Free · Excel & Google Sheets
Free DBS Check Register Template (UK): Excel & Google Sheets
A free register of every DBS check you hold: the level, certificate number, issue date and whether the person is on the Update Service. A DBS check has no official expiry date, so you set your own recheck interval and the sheet gives each person a recheck date and a status colour.
In the file
5 sheets · 145 KB · opens in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice
- Start here
- DBS checks
- Dashboard
- Import to ExpiryEdge
- Lists
Prefer a plain list? The CSV (1 KB) has the same columns and example rows, without formulas or colours.
Preview
The tracker sheet, with example rows
This is the colour logic the spreadsheet uses. Move the date to see which rows turn amber or red next.
dbs-check-register-uk.xlsx
| Name | DBS level | Next recheck | Start recheck by | Days left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example – Sam Placeholder | Enhanced with adult barred list | ||||
| Example – Alex Sample | Basic | ||||
| Example – Jo Example | Enhanced with adult barred list | ||||
| Example – Chris Demo | Enhanced | ||||
| Example – Pat Sample | Enhanced with child barred list |
. The example dates are fixed, so as real time passes more of them turn amber and red: that is the formula working.
How to use it in 3 steps
Clear the examples
Delete the rows that start with "Example –", or type over them.
Add each certificate
Type the level, the certificate number and the issue date. Then set your recheck interval in months, the one your safeguarding policy uses.
Work the recheck list
The Dashboard lists the next ten rechecks. For people on the Update Service, a status check online may be all you need.
What’s inside
- Start here
- How to use it in three steps, the colour key and what every column means.
- DBS checks
- DBS check register. Filters, dropdowns, frozen header and status colours, with formulas filled down 500 rows.
- Dashboard
- Counts by status and the next 10 dates, as of today.
- Import to ExpiryEdge
- The same rows in the ExpiryEdge bulk-import columns, filled by formula.
- Lists
- The options behind every dropdown. Add your own.
Open it in Google Sheets
There is no shared Google copy to request access to. You import the same file, so you own your copy from the start.
Download the .xlsx
Use the button above. It saves straight to your computer.
Import it into a blank Google Sheet
Open Google Sheets, create a blank spreadsheet, then choose File › Import › Upload and pick the file. Select "Replace spreadsheet".
Check the dates
Formulas, dropdowns and status colours carry over. If your Google account uses a different locale, dates show in that format, which is fine: they are real dates underneath.
Columns explained
Type in the input columns. Calculated columns fill themselves. Columns marked required are the ones the import sheet needs.
| Column | What to enter | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Employee or volunteer. | Input · required |
| Role | The role the check was for. The level depends on the role. | Input |
| DBS level | Basic, Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with barred list(s). | Input |
| Certificate number | The 12-digit number on the certificate. | Input |
| Issue date | Date printed on the certificate. | Input · required |
| On Update Service? | Yes if the person subscribed (within 30 days of issue). Then you can run a status check online with their consent. | Input |
| Recheck every (months) | Your own policy. A DBS check has no official expiry date, so you decide when a new check or status check is due. | Input |
| Next recheck | Calculated. Issue date plus your recheck interval. Blank until you set an interval. | Calculated |
| Lead time (days) | How many days before the date you want to start acting. Leave blank for 30. | Input |
| Start recheck by | Calculated. Next recheck minus lead time: start the new check or status check before this. | Calculated |
| Days left | Calculated. Days until the date; negative once it has passed. | Calculated |
| Status | Calculated. Expired, Due ≤30 days, Due ≤90 days or OK. | Calculated |
| Status check done | Date of your latest Update Service status check, if you use it. | Input |
| Responsible person email | Who should be reminded. Becomes notification_email on import. | Input |
| Record link | Where your record of the check is kept. Store only what your policy and data protection rules allow. | Input |
| Notes | Anything the next person needs to know. | Input |
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
For a handful of dates and one careful owner, this template is all you need. These are the signs it has become the wrong tool.
Sign 1
More than one person owns the dates
When several people add rows, dates get typed as text, copies drift apart and nobody is sure which file is current.
Sign 2
Reminders depend on someone opening the file
The status turns red whether or not anyone is looking. If the person who checks it is on leave, the date passes quietly.
Sign 3
You need to prove what happened
An audit, insurer or inspector may ask who was told, when, and where the certificate is. A spreadsheet does not keep that history.
When you would rather not remember
What this looks like when it runs itself
The same row, tracked for you: an owner, reminders at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days by email, SMS, WhatsApp, Slack or Teams, the document on file and a log of who did what. The "Import to ExpiryEdge" sheet in this template is already laid out for Bulk Import, so moving across is one upload.
Try it with your own dates, free for 14 days, no cardExpiryEdge · Tracked item
DBS recheck · Jo (nurse), enhanced
ValidOwner
Registered manager
Expires
1 Dec 2027
Reminders before expiry
90d
60d
30d
7d
Due
DBS check register (UK): questions, answered
GOV.UK says a DBS check has no official expiry date. It shows what was on record when it was issued. Your organisation decides when a new check or a status check is needed, often in its safeguarding policy, and this sheet turns that interval into a date for each person.
A yearly subscription the certificate holder can join within 30 days of the certificate being issued. With their consent, you can then run a free online status check instead of starting a new application. Mark who is subscribed so you know which route to take at recheck time.
Only what your policy and data protection rules allow. Many employers record the level, certificate number, issue date and the decision, and do not keep a copy of the certificate itself. The sheet has columns for those details and a link to wherever your record lives.
Yes. Open a blank Google Sheet, choose File › Import › Upload, pick the .xlsx and select "Replace spreadsheet". The formulas use only functions that Google Sheets, Excel and LibreOffice all support (no FILTER, SORT or XLOOKUP), so the status colours, dropdowns and dashboard carry over. The Excel table styling becomes a plain range with filters.
No. A spreadsheet only changes when someone opens it, so the colours are only as good as your habit of checking. Put a weekly calendar slot on it, or move the rechecks into a tool that sends the reminders for you.
It is the same rows laid out in the ExpiryEdge bulk-import columns (name, expiry_date, type and so on), filled in by formula. You can ignore it. If you ever move the list into ExpiryEdge, upload the file in Bulk Import and pick that sheet, or save the sheet as CSV. Nothing is sent anywhere by the file itself.
It is free to download, use, change and share inside your organisation. There is no sign-up and no email needed: the download starts when you click.
A free template, not legal advice. It tracks the dates you enter; it does not decide which rules apply to you. Check requirements against the official source for your situation.