Time is money on a construction site. If you do not track it accurately, you are either overpaying your crew, underbilling your clients, or both.
Why track time on site
- Accurate payroll: Pay for hours actually worked, not estimated
- Job costing: Know which projects are profitable by trade
- Billing: Bill time-and-materials work accurately
- Productivity: Identify where time is being lost
- Compliance: Maintain records for labor law compliance
Methods for time tracking
- Paper timesheets: Cheap but error-prone and delayed
- Digital timesheets: Better accuracy, instant submission
- Mobile apps with GPS: Timestamps and location verification
- Clock-in/clock-out kiosks: Good for large sites with a central area
The best method is the one your crew will actually use. Time tracking software with a mobile app gets the highest compliance because it takes seconds to log time from the field.
Connecting time to budgets
Time tracking is only valuable if you connect it to project budgets. When each time entry is tagged to a project and a cost code, you can see real-time labor costs against budget. This is how you track budgets and catch overruns early.
Choosing the right tool
Look for time tracking software that:
- Works on mobile (your crew is in the field, not at a desk)
- Tags time to projects and cost codes
- Integrates with payroll and invoicing
- Tracks GPS location for verification
- Is simple enough that your crew will actually use it
BuildPilot AI includes time tracking at no extra cost, connected to your projects and budgets.