Harvest
Time Tracking
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Time Card Calculator for Contractors

Harvest offers a streamlined solution for contractors facing the complexity of time tracking across multiple projects and pay rates, ensuring precise billing and compliance.

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How many hours did you work this week?

Enter your clock-in and clock-out times for each day. The calculator handles breaks, overtime, and weekly totals automatically.

Day Clock In Clock Out Break Hours
Total hours this week 0h
Regular hours (≤40) 0h
Overtime hours 0h
Average hours/day 0h
Total break time 0h

Track time automatically with Harvest

Walk through the entire flow below. Start a timer, check your reports, and create a real invoice — all in three clicks.

Go ahead — start tracking!

One click and you're timing. Try it right here: start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Harvest.

  • One-click timer from browser, desktop & mobile
  • Works inside Jira, Asana, Trello, GitHub & 50+ tools
  • Duration or start/end — your call
  • Day, week & calendar views to stay on top of it all
  • Friendly reminders so no hour gets left behind
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Features of a Time Card Calculator for Contractors

A time card calculator for contractors should be equipped with features that cater to the unique needs of contract work. Contractors often manage various projects simultaneously, each with distinct phases and requirements. A robust calculator should allow tracking by project phases, essential for industries like construction where different stages of work must be documented separately. Moreover, it should support multiple pay rates, accommodating diverse labor types like direct employees and subcontractors.

Flexibility in tracking billable and non-billable hours is crucial. Contractors allocate between 10% and 33% of their time to non-billable activities, impacting profitability. Therefore, the ability to distinguish these hours is essential for accurate billing and financial planning. Additionally, integration with project management tools like Asana and Jira can streamline time tracking, ensuring that all project hours are captured and aligned with contract deliverables. Harvest excels in these areas, providing a comprehensive solution for contractors.

Calculating Overtime for Contractors

Calculating overtime for contractors can be complex, as traditional overtime rules often do not apply. However, accurate tracking is essential for project accounting and compliance, especially for government contracts. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), while independent contractors are generally exempt from overtime pay, accurate records of total hours worked remain critical.

A time card calculator should allow contractors to log hours accurately, convert them into decimals, and account for any unpaid breaks. Harvest supports these functionalities with features that enable contractors to track hours by specific projects or tasks, ensuring compliance with requirements like those of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), which mandates rigorous timekeeping standards. This precision helps prevent disputes and ensures transparency in billing and reporting.

Customizing Time Cards for Different Pay Rates

Customizing time cards to handle different pay rates is vital for contractors who manage various types of work. Rates can vary significantly depending on the type of labor or project phase, necessitating a flexible time tracking solution. Contractors typically mark up their hourly rates by 40% to 65% to cover overhead and ensure profitability. Thus, a time card calculator must accommodate these variations.

Harvest offers robust capabilities in this area, allowing users to set flexible, per-project, and per-person rates. This flexibility ensures that contractors can accurately track and bill for each project, aligning with their specific financial strategies. The ability to manage these variables not only aids in accurate invoicing but also supports strategic financial planning by providing detailed insights into labor costs and profitability.

Integrating Time Tracking with Project Management

Integrating time tracking with project management tools is a game-changer for contractors, who often juggle multiple projects with overlapping timelines. Efficient integration ensures seamless data flow between tools, reducing manual entry and potential errors. Contractors can track hours directly within their project management software, simplifying the billing process and enhancing productivity.

Harvest provides integrations with popular tools like Asana and Jira, allowing contractors to track their time directly within the context of their projects. This integration not only saves time but also ensures that all time entries are aligned with project timelines and deliverables. By providing a comprehensive overview of project progress and labor allocation, Harvest helps contractors optimize resource utilization and maintain control over project budgets.

Track Contractor Hours with Harvest

See how Harvest helps contractors track hours accurately across projects, phases, and pay rates.

Screenshot of Harvest's time card calculator tailored for contractors.

Time Card Calculator for Contractors FAQs

  • A time card calculator for contractors should include the ability to track hours by project phases, support multiple pay rates, and differentiate between billable and non-billable hours. Integrations with project management tools like Asana and Jira enhance functionality.

  • While contractors are typically exempt from traditional overtime pay, accurate tracking of total hours is crucial for billing and compliance. A time card calculator should enable tracking of hours per project or task, accommodating unpaid breaks and ensuring precision in reporting.

  • Yes, a good time card calculator will allow you to track hours across multiple projects simultaneously. Harvest supports this with features that enable managing time entries for various projects, ensuring comprehensive time tracking and billing accuracy.

  • Certainly, time card calculators like Harvest allow customization for different pay rates, supporting flexible per-project and per-person rates. This ensures that contractors can accurately track and bill for each type of work performed.

  • Yes, Harvest integrates with several project management tools such as Asana and Jira. These integrations facilitate seamless time tracking and ensure that all project-related hours are accurately captured and billed.

  • Contractors calculate a sustainable hourly rate by factoring in desired income, business expenses, self-employment taxes, benefits, and non-billable time. Typically, they mark up their hourly rate by 40% to 65% to cover these costs and achieve profitability.

  • Inaccurate time tracking can lead to billing disputes, fines, and contract terminations, especially in government projects. Accurate timekeeping is essential to comply with regulations like the FLSA and DCAA requirements, preventing legal and financial repercussions.