Free template
Free SOC 2 access review template (Excel)
When a SOC 2 auditor tests your access review, they’re looking for specific things: a point-in-time list of who had access, a recorded decision per line, a named reviewer, and a date. This Excel template is laid out around exactly that evidence, with an instructions tab that explains what each column is for. It’s free — no email, no sign-up — and it’s a starting point, not a guarantee of a clean opinion.
Download the Excel template
Free · .xlsx · no email required
What’s in the template
An instructions tab plus a review tab whose columns map to what a SOC 2 reviewer commonly asks for. Periodic access reviews are a common control used to show access stays appropriate over time — access review controls commonly map to CC6.1–CC6.3:
- System and an optional Control Reference column, so you can tie each line to your control mapping if you use one.
- User, email, access level, and role — who has access and what it lets them do.
- A Reviewer Decision dropdown (Keep / Revoke) and a Justification column for the recorded call.
- Reviewer and Review Date columns so every decision is attributable and time-stamped.
- A Revocation Completed column to note that a Revoke was actually carried out — the evidence auditors most often find missing.
How to use it
For each in-scope system, export the current access list and paste it into the review tab, one row per user and access level. Have the accountable system owner mark each line Keep or Revoke and record a justification — especially for anything privileged or dormant. Fill in the reviewer and date, complete the revocations, and record the completion in the last column. Keep the finished workbook, plus proof the revocations happened, as your evidence for that period.
Where a spreadsheet falls short
The most common SOC 2 finding here is “the evidence doesn’t match the review date.” A spreadsheet has no immutable snapshot, so access that changes after the review makes the file inconsistent with what the reviewer actually saw. It also can’t prove on its own that revocations were completed, and it won’t remind anyone the next review is due. Useboards snapshots each user’s access the moment a review starts and pins it, turns revoke decisions into tracked deprovisioning, and exports a CSV evidence pack — reviewer, decision, timestamp, and justification per line — ready to hand to your auditor.
Frequently asked questions
Is this SOC 2 access review template really free?
Yes — download the Excel file with no email or sign-up. It’s made by Useboards; if you’d rather the review produce its own audit evidence, that’s what our product does.
Will this template pass a SOC 2 audit on its own?
A template can’t pass an audit — your control operating effectively is what passes. The spreadsheet captures the decisions, but auditors increasingly want a snapshot that can’t drift and proof that revocations were completed, which a spreadsheet doesn’t provide on its own. Use it to run the review; keep separate proof of the revocations.
How often should the SOC 2 access review run?
Quarterly is a common cadence, especially for privileged and production access; lower-risk systems may be reviewed less frequently, depending on your risk assessment and control design. What auditors test is whether the review ran consistently on the cadence your policy defines.
Related
Want the review to produce its own evidence?
Snapshot-based, timestamped, one-click CSV export for your auditor.