposed and replaced damaged section, reinstated surface | Written on site |
| Acknowledgement | Signed on the phone by the site manager before leaving | Evidence of acknowledgement, not of payment |
Priced out, the same day looks like this. Every rate below is invented for the example; the app uses the rates on your own business profile.
| Resource | Quantity | Example rate | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groundworker | 8 hours | £32.00 an hour | £256.00 |
| Labourer | 6 hours | £24.00 an hour | £144.00 |
| Mini excavator | 1 day | £180.00 a day | £180.00 |
| 110 mm pipe | 6 m | £9.50 a metre | £57.00 |
| Couplers | 2 | £6.25 each | £12.50 |
| Pea shingle | 1 bag | £5.40 a bag | £5.40 |
| Day work total before VAT | — | — | £654.90 |
Labour £400.00, plant £180.00 and materials £74.90 give £654.90 before VAT. VAT and CIS are then applied from your own business profile settings, and you check the figures before anything is sent. Recorded this way, the eventual invoice is a summary of a record the customer already acknowledged rather than a figure they are seeing for the first time. A signed record is evidence of acknowledgement; it does not by itself guarantee payment.
A free template to start with
If you want something to use today, there is a free day work sheet template you can print or save as a PDF. No email address, no sign-up.
