Classic form
Overtime request form with an hours table by day
An overtime request form records the extra hours an employee worked, why, who approved them and how they will be paid. This one does that for an Australian civil construction crew, with a five row hours table, the employee's classification under the Building and Construction General On-site Award and a signature confirming the hours.
The form itself
A static copy of the finished form, exactly as it renders. Nothing here can be filled in or submitted, so read it as a reference and build your own from the button above.
Every field, and what it collects
The complete field list, in the order respondents meet it.
- Employee name and numberShort textRequired
- Week ending (Sunday)DateRequired
- Overtime hoursTableRequired
- Columns: Day · Start · End · Reason
- Award classificationDropdownRequired
- Options: CW/ECW 1 · CW/ECW 2 · CW/ECW 3 · CW/ECW 4 · CW/ECW 5 · CW/ECW 6 · CW/ECW 7 · CW/ECW 8
- SupervisorDropdownRequired
- Options: Site supervisor, Western Ring Road · Site supervisor, Wattle Creek bridge · Foreman, depot and plant
- Was this overtime approved before it was worked?Single choiceRequired
- Options: Yes, approved by my supervisor beforehand · No, it was needed on the day (explain in the reason column)
- PaymentSingle choiceRequired
- Options: Pay me at the award overtime rate · Time off instead, under a written agreement with the company
- Employee signature, confirming the hours are correctSignatureRequired
What each field on this form collects
Employee name and number sit beside the week ending date. A paragraph states the ordinary hours and asks for 24 hour time and a reason per day. The overtime hours table has five rows of day, start, end and reason. Award classification is a dropdown from CW/ECW 1 to CW/ECW 8, beside a supervisor dropdown of three. A radio records whether the overtime was approved beforehand, a second radio chooses payment or time off, and the employee signs to confirm the hours. All eight fields are required.
Why classification is on the form
Overtime is paid as a multiple of the employee's ordinary rate, and that rate depends on their classification. Payroll already holds it, but asking each week catches the common error of a worker who was reclassified last month and is still being paid at the old level. The supervisor sees the classification beside the hours, so a labourer and a leading hand doing the same night pour are each checked against the right rate. The form does not calculate pay; payroll applies the award rates.
The Australian award terms behind it
The Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 covers civil construction and sets overtime in clause 29, with classifications from CW/ECW 1 to CW/ECW 8. It also has a schedule for an agreement to take time off instead of payment for overtime, which is why the time off option says under a written agreement. Under the National Employment Standards, an employee can refuse unreasonable additional hours. The Fair Work Ombudsman explains overtime and keeps the award text current, and records of overtime must be kept with other time records.
How to adapt this form
A hospitality business swaps the award and classifications for its own and adds a meal break column. A company with an enterprise agreement names the agreement in the intro instead of the award. A business that pays only pre approved overtime makes the approval radio a single yes and moves unapproved hours to a note.
What makes this form work
A reason column per day
Each row carries a reason, such as a concrete pour. The supervisor approves the hours with the cause beside them, not from memory.
The real classifications
The dropdown lists CW/ECW 1 to CW/ECW 8 from the award. A reclassification shows up in the first claim after it happens.
Time off only with an agreement
The payment radio says time off requires a written agreement. Nobody loses paid overtime by ticking the wrong box.
Questions people ask
Should overtime be approved before it is worked?
Ideally, yes, and the first answer records that. On a civil site, though, a pour that runs late or a closure window that slips cannot wait for a form. The second answer covers that case and asks for the reason in the table, so the supervisor can approve it after the fact with the context in front of them.
Why does the form use 24 hour time?
Night work is common in civil construction, and 11.30 could mean morning or night. The paragraph asks for 24 hour time so 23:30 is clear. The table cells are free text, so the instruction matters, and payroll can read every row without asking.
What is time off instead of overtime pay?
Some awards, including the building and construction award, let an employer and employee agree in writing that overtime is taken as time off rather than paid. The second payment option says under a written agreement, because without one the overtime must be paid. Payroll checks the agreement exists before honouring the choice.
Why is a signature needed on an overtime claim?
The signature confirms the employee says the hours are correct, which matters if a claim is later questioned. It is printed into the response PDF, and the supervisor reviews the same response. A signed weekly claim, kept with time records, is also good evidence for the employer in a wage dispute.
Can the form be filled in on site?
Yes. The form works on a phone, and the five row table and two dropdowns fit a narrow screen. Most crews fill it in from the site diary on Monday morning, which is when the intro asks for it. The signature can be drawn with a finger or typed.
What if a worker did overtime on more than five days?
The table has five rows because a table cannot add rows, and most crews work overtime on weekdays only. A Saturday shift goes in a spare row if one is free. A week with overtime on six or seven days is unusual enough that the supervisor would expect a second form for the weekend.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
Make one like thisOther form examples
Travel request form with itinerary and estimate
A travel request form gets a work trip approved before anything is booked: why the trip is needed, the route, what it will cost and who signs off. This one sets the route out as a four leg itinerary table and puts the estimate, cash advance and travel policy tick on the same page as the manager who approves it.
Purchase requisition form with line items and an approver
A purchase requisition form asks permission to buy before anyone orders: what is needed, what it costs, which budget pays and who signs off. This one lists the items in a four line table with unit cost and supplier, takes the total and budget code, and lets the requester pick the approver by spend limit.
Budget request form with a cost breakdown and outcomes
A budget request form makes the case for money: how much, what it buys, what it achieves and why it beats the alternatives. This one does that for a council program bid, with a five line cost breakdown, start and end dates for the funding, measurable outcomes and a required answer on what doing nothing would mean.
Want the steps in the builder? Read Form builder components, then View, export and manage your responses. For everything this generator can do, see the form maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .