Timesheets - your best mate!!!!

For permanent staff moving into contracting timesheets may seem like real pain in the neck - well they may be, but.....without them you don't get paid!

There are different forms of timesheets:

• paper hard copy printed timesheets
• soft copies in Word or Excel
• on-line timesheets
• e-mail timesheets

whichever timesheet system your agency uses - that is your key to the cash!

So what is it about timesheets? Why are they so important?

Without an authorised timesheet your agency has no idea what hour you work and there does not know:

• how much to pay you
• what to invoice the client

All agencies run very tight cashflow models which mean that if timesheets are late - so is everything else - invoicing, salary, everything!

So if you want to be paid on time - always remember to get your timesheets in early - fully completed, authorised and signed.

Who is my employer?

This can be a very confusing subject for a lot of contractors placed by an agency, but generaly the way to think of it is that you are employed by the agency and placed on client site as a consultant. The agency charges the client consulting fees and pays the contractor a salary, based on an hourly or daily rate.

A lot of the time the questions comes up when contractors are considering getting home loans of finance. In these cases your employer is the entity that pays you - generally this will either be the agency that placed you or a contractor management company.

If you need a letter of employment or confirmation of earnings your first port of call should be the agency. They should be able to provide you with all the information that you need or will be able to coordinate the collation of information for you.

Although the agency is ultimately your employer, your day to day work and tasks are managed by the client and you report to the client's on-site managers.

However should performance disputes arise, the agency may get involved. Because you are consulting on behalf of the agency they are well within their rights to talk to you about conduct or performance.