minorite asks:
>as i prefer to work in the shop over working onsite, i have little experence
>in
>this. usually, i make it and they pick it up. this time i have to install
>posts and arches and trim at the house. time onsite is billed, time in the
>shop is billed, but what of travel time?
Billed. It is time you could be doing work for someone else, isn't it?
As a sop, bill them at half time for the travel, if you want.
Charlie Self
"If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is
to function it must have dissent."
Henry Commager
> time onsite is billed, time in the
>shop is billed, but what of travel time?
When in business (especially for oneself!), every little bit helps. Here in
NC, I am allowed to pay myself for driving, if business related. I keep track
of actual time driving on the same logs I use for business use of a vehicle
(mileage and upkeep), and take it as a deduction at tax time.
My favorite lumber supplier, Steve Wall Lumber, is about a two hour drive
from me, one-way. I am allowed to deduct the driving time, the mileage, and
meals. (If the trip is long enough-and I've done a couple long trips, to visit
my representative galleries in person-then I am also allowed to deduct my
overnight lodging.)
Check with your state. It pays to be frugal!
(Before I was legally a business, I would bill travel time in the shop bill.)
Michael Helms
Mountaineer Millworks
Weddington, NC
remove "nogoons" from email for replies
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Minorite) wrote:
>as i prefer to work in the shop over working onsite, i have little experence in
>this. usually, i make it and they pick it up. this time i have to install
>posts and arches and trim at the house. time onsite is billed, time in the
>shop is billed, but what of travel time?
I guess that depends on whether you want to get paid for your travel time, or
donate it to the customer. When you're driving, you're not working.
You don't need to itemize travel time in your bill, though -- combine it with
shop time.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)
Save the baby humans - stop partial-birth abortion NOW
"Minorite"writes:
> as i prefer to work in the shop over working onsite, i have little
experence in
> this. usually, i make it and they pick it up. this time i have to
install
> posts and arches and trim at the house. time onsite is billed, time in
the
> shop is billed, but what of travel time?
We provide supervision, we don't do heavy work as one of my former bosses
from West Texas would say.
My time is billed portal to portal, 4 hours minimum, 4 hour increments.
Saturday, Sunday and overtime billed at double time rates.
Travel expenses at direct cost plus 10% for handling.
HTH
--
Lew
S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: <http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett> for Pictures
Minorite wrote:
>as i prefer to work in the shop over working onsite, i have little experence in
>this. usually, i make it and they pick it up. this time i have to install
>posts and arches and trim at the house. time onsite is billed, time in the
>shop is billed, but what of travel time?
>
===========================================================
( my time) is just as valuable driving down the road as it is
standing over a table saw...
If I owned the shop... and had to pay a second person to deliver
something I would still have to pay that person... and truthfully I
guess I would NOT be paying him the same as I did myself so
I could see billing less then "your" regular shop time... but not less
then uyou would have to pay another person ...
Bob G.
I have worked in several service businesses. It is common to bill a
travel charge based on zones or actual. At my present employer, a
medical imaging manufacturer equipment, the zone 1 rate is equivalent
to 1hr labor + $0.50/mile. When I was an HVAC tech, the travel charge
was part of the minimum base charge. In both cases, if it was OT,
travel was billed at standard OT rates portal-to-portal. As another
poster said, if you weren't on the road, you could be doing billable
labor in the shop.
[email protected] (Minorite) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> as i prefer to work in the shop over working onsite, i have little experence in
> this. usually, i make it and they pick it up. this time i have to install
> posts and arches and trim at the house. time onsite is billed, time in the
> shop is billed, but what of travel time?