Job & Week Information
Crew Hours
0 workers
Overtime is calculated at 1.5x for hours over 40 in the week (federal FLSA rule). Some states (California, Alaska, Nevada, and others) also require daily overtime. Check your state labor rules before running payroll.
Notes
How to Use a Construction Timesheet for Job Costing
Tracking hours by job is the only way to know if your labor estimate held up. Clean timesheets feed payroll, T&M billing, and your next bid.
| Field | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Daily hours | Daily entries are far more accurate than guessing a weekly total on Friday. |
| Project / job name | Hours tied to a job let you compare actual labor against your estimate. |
| Trade | A framer and a finish carpenter cost different rates. Mixing them hides margin. |
| Hourly rate | Rate plus hours gives you true labor cost, not just a wage. Add burden separately. |
| Overtime | Hours over 40 cost 1.5x. Missing OT in a bid is how a profitable job goes red. |
| Approval signature | A signed timesheet protects you in wage disputes and T&M billing audits. |
12,800+ estimates calculated this month
Last updated: 2026-06-26
Quick Answer
A construction timesheet tracks the hours each worker spends on a job each week. Enter daily hours by employee, add their hourly rate, and this template totals the hours, splits overtime at 1.5x over 40, and shows your gross labor cost. If you are not tracking hours by job, you have no idea whether your labor estimate actually held up. Fill it out, print or copy it for payroll, and keep a signed copy for your records.
Pricing the job before the crew shows up? Try EstimationPro free to build the estimate, send the proposal, and automatically follow up with the homeowner so more bids turn into booked jobs.
Why tracking crew hours by job matters
I have been on jobs where the work looked like it was going fine, then payroll came in and the labor blew right past what I bid. Every hour you do not track is a guess, and guessing is how a profitable job quietly goes red. A timesheet tied to a specific job turns those guesses into numbers you can actually use on the next bid.
- Daily hours, not Friday memory. Have the crew log hours at the end of each day. Reconstructing a week from memory on Friday afternoon is how hours get padded or lost.
- One job per timesheet. Keep a separate timesheet for each job each week. The moment you blend two jobs on one sheet, your job costing falls apart.
- Track by trade. A framer and a finish carpenter cost different money. List each worker by trade so your labor rates stay honest.
- Use burdened rates for costing. Base wage is not your cost. Add payroll taxes, workers comp, and insurance, which usually runs 25-40% on top. The burdened labor rate calculator nails this down.
- Catch overtime early. Hours over 40 cost 1.5x. If a job is trending toward overtime, you want to know on Wednesday so you can add crew or shift the schedule, not after payroll runs.
From timesheet to a better bid
The whole point of tracking hours is to close the loop. After the job, compare the hours on your timesheet against the labor you estimated. If you bid 80 hours of carpentry and it took 104, that is a 30% miss you need to bake into the next bid. Feed those real numbers into your contractor hourly rate and profit margin math, and your estimates get sharper with every job instead of repeating the same mistake.
Want your estimates, proposals, and invoices to talk to each other instead of living in separate spreadsheets? Try EstimationPro free to create detailed estimates, send polished proposals, automate follow-up so more bids turn into jobs, and invoice when the work is done.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter Job and Week Info
Add your company name, the project or job name, the week ending date, and the foreman who approves hours. Tying hours to a specific job is what lets you compare actual labor against your estimate later.
Log Daily Hours for Each Worker
Add each crew member by name and trade, then enter hours worked Monday through Sunday. Click "+ Add employee" for more rows. The template totals weekly hours per worker automatically.
Review Overtime and Labor Cost
Enter each worker's hourly rate. The template splits regular and overtime hours (1.5x over 40 per week) and calculates gross labor cost for the whole crew, so you see the real number before payroll runs.
Print, Copy, or Approve
Click Print for a clean timesheet to sign and file, or Copy to Clipboard to paste into payroll or an email. Have the foreman approve hours every week before they hit payroll.
Free to Embed on Your Website
Add this calculator to your blog, resource page, or client portal — just copy one line of code. Your visitors get a useful tool, you get more engagement.
EstimationPro AI For Contractors, By Contractors Go Beyond Templates With AI-Powered Estimates
Templates are a start. EstimationPro generates complete, customized estimates from your project details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a construction timesheet?
A construction timesheet is a record of the hours each worker spends on a job over a pay period, usually a week. It captures daily hours by employee and trade, splits regular from overtime hours, and ties labor to a specific project. Contractors use timesheets to run payroll, back up time-and-materials billing, and compare actual labor against the estimate. A clean timesheet is also your evidence if a worker ever disputes their pay.
How do contractors track overtime on a timesheet?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt workers earn 1.5x their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. This template applies that rule automatically: anything past 40 hours shows as overtime. Some states go further. California, Alaska, Nevada, and a few others require daily overtime after 8 hours, and California requires double time after 12. Always check your state labor rules before running payroll, because federal is the floor, not the ceiling.
How do I price labor for a job using crew hours?
Take the hours from your timesheet and multiply by each worker's burdened rate, not just their base wage. Burden adds payroll taxes, workers comp, insurance, and benefits, which usually runs 25-40% over the base wage. Use the burdened labor rate calculator to find your true cost per hour, then the labor cost calculator to price the full job. Building bids off real burdened cost is how you stop losing money on labor.
How long should a contractor keep timesheets?
Keep payroll and time records for at least 3 years under the FLSA, and many accountants recommend 4 years to cover IRS payroll tax rules. If a timesheet supports a time-and-materials invoice or a change order, keep it as long as you keep that job's file, ideally the length of your state's statute of limitations for contract disputes. Storage is cheap. A wage claim with no records is not.
Can I use this timesheet for time-and-materials billing?
Yes. A signed timesheet is the backbone of a clean time and materials invoice. When you bill T&M, the owner is paying for actual hours, so your records have to hold up. Track each worker by name, trade, and daily hours, get the foreman to sign off, and your invoice will match your timesheet line for line. That alignment is what gets T&M invoices approved without a fight.
What is the difference between a timesheet and a daily log?
A timesheet tracks who worked and for how long, so you can run payroll and price labor. A daily construction log documents what happened on site: weather, work completed, deliveries, inspections, and delays. They overlap on crew hours, but they serve different jobs. Smart contractors keep both, because together they tell the full story of a project if anything ever gets disputed.
Related Tools and Templates
Last updated: 2026-06-26
- Burdened Labor Rate Calculator - Find your true cost per hour with taxes, insurance, and benefits
- Labor Cost Calculator - Price total labor for a job from hours and rates
- Contractor Hourly Rate Calculator - Set the rate you should charge to hit your income goal
- Time & Materials Invoice Template - Turn approved hours into a clean T&M invoice
- Daily Construction Log Template - Document weather, crew, work, and delays each day
- How to Estimate Construction Jobs: A Step-by-Step System
Why Contractors Choose EstimationPro AI
Estimates in 60 Seconds
AI generates detailed, line-item estimates from basic project details. No more hours on spreadsheets.
Accurate Pricing Data
Built on real contractor pricing and industry cost databases, updated for 2026 market conditions.
Professional Proposals
Send polished PDF estimates with your branding. Clients see a professional contractor they can trust.
Get Paid Faster
Built-in invoicing and Stripe payments. Collect deposits and progress payments directly from estimates.
Related Free Tools
Bid Template
Generate a professional construction bid template. Fill in your project details, line items, and terms to create a downloadable bid document.
Concrete Template
Generate a professional concrete estimate template. Add base, rebar, ready-mix, forms, and finishing labor for a complete concrete bid document.
Deck Template
Generate a professional deck estimate template. Add footings, framing, decking, railing, stairs, and finishing labor for a complete deck bid document.
Drywall Template
Generate a professional drywall estimate template. Add board, tape, mud, corner bead, texture, and finish labor for a complete drywall bid document.
Flooring Template
Generate a professional flooring estimate template. Add tear-out, subfloor prep, underlayment, material, and install labor for a complete flooring bid.
Kitchen Estimate
Generate a professional kitchen remodel estimate. Add cabinets, countertops, appliances, plumbing, flooring, and labor for a complete kitchen bid.
Bathroom Estimate
Generate a professional bathroom remodel estimate. Add demo, plumbing, tile, vanity, fixtures, and labor for a complete bathroom bid.
Plumbing Template
Generate a professional plumbing estimate template. Add fixtures, pipe runs, labor hours, and materials for a complete plumbing bid.
Generate a full estimate for this same job in 90 seconds.
Snap photos, talk through the scope, drop in your notes. The AI builds line items, labor hours, and a timeline you can send to the client.