Coordinating time off can be one of the trickiest parts of managing a team. If too many people are off at once, projects stall. If you don’t track vacation days properly, you lose visibility into leave balances. The good news? You don’t need expensive software — a simple Excel Team Vacation Planner can do the job.
Below you’ll find three free downloadable Excel vacation planner templates with step-by-step instructions:
- Template 1: Basic Team Vacation Tracker
- Template 2: Advanced Planner with Overlap Alerts & Totals
- Template 3: Calendar View Vacation Schedule
Pro tip: These templates work in both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. You can customize them for monthly or yearly planning.
Template 1: Basic Team Vacation Tracker
This is the simplest vacation planner. You enter employee names and mark vacation days with a V. Perfect for small teams who just want visibility.
📂 Download Basic Team Vacation Planner
Features:
- Monthly view (28 days, extendable to 30/31)
- Columns for Name, Department, Role
- Mark vacation with
V
How to Use:
- Type your team members into the roster.
- Replace “Day 1, Day 2…” headers with actual dates if you prefer.
- Mark days off with
V. Done!
Template 2: Advanced Vacation Planner (With Overlap Checker)
If you manage larger teams or critical departments, you need more than a basic tracker. This advanced template adds:
- Overlap checker: Highlights when too many people in the same department are off at once.
- Total vacation days: Calculates how many days each person has taken.
- Conditional formatting: Automatic color-coding for vacation days.
📂 Download Advanced Team Vacation Planner
How the Overlap Checker Works
At the bottom of each column (per day), a formula counts how many people in a department are off:
=SUMPRODUCT(($B$4:$B$100="IT")*(D$4:D$100="V"))If the number exceeds your threshold (e.g., 2 people), the cell turns red.
Vacation Totals Formula
To calculate each person’s total leave days in a row:
=COUNTIF(D4:AE4,"V")Template 3: Calendar View Vacation Planner
Want a planner that looks more like a calendar? This version uses a monthly calendar grid where you type employee names directly into days off. Great for visual scheduling.
📂 Download Calendar View Vacation Planner
Features:
- Real calendar layout (Mon–Sun)
- Multiple employees per day
- Highlights weekends and public holidays
Bonus: Highlight Holidays
If you maintain a list of official holidays in a named range Holidays, use this formula for conditional formatting:
=COUNTIF(Holidays,B5)>0Which Template Should You Choose?
- Small team (under 10 people): Start with the Basic Tracker.
- Medium to large team: Use the Advanced Planner to avoid coverage issues.
- Visual preference: The Calendar View is best if you want a real monthly calendar.
Tips for HR and Team Managers
- Set a clear vacation policy (max people off per department).
- Keep a separate holiday calendar to avoid miscounting public holidays as PTO.
- Review overlaps weekly to prevent last-minute surprises.
- Use Google Sheets sharing for team-wide visibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I extend these templates to a full year?
Yes — simply duplicate each sheet for each month (Jan–Dec).
How do I track half-days?
Use H for half-day, and modify the totals formula:
=COUNTIF(D4:AE4,"V")+0.5*COUNTIF(D4:AE4,"H")
What if multiple departments share the same sheet?
Use the overlap checker formula filtered by department column.
Can I add approval tracking?
Yes — add a column called “Approved By” or “Status” (Pending/Approved/Rejected).
Download All Templates
📂 Calendar View Vacation Planner