Few questions around Timesheets.

**northernladuk** · 19 August 2018, 10:25

Something is not right here. Why is your accountant producing your invoices for you?

You get an invoice template (I smell another post coming though) put 5 days @ £xxx days between x date and y date and send it in. I'd be a bit worried if your accountant is running your company for you. Could be a bit close to and MSC.

You don't need a second time sheet and if you did want one for your records it can say anything it wants so don't get all upset about the wording if you are struggling.

Consider getting yourself a new accountant. If you get one with FA the invoice templates are all in there so nice and easy.

**andyg** · 19 August 2018, 10:49

This is what I do

Originally posted by firstTimeNewbie View Post

Hey all,

First Time Contractor here, no experience of using Timesheets before at previous Permie companies. Searched this forum and couldn't find what I'm looking for so asking here...

My Client has their own timesheet system via Kimble @ Salesforce. (Anyone using that by any chance?).

I will need to fill that in. As I'm operating via my own private ltd company, should I also have my own Timesheet system (i.e. produce my own timesheet?)

Then that would mean I will need to complete 2 timesheets? Would this be common practice? Or can I just print out client's system timesheet and use that? (My accountancy need it for producing an Invoice at my end).

And if I do produce my own timesheets and not/or use clients then I have the following questions...

Timesheet contents questions
Also, I've tried to grab some timesheet templates online but most of them seem to be for Employees? They have a field in the timesheet where I need to put Employee's name. I guess I put my own name there? Some timesheets I see online also have a "Supervisors" field. What shall I put in that field? As this timesheet, I am planning to use as a record for my own Ltd company - Shall I also put my own name there?

I shouldn't put a name from my client there as Supervisor as I'm a contractor so shouldn't have a supervisor?

I've already asked my accountancy but I haven't any concrete detailed specific answers from them.

Thanks in advance

At my current gig the agency have a timesheet system that I have access to as does the end client. The end client allocate one of three people authorised to electronically sign-off the timesheet. I fill in the timesheet according to either a quarter, half, or full worked day. At the end of the working week I complete the agency timesheet, it gets signed of by one of the three signatories, and I receive an email from the agency to state that said timesheet has been authorised. Every two weeks I create a sales invoice, from my Ltd Co, using Exel and email to the agency for the amount of days I have completed over the prior two weeks (I invoice every two weeks as per the contract signed between my Ltd CO and the agency). My accountant has no involvement whatsoever, and why should they, and I do not create a timesheet as there is no reqt to do so.

**yMyjgT** · 19 August 2018, 10:54

Is your contract inside or outside IR35?

Your client will probably need to you fill in a timesheet for them.
Your agency will possibly also ask for one to be filled in for them.
Your accountant should not need one. He needs to know how much you're invoicing for, but doesn't really care how many days work you do each month.
You don't need your own "timesheet" as such, though you should record/log your time spent working for the client somehow.

I've heard of some accountants producing invoices for contractors....always sounded a bit odd to me. For something so simple, you should produce them yourself, and send them to the agency yourself.

**firstTimeNewbie** · 19 August 2018, 11:22

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Something is not right here. Why is your accountant producing your invoices for you?

You get an invoice template (I smell another post coming though) put 5 days @ £xxx days between x date and y date and send it in. I'd be a bit worried if your accountant is running your company for you. Could be a bit close to and MSC.

You don't need a second time sheet and if you did want one for your records it can say anything it wants so don't get all upset about the wording if you are struggling.

Consider getting yourself a new accountant. If you get one with FA the invoice templates are all in there so nice and easy.

My accountant provides a service where they generate an invoice and issue to my client on my behalf. They also offered me the option to do it myself.
I chose to get them to do it as a first-time contractor I've never done these invoicing stuff before and I wanted to concentrate on my work.

You're probably right. They're probably very close to an MSC. Accountancy is probably one of many services they provide. They also provide IR35 services to me (contract reviews, assessment etc, and all that stuff), and also insurances.

I chose them in the end as they provide all those in one place, relieve me of the legwork I needed to do as if I was doing it all myself.

**firstTimeNewbie** · 19 August 2018, 11:25

Originally posted by yMyjgT View Post

Is your contract inside or outside IR35?

Your client will probably need to you fill in a timesheet for them.
Your agency will possibly also ask for one to be filled in for them.
Your accountant should not need one. He needs to know how much you're invoicing for, but doesn't really care how many days work you do each month.
You don't need your own "timesheet" as such, though you should record/log your time spent working for the client somehow.

I've heard of some accountants producing invoices for contractors....always sounded a bit odd to me. For something so simple, you should produce them yourself, and send them to the agency yourself.

The contract is outside IR35.
I won the contract via a recruitment agency but I've been told I need to deal directly with the client in terms of invoicing as this Client has a special relationship with the Agency.

Yeah, my accountant said he doesn't need one. He said either a timesheet/or remittance information will do, in order for them to generate an invoice. So yeah, i guess he just using the timesheet to get information on how much to invoice for.

**northernladuk** · 19 August 2018, 11:38

Time to step up and take control of your own business. Filling an invoice in once a mont and mailing it off isn't difficult. Sounds like it's causing you more hassle trying to sort this than it would be to do it yourself to be honest.

**firstTimeNewbie** · 19 August 2018, 11:51

maybe. as a first timer, I wanted to get all the help I possibly could as I'm still learning my way through this. No doubt, in future, if it turns out on reflection that it will be easier to do things myself then sure I will start to do it myself.

**firstTimeNewbie** · 19 August 2018, 11:54

strangely my thread has turned into a debate around invoicing rather than about timesheet specifics (my original post). but I guess those two are closely related.

**malvolio** · 19 August 2018, 12:38

Originally posted by firstTimeNewbie View Post

strangely my thread has turned into a debate around invoicing rather than about timesheet specifics (my original post). but I guess those two are closely related.

You're making one major mistake. Your "work" is being a contractor providing skills, not being a worker. There are plenty of guides to explain how it all works - both in this site and the Guide to Freelancing at www.ipse.co.uk, so go and read them. At some point you will have to make your own decisions, so it['s as well to have enough understanding to do so.

To answer the original question, the timesheet proves to your client (and indirectly the agency if there is one) that you have done work. As long as you invoice for the agreed rate for that time worked, then that's all you need to worry about as far as time recording is concerned.

But right now you have no idea how much you don't know. Leaving it to others is a bad idea.

HTH

Few questions around Timesheets.