PunchOutPayroll payroll and time clock app logo 14-day trial
Menu

Guides

Construction time cards: how to keep them right

Construction time cards have more moving parts than most: several job sites, travel between them, long days and sometimes certified payroll. Here’s what to record and how to keep it clean.

By the PunchOutPayroll team ·

What a construction time card should record

Federal law requires employers to keep accurate records for non-exempt employees, including hours worked each workday and each workweek. For construction crews, a useful time card also shows:

  • Start and end times for each day, plus unpaid meal breaks.
  • The job or job site for each block of time.
  • The type of work, if you pay different rates for different work or report by classification.
  • Travel between job sites during the day.
  • Any correction, with who made it, when and why.

Travel time between job sites

Under federal law, ordinary travel from home to the first job site and back home at the end of the day is generally not work time. But travel that’s part of the day’s work, such as driving from one job site to another during the workday, is work time and must be counted and paid. Time spent picking up tools or materials at the shop before heading out can also be work time. Make sure your time cards capture it.

Overtime on long construction days

Non-exempt crew get at least time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek under federal law, and each workweek stands on its own. A few states also have daily overtime. Long days across several job sites are exactly where overtime gets missed, so total hours across all jobs, not job by job. See how overtime is calculated.

Certified payroll on federal construction jobs

Contractors and subcontractors on covered federal and federally assisted construction contracts fall under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. They must pay laborers and mechanics at least the locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits, and submit payroll information every week, often on Form WH-347, the weekly certified payroll. When a worker does more than one classification of work in a week, the hours in each classification need to be broken out; without an accurate breakdown, the worker must be paid the highest applicable rate for all hours. Detailed, job-coded time cards make this much easier. Check your contract and the DOL’s guidance for what applies to your job.

Paper construction time cards and their problems

  • Cards filled in at the end of the week from memory.
  • Hard-to-read times and missing job names.
  • Cards that get lost between the job site and the office.
  • No way to tell who wrote the times, which opens the door to buddy punching.

A weekly routine for construction time cards

  1. Check for open punches every day or two. Our guide to fixing missed punches covers how.
  2. Confirm hours by job with each foreman.
  3. Review overtime across all jobs by workweek.
  4. Approve corrections, then lock the week before your payroll cutoff. See the payroll cutoff checklist.

Job-coded hours also show what each job really cost in labor. See how to calculate labor cost.

How PunchOutPayroll helps construction crews

With PunchOutPayroll, crews punch in on site from their phones, with location checked at each punch once they agree. You see who’s on the clock and for how long, crew send missed-punch fixes from their phones, and you approve payroll-ready hours with overtime and breaks tracked. See the construction time clock, the GPS time clock app, or start a 14-day trial.

Sources and further reading

General information, not legal advice. Labor rules change and vary by state and city. Check your state labor department or talk with an employment attorney about your situation.

Frequently asked questions

What should a construction time card include?

Daily start and end times, unpaid meal breaks, total hours for the day and workweek, the job site for each block of time and any corrections with a reason.

Is travel time between job sites paid?

Under federal law, travel from one job site to another during the workday is work time and must be paid. Ordinary commuting from home to the first site generally is not.

What is certified payroll in construction?

On covered federal and federally assisted construction contracts, contractors submit weekly payroll information showing workers were paid at least the prevailing wage. DOL’s optional Form WH-347 is commonly used.

How long should I keep construction time cards?

Under federal law, keep time cards at least two years and payroll records at least three. Some states and government contracts require longer.

Keep exploring PunchOutPayroll

Don’t settle for software your crew hates.

Set up your company, invite your crew and see who’s on the clock. Start with a 14-day trial.

Start your 14-day trialSee features