Free Excel template
Certification tracker Excel template
A free certification tracker for Excel and Google Sheets. List your people and credential types, log each license, certificate or training with its issue date, and the file works out the expiry, the days left and a status: Expired, Expiring, Valid or No expiry. A people by type matrix shows who holds what and who is missing. No signup, no email, no macros.
Free .xlsx, 94 KB, 5 sheets, sample rows included. For up to 30 people and 12 credential types.
In Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then Replace spreadsheet.
- Free, no signup
- No email wall
- No macros
- Excel, Sheets, LibreOffice
What is inside
Everything a credential tracking spreadsheet needs, already built
Five sheets, no macros, and sample rows you can clear in a minute.
Expiry filled from the issue date
Each type on Setup has a default validity in months. Enter the issue date and EDATE works out the expiry. Type a date in Expires on only to override it.
Status in one word
Expired, Expiring, Valid or No expiry, coloured red, amber and grey-blue. Each type has its own window for Expiring, 60 days if you leave it blank.
Days left, for any day
A live count that goes negative once a credential has expired. Change the check date on Setup to see how the list will look next month.
People by type matrix
Up to 30 people against 12 credential types, with the expiry date in each cell and the same colours as the Log.
Missing detection
Mark a type Required for everyone and anyone without a record shows Missing on the Matrix, with counts on the People sheet.
Renewals keep their history
Add a new row when someone renews. The older row turns to Renewed, so only the newest record counts and nothing is deleted.
How to use
Set it up in five steps, about fifteen minutes
Amber cells are for typing, grey cells are formulas.
List your types
On Setup, name the licenses, certificates and training you track. Give each a validity in months, a window in days and say whether everyone needs it.
Add your people
On People, enter each person once, with an optional department. Counts of expired, expiring and missing appear beside each name.
Log each credential
On Log, pick the person and the type, add the number and the issue date. The expiry, days left and status appear by themselves.
Renew with a new row
When someone renews, add a new row for the same person and type. The older row turns to Renewed.
Read the Matrix
Matrix shows everyone against every type. Red is expired, amber is expiring or Missing, grey-blue is valid.
Clear the grey sample rows first: select the cells and press Delete. Please do not delete whole rows, so the formulas stay in place.
Under the hood
How it works, and what to watch for
How the expiry and the status are worked out
EDATE adds the validity, then the expiry is compared with the check date.
On the Log sheet, Expiry date used is the date you typed in Expires on, or else the issue date plus the type's default validity, calculated with EDATE. A row with neither shows No expiry, or Needs a date when the type has a validity but no issue date was entered.
The status compares that date with the check date on Setup, which is =TODAY() unless you type another date. Expired means the date is before the check date. Expiring means it falls inside the type's window, 60 days if blank. Anything later is Valid.
If the same person has two rows for the same type, the one with the latest expiry is the current record and the other shows Renewed.
Opening it in Google Sheets, Numbers or LibreOffice
Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then Replace spreadsheet.
Google Sheets: go to File, Import, Upload, choose the .xlsx, then Replace spreadsheet or Insert new sheet. Every function used, including EDATE, COUNTIFS, SUMPRODUCT, INDEX and MATCH, also exists in Sheets. Drop-downs and conditional formatting come across too.
LibreOffice opens it as is. Apple Numbers can import it, but it does not support every function, so Excel, Sheets or LibreOffice are the safer choices.
Five mistakes that break a credential spreadsheet
Dates typed as text, deleted rows, overwritten formulas, no renewals and stray copies.
- Typing dates as text, so formulas quietly skip them. Use real dates.
- Deleting whole rows instead of clearing cells, which breaks references.
- Typing over the grey formula cells. Use the Expires on column to override a date instead.
- Overwriting a renewed credential instead of adding a row, which loses the history.
- Emailing copies around until nobody knows which file is current.
The drop-downs, date checks and red flags in this template guard against the first three.
Honest limits
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
A spreadsheet is a good fit for a small team when one person owns the file. These are the points where it starts to cost more than it saves.
01
Nobody gets reminded
A spreadsheet shows what is due only when someone opens it, and it cannot send an email without macros.
What LeaveCalc doesEmails the employee and the managers at 60, 30 and 7 days, and on the day it expires.02
Several people editing
One shared file, three copies in email, one overwritten formula. You find out when a license has lapsed.
What LeaveCalc doesOne place for everyone, with the same dates on every screen and a history of renewals.03
Required by department
The Missing check works for everyone or no one. Different rules for front desk and clinical need more formulas.
What LeaveCalc doesMark a type required for chosen departments, and managers see only their own.04
Time off lives elsewhere
Credentials in one file, leave in another, the same people typed twice.
What LeaveCalc doesTime off and credentials share people, departments and the Monday summary.
LeaveCalc for Employers tracks licenses, certificates and time off in one place and sends the reminders. It is free for up to 3 people, and Pro includes a 14-day trial. No card needed. Read about employee license tracking.
FAQ
Questions, answered plainly
You need a list of people, a list of credential types with how long each lasts, a log with one row per credential and its issue date, and formulas for the expiry date, the days left and a status. The free template above has all of that. For the expiry, EDATE(issue date, months) adds the validity to the issue date. For the status, compare the expiry with today: before today is Expired, within your window is Expiring, and later is Valid.
Yes. This one is free, with no signup and no email wall. It tracks training next to licenses, certifications and documents: each credential type has a category, a default validity and a reminder window, so a yearly training course and a three year card sit in the same list. It covers up to 30 people and 12 credential types.
Use EDATE(start_date, months). In this template the months come from the credential type on the Setup sheet, so you enter the issue date and the expiry appears. If a real expiry differs, type it in the Expires on column and it replaces the calculated date for that row. EDATE exists in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
Use a conditional format with a formula. Select the status or date column, choose Conditional Formatting, New Rule, then Use a formula, and enter something like =$E5<TODAY() with a red fill. The template already does this for the Status, Days left and Matrix cells, using red for expired, amber for expiring and grey-blue for valid.
Yes. Go to File, Import, Upload, choose the .xlsx and pick Replace spreadsheet. Every function it uses also exists in Google Sheets, and the drop-downs and colours come across. You can then share the sheet with your team in the usual way.
Add a new row for the same person and credential with the new dates. The template treats the row with the latest expiry as the current record and marks the older row Renewed, so the old dates stay on file and only the newest record counts in the status, the Matrix and the totals.
Not without macros or a script, and this file has none. It shows what is due when you open it. If you want an email to the employee and the manager at 60, 30 and 7 days, LeaveCalc tracks licenses and certificates and sends them. It is free for up to 3 people, and Pro includes a 14-day trial with no card.
This template keeps dates you enter and works out a status from them. It does not tell you which licenses or certificates you need, whether one is valid, or what your regulator or insurer requires. Confirm your obligations with the issuing body or an adviser.
Also see
Outgrown the spreadsheet?
Free for up to 3 people, Pro includes a 14-day trial, no card. Add your team, pick a pack and let the reminders go out.