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How to Track Time As a Contractor

Harvest makes time tracking seamless for contractors, addressing the challenge of billing accuracy and efficient project management with flexible mobile and desktop apps.

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What should you charge per hour?

Most freelancers and consultants dramatically undercharge. This calculator accounts for what most people miss: non-billable time, taxes, and overhead.

$
Accounting for vacation, holidays, sick days
60%
Most freelancers can bill 50-70% of their time. The rest goes to admin, marketing, proposals, and learning.
$
Software, insurance, equipment, accounting, taxes beyond income tax, etc.
Your break-even rate $0
Recommended rate (+20% buffer) $0
Billable hours per week 0h
Equivalent daily rate $0

Start tracking your billable hours

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
Acme Corp
Website Redesign
Homepage layout revisions
1:24:09
Content Strategy
Blog calendar planning
1:30:00
SEO Audit
Technical audit report
0:45:00
Brand Guidelines
Color system documentation
2:15:00
Logo Concepts
Initial sketches round 1
1:00:00
Today's total 6:54:09

The Importance of Time Tracking for Contractors

Effective time tracking is crucial for contractors who aim to optimize their billing accuracy and project management. Industry research shows that 88% of freelancers and contractors are expected to use time tracking tools by 2025. These tools not only help manage tasks but also enhance profitability by up to 30% by identifying productivity leaks and streamlining billing processes. For contractors, accurate time tracking ensures that every billable hour is accounted for, reducing the risk of revenue loss due to untracked work hours.

Manual time tracking methods can lead to significant errors, with error rates in payroll reaching up to 8%. Such inaccuracies can result in payroll discrepancies and strained client relationships due to incorrect billing. Harvest addresses these challenges by offering a seamless time tracking solution that integrates with popular project management tools like Asana and Trello, ensuring that contractors maintain accurate and efficient workflows.

Choosing the Right Time Tracking Tool

When selecting a time tracking tool, contractors should consider factors like ease of use, integration capabilities, and mobile accessibility. Experts emphasize that user-friendly tools are crucial, especially for field workers who may not have constant desk access. Complicated systems often lead to frustration and poor adoption rates. Harvest stands out by providing a flexible, mobile-first approach to time tracking, allowing contractors to log hours conveniently from both desktop and mobile devices.

Furthermore, Harvest's ability to integrate seamlessly with project management and payroll systems eliminates the need for redundant data entry, thus enhancing workflow efficiency. This integration ensures that all recorded time is accurately reflected in billing and payroll, preventing costly errors and ensuring compliance with labor regulations.

Maximizing Efficiency with Mobile Time Tracking

The shift toward mobile time capture has become increasingly prevalent, with smartphone-based time tracking surpassing traditional desktop methods in the construction industry. This trend is driven by the need for real-time data access and location verification. While Harvest does not offer GPS-enabled clock-in features, it provides robust mobile applications that support on-the-go time tracking, ensuring contractors can accurately log work hours from any location.

By using Harvest’s mobile apps, contractors can track time as they work, reducing the reliance on memory and minimizing reporting errors. This approach aligns with industry best practices, which discourage memory-based time logging due to its tendency to underreport billable hours by up to 30%. Harvest offers a reliable solution that supports accurate, real-time time tracking, fostering accountability and improving project management outcomes.

Creating a Culture of Accountability and Compliance

Time tracking is not just about monitoring hours but also about fostering a culture of accountability and ensuring compliance with legal requirements. For contractors, adhering to regulations like the Fair Labor Standards Act is essential to avoid legal issues. Harvest supports this by allowing job and task-based tracking, which provides detailed labor cost analysis and helps ensure compliance with labor laws.

Moreover, regular reviews and audits of time records are vital to maintaining accuracy and readiness for external audits. Harvest's time tracking system facilitates these processes by providing clear, organized records that simplify the review process. By integrating time tracking into everyday workflows, Harvest helps contractors maintain transparency, improve productivity, and ensure accurate project costing.

Track Time Efficiently with Harvest

See how Harvest streamlines time tracking for contractors with mobile and desktop solutions. Ensure billing accuracy and project efficiency.

Screenshot of Harvest time tracking dashboard for contractors.

How to Track Time As a Contractor FAQs

  • The best way for contractors to track their time is by using a dedicated time tracking tool like Harvest. These tools offer features such as job and task-based tracking, seamless integration with project management software, and mobile accessibility, ensuring accurate billing and efficient project management.

  • Time tracking can improve profitability by up to 30% by identifying productivity leaks and streamlining billing processes. Accurate tracking ensures that all billable hours are accounted for, reducing the risk of revenue loss due to untracked work.

  • Mobile time tracking is crucial for contractors, especially those working in the field, as it allows real-time data entry and minimizes errors. Harvest's mobile apps enable contractors to log hours efficiently, ensuring accurate billing and project management.

  • Contractors should look for features such as ease of use, integration capabilities with project management and payroll systems, and mobile accessibility. Harvest provides these features, making it a suitable choice for contractors seeking efficient time tracking solutions.

  • Harvest supports compliance by allowing detailed job and task-based tracking, which helps ensure adherence to labor laws. Regular reviews and audits of time records are facilitated by Harvest's organized system, aiding in compliance readiness.

  • Integrating time tracking with project management tools eliminates redundant data entry, enhances workflow efficiency, and ensures accurate billing and payroll. Harvest provides seamless integration with popular tools like Asana and Trello, benefiting contractors greatly.

  • Harvest encourages accountability by providing accurate time tracking through reminders and approvals. This approach helps contractors maintain transparency in projects and fosters a culture of accountability.