software or web based apps to manage contractors?

Question

Does anyone have suggestions?  I'm looking for a task management and timecard tracking application to make sure contractors are as productive as possible ;-)

J Scott · Answer

I was going to say exactly what @Shane Woods said above...

As a 1099 entity, your contractors have the right to define their own hours (within certain parameters), use subs if they want, define how they'll get the job completed, etc.  If you have control over these things, you have an employee, not a contractor, and you'll be on the hook for employer taxes/withholding and potentially workers comp insurance requirements...among other things...

Shane Woods · Answer

Hey @Dan Shoemaker ,

I'm not a lawyer, but be VERY careful trying to "track" "contractors" that closely.  I put these words in  quotes because the IRS and Dept of Labor and several other Govt entities will see your "contractor" as an employee of your company if you "track" them in the way I think you're referring to.  The laws are kinda hard to read through, but the essence is, if you have to "babysit" them, which can include time tracking, they're "employees" in the eyes of the law.  Which means you could eventually be liable in any kind of  on the job injury, and/or Employer-paid tax obligations on their pay.

J Scott · Answer

I use Excel spreadsheets for pretty much everything -- task lists, scheduling and tracking schedules, budgeting and tracking budgets, etc.

I've found that it's generally pretty difficult to schedule out past about 2 weeks, as things slip (or get pulled in), new things crop up and there are often little dependencies that are difficult to predict.  This is definitely more of an issue for rehabs than for new construction, but even new construction has lots of of unpredictability -- from weather impact to unpredictable city inspectors.

I have a well-defined scheduling order for all my rehabs (see the BiggerPockets books for more details), and then I will generally keep my contractors formally scheduled for 1-2 weeks out at any given time (again, tracked with custom spreadsheets).

Dan Shoemaker · Answer

Thanks for the input guys!

Yet, I have to believe that General Contractors who use contractors to complete bigger construction projects (like building a Wal-Mart or highway construction) use SOME type of project management software to keep everything on time and on track...  Maybe something other than actual "timeclock" management, perhaps?

@J  Scott , what do you use to keep your projects on their original timeline?

Shane Woods · Answer

Ha I beat you to it.  That was my goal.  Where do you think I learned that?  :)

Somewhere you actually posted a link to the govt site with the laws spelled out.  I had a slow day at work, so I got some coffee, closed my door, and dove in.  It's really interesting how they write the definitions and then provide examples of what would be construed as an employee, regardless of 1099 status - as you explained above.

Jean Norton · Answer

If you're lucky, your contractor is a business man and you can treat them as a professional.  This was my experience only once.

software or web based apps to manage contractors?

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