IEP service log template

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

An IEP service log records every scheduled session of a service: the date, start and end time, minutes delivered, a status code, group size, location, provider and the goal addressed. Log missed sessions too, with a code for the reason, so delivered and missed minutes can be totaled against the IEP. A free printable version is in the service log tool.

A service log is the record that shows the services on the IEP actually happened. The IEP states each service's frequency, location and duration,^[1] and the district must provide services as written once the IEP is in effect.^[2] When a parent, an administrator or a state monitor asks whether a student got 60 minutes of speech a week, the log is the answer.

This page gives the template, a filled month for one fictional student and notes on each section. It pairs with the free service log, which prints the same layout as a PDF or downloads it as a CSV. For writing the services themselves, see IEP services and minutes.

The fill-in template

Header (one per student, per service, per month):

Field	Fill in
Student label	Initials or ID, not a full name on shared sheets
Service	As written on the IEP, such as "Speech-language therapy"
IEP minutes	As written, such as "2 x 30 min per week"
Service dates	IEP start and end dates for this service
Provider	Role and name of the person responsible
Month / week of	The period this sheet covers

Session rows:

Date	Start	End	Minutes	Status code	Ind. / group (size)	Location	Provider initials	Goal addressed / notes

Status codes:

Code	Meaning	Counts as delivered?
D	Delivered	Yes
MU	Make-up session	Yes
SA	Student absent	No
SU	Student unavailable (testing, field trip, nurse)	No
PA	Provider absent	No
PC	Provider conflict (meeting, evaluation, duty)	No
SC	School closed	No

These are the codes printed on the free sheet. Your district may use its own; keep whatever codes it requires and make sure each missed session gets one.

A completed example

This is a fictional, illustrative month.

Date	Start	End	Minutes	Status	Group	Location	Provider	Goal addressed / notes
10/5	9:00	9:30	30	D	Group (3)	Speech room	KL	/r/ initial position in words: 14 of 20 correct
10/7	9:00	9:30	30	D	Group (3)	Speech room	KL	/r/ in phrases: 11 of 20
10/12	9:00		0	SC			KL	No school, holiday
10/14	9:00	9:30	30	D	Group (3)	Speech room	KL	/r/ in phrases: 13 of 20
10/16	1:15	1:45	30	MU	Ind.	Speech room	KL	Make-up for 10/12; /r/ in phrases: 15 of 20
10/19	9:00		0	SA			KL	Student absent
10/21	9:00	9:30	30	D	Group (2)	Classroom	KL	/r/ in sentences during science vocabulary: 9 of 15
10/26	9:00		0	PC			KL	SLP in an evaluation meeting
10/28	9:00	9:30	30	D	Group (3)	Speech room	KL	/r/ in sentences: 12 of 20
10/30	10:30	11:00	30	MU	Ind.	Speech room	KL	Make-up for 10/26; /r/ in sentences: 14 of 20

Month total: 8 regularly scheduled sessions (240 minutes). Delivered including make-ups: 7 sessions, 210 minutes, with 2 make-ups covering the holiday and the meeting. Missed and not made up: 1 student absence (30 minutes). Whether a student absence is made up is a team and district decision.

What reviewers and parents look for, section by section

Header. Reviewers check that the IEP minutes on the log match the IEP. A log that says "60 min per week" when the IEP says "2 x 30" is fine; a log that says "30 min per week" is a finding. Update the header when the IEP changes mid-year, and start a new sheet from the amendment date.

Date, start, end and minutes. Record the actual time the service ran, not the scheduled block. If a 30-minute session started 6 minutes late, log 24. Parents notice when every session is exactly 30 minutes for a year.

Status code. This is the column that answers the hardest question at a meeting: why were minutes short? Separate student causes (SA, SU) from provider and school causes (PA, PC, SC). Missed services for provider reasons are what make-up discussions usually focus on. Our guide to missed speech therapy sessions covers how teams handle them.

Group size. Reviewers compare it with the IEP. If the IEP says individual, a group entry needs an explanation. If it says small group, a group of 7 may not match.

Location. The location affects the student's time in general education, so a session moved from the speech room into the classroom should say so.

Goal addressed and notes. One line with the goal and a data point makes the log double as progress data. ASHA's guidance on documentation in schools describes what a session note should capture.^[3] For collecting the data itself, see speech therapy data collection.

If your district bills Medicaid

Many districts bill Medicaid for covered services. The CMS guide for school-based services lists a minimum record for each service, including the date, the student and Medicaid ID, the provider, the nature and extent of the service and the place of service.^[4] States add their own fields. The district also needs written parental consent before it first accesses a child's public benefits.^[5] The free sheet has an option that adds a code column, the provider's name and credential, and a wider activity note. It is a paper form; it does not submit claims. Confirm the required fields with your district's Medicaid coordinator, and read Medicaid consent for school-based services for the parent side.

Using the free service log

The service log tool lets you type the service name and IEP minutes into the header, choose 10, 15, 20 or 25 rows, and print, download a PDF or download a CSV. The spreadsheet version calculates minutes from start and end times when they are entered as times. To total delivered minutes against the IEP across a whole caseload, the caseload tracker checks minutes delivered against minutes required and splits missed minutes by cause.

Tips that save time in May

Fill in the log the same day. Reconstructing a month from memory is where errors come from.
Pre-fill dates and start times for the month on the first school day.
Keep one sheet per service per student. Combined sheets are hard to total.
Total the month on the last school day and note the make-ups still owed.
For the minutes conversation at the annual review, see aligning goals to services and minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to log sessions the student missed?

Yes. Logging every scheduled session with a status code is what lets you show why minutes fell short. A log with only delivered sessions cannot separate a student absence from a provider absence.

Should I log the scheduled minutes or the actual minutes?

The actual minutes. If a session started late or ended early, record the time the service really ran. Reviewers and parents trust a log more when the minutes vary realistically.

Can one log cover a group session?

Each student needs their own record, because each has their own IEP minutes and goals. You can run one group session and log it on each student's sheet with the group size noted.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.323: When IEPs must be in effect, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
Documentation in Schools, ASHA
Delivering Services in School-Based Settings: A Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming (2023), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
34 CFR §300.154: Methods of ensuring services (Medicaid consent), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.