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Advice for Successful Grant Management for Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit Timekeeping for Your Organization

The weak link

Managing grant dollars is one of the weakest links in the grant process chain. Directors tend to have detailed and documented process of researching and developing grant proposals. But frequently, that is where the process stops. Unfortunately, the inability of nonprofits to manage grant funds successfully with nonprofit timekeeping software is the single most important reason why a funder may not fund them in the second or third year. Tracking employee hours and timesheet entries by projects and grants can help with these lingering issues. Locate an automated time tracking software for your employees to track hours and manage projects. With an online solution, you'll be able to gain instant access into how much time your volunteers and employees are spending supporting each grant and lower level items to be tracked.

Track and document everything

Most government grants require significant documentation of all expenditures related to grants. Grant giving organizations require recipients to submit detailed supporting documents before grant payments are made. An employee time card tracking system that has the capacity to automatically generate grant reimbursements based on grant activity not only saves time but improves accuracy. Employee time clock software should include a business rule that requires employees capture all time worked on grand and "non-grant" related activities.

Understand indirect costs

Grants come with indirect costs. Understand whether operating funds for administrative burdens will be covered or if you need to dig up additional funding. Ask your team if your organization is prepared to reallocate its administrative budget to cover the cost and if so for how long. Cost allocation will allow your organization to share overhead expenses across different programs. A good timekeeping solution will include time off requests, real time data capture, and a means to track overhead costs. Look for a solution that includes the ability to track volunteer hours using a mobile app for no additional fees.

Know your stuff

Essential to successful grant management is understanding and adherence to regulations related to grant management. Regulatory compliance starts with federal guides for Cost Principles and Auditing from the Office of Budget and Management. These regulations impact state and local government grants and sets models of best practices for foundation and other private grantors. Utilize the built-in business rules in your timekeeping software to aid with specific regulations. Features like audit logs, daily reminders, online approvals all help your organization achieve compliance.

Staying on Schedule

Being able to quickly see what is coming up or quickly see a high-level view is critical to keeping the process running smoothly. SaaS based employee scheduling solutions can be utilized to track important deadlines and send email reminders of deadlines when they are approaching. This can be a great time-saver for the person who is organizing all the elements of a grant proposal and responsible for the final submission.

Bottom Line

Hour Timesheet can help you with all of the above items. Call or email now to see a demo at your convenience

  1. Employee timesheet software
  2. Hour Tracking
  3. Leave Management
  4. Online approvals
  5. Email reminders and alerts
  6. Real-time reporting

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Start your 30-day free trail

Additional Resources

Nonprofits and Labor Laws

Managing Nonprofit Employees

Breaking down your nonprofit's obligation to pay overtime

$3/user. NO setup Fees. NO support fees. NO contract.

Employee Leave Management

Hour Timesheet

Employee Leave Management

People are an important resource of any business. Unauthorized absenteeism, lack of proper time/holiday planning, affect the overall efficiency of any organization. Many leave related issues can be addressed by using an automated leave tracking software such as Hour Timesheet.

A uniform application of leave policies and accurately tracking leave balances, can lead to greater employee satisfaction and enables organizations to engage employees better.

A complex leave management software solution can be utilized to automate time off request as well as real-time access to paid leave such as holiday, sick, vacation or comp time. Benefits of an online leave management system include the following:

  • All employees are able to apply or leave request in a central location
  • Aids user by having online access to leave balance data and leave transactions
  • Communication and enforcement of all company leave policies
  • Enhanced manager insight - supervisors and HR manager receives email alerts when employees request and use leave
  • Eliminate manual calculations of leave balances and paper-based leave request.
  • System-managed carry-over values from year to year.
  • System managed ceiling for each type of leave

Implementing the right employee leave management solution will significantly reduce work by the HR team as well as well as employees. Centralized business processes will reduce the time and effort spent by HR on maintaining accurate leave records in Microsoft Excel or by hand.

Hour Timesheet Leave Management Types

Earned Leave - Leave hours are earned based on the number of hours worked on the employee timesheet.

Accrued Leave - Leave hours are accrued based on the employee's hire date. Accrual options are weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly and monthly.

Employee Leave Management Features

  • Balance is reduced after timesheet is submitted at the end of each timesheet period.
  • User receives error message upon entering time that exceeds current balance.
  • User may be allowed to “go into the negative” if feature is configured.
  • System will stop accruing leave once limit “ceiling” is reached.
  • System will reset balance to “carry-over” value each year.
  • Balance will reflect manual adjustments (if any).

For more information on employee leave management, visit our leave management website page or visit us in the QuickBooks marketplace listing.

Additional Resources

Ten states and Washington D.C. currently require paid sick leave
The Family and Medical Leave Act

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Software

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Software

Having been in the industry for over 25 years, there are a number of key topics that continue to come up when talking with a government contractor about DCAA timekeeping requirements.  One common theme I hear time and time again is centered around managing correction previously entered time entries as well as enabling someone other than an employee to update an employee's timesheet. There are many sources on the web and in your google searches that are willing to charge you for FAR training, consulting fees or "compliant bookkeeping. Go ahead, do a little "google research" or just ask one of our many referral partners.

Advice from the experts

Everything needs to be tracked - Time spent on overhead tasks, bid and proposals, training, leave (paid or unpaid) and yes, even uncompensated time should be recorded on a timesheet. Bottom line, all hours worked by employees are required to be tracked by a companies timesheet software.

Timekeeping isn't just for hourly employees -Employees working on contract and in the corporate office need to track hours. This includes salaried and hourly employees. This includes both labor cost and indirect labor cost (overhead, G&A, B&P)

Corrections on timesheets are okay - Budgets change, mistakes are made, people forget.. that's why documented timekeeping procedures that include a correction process is imperative.

Audit logs are the key - With the internet, all things are possible. Anywhere. Anytime. A detailed audit trail real time edits to all timesheet entries. The time, the place as well as the details.

Do practice floor checks - let your employees know what to expect in the event that the defense contract audit agency does to a floor. Quarterly planned practice floor checks will put your employees at ease.

Just saying it doesn't make it true - Any software can claim that their software meets dcaa compliance and FAR regulations but we don't just say it. We guarantee it. Our experts of 20+ years will make sure!

Additional Resources

Measure Costs Right: Make the Right Decisions

How To Calculate And Track Overhead Costs

How do I Calculate Overhead Costs?

Federal Acquisition Regulation Full Download

Federal Timekeeping Policies for Government Contractors (chron.com)

Record-keeping Requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act

Top 5 Advantages of Using A QuickBooks Cloud Hosting Service Provider

QuickBooks cloud hosting services make sense for a small business today

INDUSTRY ACCEPTED PRACTICE 

The practice of accessing your QuickBooks account data file using a 3rd party service or cloud server has finally been accepted as an alternative to the costly expense of building and maintaining IT infrastructure. “Hosting” QuickBooks desktop means that a hosting service installs and manages the QuickBooks software and the company data files on their own cloud-based servers. With a cloud/hosted virtual desktop server, you gain access to your company file from any PC, Mac, iPad, or mobile device 24/7 in a multi user environment.

REMOTE ACCESS

As your business grows, more users will likely need access to the company QuickBooks data. Businesses with multiple locations or a mobile workforce find that centralized access to data allows users to function as though they were all in the same office. Being able to access the QuickBooks file via the Internet allows users to work in a single company file anywhere anytime.

ELIMINATES IT COSTS

By choosing the a remote hosting option, you don’t incur any upfront hardware or software costs (other than the cost of QuickBooks licenses). Instead, you pay the QuickBooks hosting company a monthly fee per user to take care of things for you. Most providers will manage the data, software updates, upgrades, and equipment, as well as provide first level technical support their clients.

BETTER USER EXPERIENCE

Users experience more efficient and effective collaboration with simultaneous access available to multiple users. Accounting professionals can work on client files seamlessly sharing data with the client even as the client may be working in the system.

SAFE & SECURE

Cloud/hosting service providers follow stringent security measures to ensure full safety for your QuickBooks data file. Most data centers provide 24/7 security and extreme care in disaster planning such as fire detection, backups, diesel generators and biometric security.

And of course...Hour Timesheet works great on your desktop or in the cloud. Come try our simple QuickBooks 1-click data sync today. Years of experience at your fingertips.

Versions of QuickBooks Available in the Cloud:

  • Pro Premier
  • QuickBooks Pro
  • Enterprise

Top Providers:

Right Networks,
Swizznet,
Infinitely Virtual

Free Trial

$3/user with NO setup Fees, NO support fees and NO contract.

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Why Your Organization Needs Online Timekeeping Software

Why Your Organization Needs Cloud-based Timekeeping Software

Managing employee timekeeping software can be huge headache for any company

But... it doesn’t have to be. A good solution such as Hour Timesheet can eliminate the frustrations that accompany timekeeping by automating the processes associated to payroll and billing. Most businesses already use an automated payroll service, but many are slow to navigate to automated time card solutions.

Below are the top advantages of switching to an automated timekeeping solution.

Saves time

The most basic benefit to your business is that less time will be spent, both by employees and your accounting staff, tracking, recording and processing time spent working each day. Some businesses have reported cutting their time calculating payroll each month by up to 70 after implementing employee time tracking software%.

Makes your business scale-able

Manual time entry may work, in some respects, for your business now. If you expect your business to grow, you’ll want a time tracking system that can grow with you as you hire more employees and have more information to track and automatically sync with your payroll software.

It’s the law

State and federal labor laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, regulates things like overtime pay and record keeping, both of which can be problematic with the wrong solution. Employers are required to accurately record the hours worked by nonexempt employees and to pay them for all time worked. These requirements appear straightforward. In practice, however, capturing the time worked by employees can be difficult, making accurate payment of wages a challenge. Using an online solution such as Hour Timesheet helps your organization stay within the law.

Reduces errors

Every company has had issues at one time or another when it comes to employees not receiving the proper amount of pay. Wage and hour lawsuits, particularly those claiming that employees were not compensated for all hours worked, are one of the most common types of lawsuits brought by employees against employers. With Hour Timesheet, employees submit each timesheet which includes a detailed audit trail of all timesheet activity.

Increases profits

The bottom line for any business is to be profitable, and businesses are constantly looking for a way to cut costs and increase profits. When they have an automated employee timekeeping software solution, they are better able to understand the company workflow, and see where there are any problems that need to be addressed.

Promotes communication

Many employees get nervous when they hear their company is going to implement a policy of track time and work progress using an online timekeeping software solution. They hear the word “tracking”, and automatically feel as if they are being constantly watched. Employers need to make sure that their employees realize the reasons for having time timekeeping software. It is about payroll issues, tracking projects and tasks, client billing, and cutting expenses. These are things they can understand.

Increases visibility

The right timekeeping software solution has the capability to help employees to better capture work hours online against projects, while giving managers visibility into the employee’s work day as well as estimating projects and overall project management. In addition, companies who hire contractors or have a remote workforce can keep costs down while ensuring accountability. Business owners and managers can see the overall picture of time spent on a project, which can help them re-prioritize or streamline processes, or pull additional resources to a project that needs more attention.

Happier Employees

Automated timekeeping software makes employees happier because a hassle free solution guarantees timely and accurate pay. Employees gain secure access to their personal data, hours worked, and historical data in real time on a supported time clock, on a mobile app or on the web. This makes it easier for employees to access information without having to go through the human resources or accounting department. Employees feel empowered when they have access to their own information, and that level of empowerment can lead to increased satisfaction on the job.

Additional Resources

QuickBooks Desktop App Listing

QuickBooks Online App Listing

iOS App Store Listing (Apple Devices)

Android App Store Listing

Schedule A Call

QuickBooks Timesheet Integration

Why Use Hour Timesheet

Instead of the QuickBooks Timesheet feature?

Detailed audit trail of all timesheet entries. Hour Timesheet contains an activity log that tracks each entry made to the employee time card. The QuickBooks Online time card feature does not.

Multiple supervisor signatures. Hour Timesheet allows for more than one supervisor to sign or approve each time card. Employees in a cross functional (matrix) organization can have each manager approve or reject each timesheet. The QuickBooks timesheet feature does not.

Authorized charges. Hour Timesheet includes the ability to limit employees to only see charge codes they are authorized to record hours worked against. Limiting what the employee can see on the timesheet eliminates the possibility of employees charging to unauthorized codes. The QuickBooks timesheet feature does not.

Reason required. Employees and contractors who don't log time worked daily can be prompted to enter a reason for the tardy entry. Hour Timesheet also requires the user to enter a reason for editing previously entered time on a timesheet The QuickBooks timesheet feature does not.

Correction timesheet process. Hour Timesheet includes a correction time tracking process providing alerts (emails) to supervisors and site admins when correction timesheet data is created.  This feature assures that payroll is notified of any changes that effects payroll cost from prior payroll periods. The QuickBooks timesheet feature does not.

DCAA Compliant. Hour Timesheet is a fully featured software app that checks all of the boxes for DCAA compliance for both small businesses and large. The QuickBooks timesheet feature does not.

Visit our listing in the Intuit Marketplace

QuickBooks Online   |   QuickBooks Desktop

Data Integration with QuickBooks Timesheet

With a click of a button Hour Timesheet syncs all of your QuickBooks Timesheet data to/from QuickBooks. Enter new employees, job codes, service items and class list in QuickBooks and use the sync tool to populate the same data into Hour Timesheet. Once time cards are submitted and approved by supervisors, all employee time data is populated back into QuickBooks Timesheet entries.

Question? What kind of data does the Web Connector sync with Hour Timesheet?

Answer: Employee List, Vendors (1099's), Customers & Jobs, Payroll Items, Service Items, Classes

Enter data ONCE in QuickBooks. Use the import tool inside Hour Timesheet to populate your site.  The import tool can be used to update your data ANYTIME you add new data to QuickBooks.

After timesheets are completed, Hour Timesheet will import the data back into your company QuickBooks file by using the import tool as an admin from within Hour Timesheet.

Question: What does Hour Timesheet Send to QuickBooks?

Answer: The Timesheet Export process will populate the weekly time cards in your company QuickBooks file with the following data.

Employee Name, Date of Entry, Hours by Day/date, Customer, Job, Service Item, Class, and Payroll Item charged to on timesheet.

Free 30-day trial

$3/user with NO setup Fees, NO support fees and NO contract.

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DCAA Approved Timekeeping System

DCAA Approved Timekeeping System

Is Your Company Ready?

Most likely, your answer to this question is, “I don’t know”. It's often the case that a company thinks maybe they could be ready for a DCAA audit, but has little confidence that they would pass. On the other end of the spectrum, are you a company who thinks you're definitely ready for DCAA because you have an expensive or robust accounting and/or timekeeping system?

Unfortunately, if you never had DCAA in your office before, then you probably are not ready, regardless of your systems.

Contrary to what you may have heard, you cannot “buy” a DCAA-approved accounting system. No accounting or timekeeping system has ever, or will ever, receive DCAA’s stamp of approval. As a government agency, they will not endorse a product in that manner. In addition, DCAA never “approves” your systems anyway. Instead, they test your end to end system, policies and procedures and determine if it is “adequate”. In a nutshell, they want to make sure that you walk the talk and you do it according to regulation.

How can you prepare for an Audit?

Test yourself

Internal audits (or as we call them “mock audits”) are an ideal way for you to determine where your gaps are and correct those gaps. They are also great to get you ready for an audit as practice. Having an outside party review your accounting system, timekeeping system, chart of accounts, policies and procedures, then test you on those, is the only way to ensure you are ready. Without such a test, you are walking into the battlefield blind. -  Arrowhead Solutions, LLC,

What do they test (or look for)

  • Daily time entry for every employee
  • Are all employees capturing all hours worked (paid and unpaid)
  • A detailed audit log or audit trail of every entry made to the employees time card
  • A system that tracks time by project or job codes
  • The ability to capture both direct labor cost and indirect labor cost
  • Supervisor submissions and approvals
  • Documented timekeeping procedures
  • All time worked (on government contracts) and overhead

Read similar post about DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Practices

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Key Requirements

Advice from the Experts

Tired of Deltek Timesheets?

For more information becoming a referral partner, visit our partner or visit us in the QuickBooks marketplace listing.

Referral Partner Listing

DCAA Assist

Arrowhead Solutions

Edward Moore

Gov-Con Solutions

ReliAscent

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Checklist

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Checklist

Best practices

Timekeeping continues to be a hot item for government contractors including DCAA Compliance. Adequate timekeeping practices are crucial to successfully securing or maintaining a government contract accounting system. Often deficient timekeeping is the reason for failing a DCAA (defense contract audit agency) audits.

The timekeeping system or procedures must be documented in a timekeeping policy or procedure provided to all employees.

All of the key elements of an adequate time keeping and compliant accounting system must be addressed.

Every employee must record their time daily.

Recording time in advance or days after the fact such as at the end of the week is not acceptable.

All time must be charged

Time must be charged by day and by project and/or indirect accounts. This includes direct labor cost, indirect labor cost and uncompensated overtime.

Employees must record all indirect time.

Hours not identifiable to a given project must be charged to a proper indirect cost account.

All employee leave time must be recorded.

Employees must record all vacation, sick, holiday and other leave time to the proper accounts.

Job codes that appear in the system should be initiated by finance or the system administrator.

Job codes must be provided to employees authorized to work on a given project.

Under no circumstance may personnel work on one project and record time to a different project.

Under no circumstance may personnel work on indirect tasks and record time as direct costs to a project or vice versa.

Corrections are approved by the employee’s supervisor.

Under unusual circumstances where the employee cannot make the changes to timesheet, the accountant or administrator may make such changes with the employee’s consent.

All employee time must be signed by the employee.

All employee time must be approved by the employee’s supervisor.

All employees should be provided at least documented time keeping training awareness.

Periodic monitoring of compliance with time tracking requirements should be conducted by "practice" dcaa audits or floor checks.

Time sheets and all corrections must be maintained for a period of at least 2 years.

However, project records under a government contract must be maintained for audit purposes for a period of three years after final payment. The requirements for record retention are contained in FAR Subpart 4.7.

Hour Timesheet includes all the features for a dcaa compliant time tracking software for both small businesses and large. Employee timesheets are in the cloud are are available real time with an online approval timesheet process for supervisors.

Get Started

Check out more about DCAA Compliant Timekeeping @ Edward D. Moore, CPA dcaaConsulting LLC

Hour Timesheet Partner Listing

DCAA Assist

Arrowhead Solutions

Edward Moore

Gov-Con Solutions

ReliAscent

Read similar post about DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Practices

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Key Requirements

Advice from the Experts

Tired of Deltek Timesheets?

DCAA Compliant Timekeeping Software

Hour Timesheet


Simple Timekeeping Software

Hour Timesheet - Employee Time Card Features

Timesheet Sections The “My Timesheet” can be subdivided into 4 sections

  1. Clock In/Clock Out – this section is OPTIONAL
  2. Hours Worked – this section is required for QuickBooks timesheet integration
  3. Notes/Summary – section for entering daily hours worked notes or viewing leave balance data or timesheet summary overview.
  4. Timesheet Audit Log – non-editable activity log of all entries on the employee timesheet.

Section 1. Clock In/Clock Out

This section is auto populated with employee who clock in/out utilizing the web clock on the Hour Timesheet login page. Daily hours are totaled by calculating the time between “clocked in” and “clocked out”. A user may have as many in/out pairs as required. This feature is optional and is hidden by default if no values are present in the in/out section of the timesheet.

Section 2. Adding Work Hours and Leave Hours

  • Adding Work Hours - this section contains a set of drop down boxes that are available once the user clicks the “Add Work Hours” button on the timesheet. These codes are referred to as “Employee Authorized Charges”. These selections are designed limited to codes each user is “authorized” to use when charging time on the timesheet.
  • Adding Leave Hours - this section contains a set of drop down boxes that are available once the user clicks the “Add Leave Hours” button on the timesheet. These codes are the leave types that are available to each user of Hour Timesheet.
  • Copy Previous Timesheet Codes – this feature allows the user to copy the codes from the previous timesheet period to the current period.

Section 3. Timesheet Notes/Hours Summary/Leave Balance

  • Adding Notes – there are two types of notes that may be entered in the timesheet. General notes are notes that apply to the entire timesheet. Daily hours worked notes apply to the single entry of time entered for a specific authorized charge code on a specific day.
  • Hours Summary – This graphic shows the breakdown of hours worked on the current timesheet divided into the following categories 1) Regular Hours 2) Leave Hours 3) Overtime Hours
  • Leave Balances – Displays the current leave balance for each employee.

Section 4. Timesheet Audit Log

This section of the timesheet is auto populated with each entry into the employee timesheet. The audit trail captures the username of the person who made the timesheet entry, the IP address of the person who made the entry along with a time and date stamp of the entry made. The audit trail is not editable.

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