Job Costing & Hour Timesheet

What is cost accounting? What are its objectives?

Are you finding it difficult to manage your expenses? You might be well aware that to run a business successfully, it is important to know to control your expenses. For this purpose, it’s important you keep a record of all your operating costs. This is where cost accounting comes into the picture. If you are wondering, how cost accounting is beneficial for your business, then you need to continue reading.

Modern methods of cost accounting first emerged in the manufacturing industries, though its advantages helped it spread quickly to other sectors. For many firms, cost accounting helps create and measure business strategy in a more organic way.

Cost accounting is distinct and separate from general financial accounting, which is regulated by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and is critical for creating financial statements. Instead, cost accounting aims to report, analyze and lead to the improvement of inter-business cost control and efficiency. Cost accounting is a system of operational analysis for management.

Cost Accounting Defined

Cost Accountancy is the process of accounting for cost. It begins with the recording of expenditure and ends with the preparation of statistical data. Cost Accounting is a formal mechanism of ascertaining and controlling the costs of products or services.

It is thus helpful to the management in decision making which also requires the costing information. However, if a firm keeps cost and financial accounts separately then their reconciliation is also necessary so as to verify the accuracy of both sets of accounts.

Cost accounting is also used for control purposes and guidance to management. It involves the ascertainment of the cost of every job, order, product, process or service.

Objectives of Cost Accounting

Determination of Cost
Basis for fixing selling prices
Cost Control
Cost Reduction
Identifies and eliminates wastes like material, expenses, equipment, tools and so forth.
Ensures optimum utilization of resources
To correctly analyze the cost of both the process and operations.
Determination of the profitability of each of the products and help management in the maximization of these profits.
Help in the preparation of budgets and implementation of budgetary control.
Aid management in the formulation and implementation of incentive bonus plans on the basis of productivity and cost savings.

Functions of Cost Accounting

Bookkeeping - Bookkeeping involves recording of cost according to pre-arranged or predetermined classification.
Cost Control - The cost control is exercised through cost collection, cost analysis, cost presentation and cost interpretation.
Cost Analysis - Cost Analysis deals with determination of different relationship between cost and various determinants of costs.
Cost Comparison - The cost of alternative products, activities, methods or areas is compared in the field of production or distribution.
Cost Planning - Cost planning involves the accounting of all costs in the records in a proper manner.
Cost Finding - Cost finding is the measurement or estimation of different products, departments or other segments of the company’s operations.

Summary

In every business, pre-planning your business strategy is crucial. Without a proper idea of the financial state of the organization, the business strategy is incomplete. When you are aware of the costs, you know where the profit margin is lacking. It becomes easier to eliminate the extra cost being incurred and make a better business finance strategy. Also, cost accounting helps you to keep an eye on the increasing costs. If the cost of raw materials is increasing annually, then it allows companies to decide a future course of action to reduce or control the increasing costs. For this purpose, a firm may consider approaching other vendors or decide to manufacture the raw materials themselves. Accordingly, the management can decide on future strategies for the company.

Let Hour Timesheet help you with capturing your job cost today. Try free for 30-days. No credit card required.

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QuickBooks Timesheet & DCAA Compliance

Looking for specific QuickBooks timesheet features & DCAA compliance?

What type of firm needs time tracking software?

Most employers who hire hourly employees need to know the number of hours each employee has worked so that payroll can be calculated properly. Government contractors have have a different set of rules and are required to track time, both hours for exempt and non-exempt employees. Even organizations who only hire salaried employees have a need to track projects or tasks for successful project management. That's why finding the right time and attendance software is critical to your bottom line.

features are key

What to look for when evaluating timekeeping software.

When researching tools, make sure the software that you are evaluating includes the following:

daily reminders
job tracking
online approvals
detailed audit trail
correction time sheet workflow
mobile access (iOS and Google Play)
web clock
integration with your accounting system (QuickBooks Online & QuickBooks Desktop)
knowledge of government contracting and how federal governments contract audit agency dcaa regulations

Work smarter…. not harder.

Are you wasting time and money on the following?

Correcting math errors on hours worked and other time activities
Tracking down late or missing weekly timesheets
Manually entering employee time worked into your accounting and/or payroll file?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, It's time to let today's technology work for you. Intuit and QuickBooks have a marketplace where 3rd party vendors who offer time tracking are listed. Only companies that pass strict guidelines and follow Intuit's partner policies are listed on these sites.

View QuickBooks Online Marketplace Apps here

View QuickBooks Desktop Marketplace Apps here

Hour Timesheet was created for you; with your origination in mind. We have created a simplified solution that captures your complex situations. Give us a try FREE for 30 days. No credit card required. Our experts with over 20 years of industry experience are waiting to hear from you now. Hour Timesheet includes a QuickBooks timesheet import sync that makes your payroll process a snap!

Hour Timesheet can be a perfect tool that will integrate & sync with your QuickBooks Desktop Hosting keeping an eye on your reminders, daily tasks etc. Learn more about add-ons like Office 365 E3 suite for improving your team collaboration.

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Incorporating Analytics in Timekeeping Software

Incorporating Analytics in Timekeeping - clock on desktop with cell phone and notebook

Timekeeping software is an essential part of running an effective and profitable business. The days of employees manually inputting data on time sheets or using paper time cards to log work hours are long gone. Enter digital timekeeping software, which HRMS calls the updated and streamlined version of old-school timekeeping methods. With each employee clocking or swiping into the system automatically each day, today’s timekeeping software is able to collect massive amounts of time and attendance-related employee data in real-time. This is where data analytics enters the picture.

Through the combination of digital time tracking software data and analytics software, any company can plan the deployment of its workforce, administer leave and scheduled time off while managing performance, and calculating payroll more accurately. While the data for all of this has always been there, the help of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled data analytics tools, companies can work towards these tasks much more efficiently and thus, increase over-all profits.

Modern employee time keeping devices are powered by two of the fastest-growing technologies: artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics. These two innovations have already made massive changes in the way several industries operate. In an extensive post by Maryville University on the outlook for data analytics graduates, they note that the top industries to take advantage of analytics by 2020 will be banking, manufacturing, federal/central government, and professional services. Not only that, since more than 5% of Americans are already working from home, you can already say AI- and data analytics-backed businesses are the future.

There’s no denying that digital timekeeping is the next logical step when it comes to fostering business growth no matter the size of the industry. Here at Hour Timesheet we understand how critical it is for employers to gain insights into how much time their employees spend on everyday tasks including breaking down billable hours and accounting for time by projects and tasks. This data lets them see the typical day of an employee, which can help streamline a company's workflow and create more achievable goals while immediately adding real-time analysis to assist with the ability to manage projects and estimate projects .

Good timekeeping software with an intuitive interface also allows managers to take care of employees’ interests allowing employees to track time daily, weekly or hourly online and in real-time. Popular software platforms like Intuit's QuickBooks desktop and online solutions like Hour Timesheet combine timekeeping with accounting software providing timesheet data to automatically sync between the two systems. Not only is it a more affordable way to manage a company’s invoicing and payroll, but it’s also a great way to keep track of an employee’s leave balance history. We recognize the importance of a timekeeping software like Hour Timesheet that can also track leave and work hours online and on a mobile time clock app. This is because it’s more accurate than the typical Excel spreadsheet. A cloud-hosted service time management provider such as Hour Timesheet allows workers to do their jobs remotely, without employers having to worry about tracking their work time, keeping tabs on leave and absence time, and making sure they’re working as efficiently as they would if they were in an office. Any dip in performance can be correlated to the data obtained from the employee timesheets; without this data and subsequent review, analytics in timekeeping software would be useless.

Timekeeping software is a powerful tool that companies must use to improve their overall efficiency. It gives employees more control over the time they spend at work, and allows employers to accurately track how much time is spent on different projects. This allows the company to create a positive culture with an improved work/life balance.

Article solely for the use of hourtimesheet.com

Written by Alicia Clay

Indirect Cost Pools

You Can’t Manage What You Can’t Measure

A key aspect of complying with government regulations is creating processes and utilizing software tools that allow your organization to be compliant. Because we all know you can't manage what you can't measure, it is important to understand the basic categories of your organization's indirect cost pools and to establish a mechanism to efficiently track employee time against these pools.

Direct costs are traceable to the production of a specific good or service. Labor and direct materials, which are used in creating a specific product or service, constitute most direct costs.

Indirect costs are those cost necessary to keep your business in operation. Indirect labor costs make the production of cost objects possible but aren't assigned to a specific product.

Indirect Cost Pools

Overhead - indirect costs incurred that are not direct costs, but that can be attributed to a specific revenue-generating project or job. Any indirect labor or expenses that can be attributed to a certain project can then be distributed across those projects based on the projects’ direct labor hours, direct labor costs, or direct material costs

Fringe costs - include employee related costs including payroll taxes, fringe benefits such as health insurance and compensated absences (vacation, holiday and sick time).

General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses. These are management, financial, and other expenses related to the general management and administration of the business. To be considered a G&A Expense, the expenditure must be incurred by, or allocated to, the general business unit. Examples of G&A Expense include:

Salary and other costs of the executive staff of the corporate or home office.
Salary and other costs of such staff services as legal, accounting, public relations, and financial offices
Selling and marketing expenses

UNUSUAL INDIRECT-COST

Two major types of indirect costs are accounted for in a very unique way in the government contracting environment.

IR&D consists of contractor research and development efforts not performed under contract or grant and not required for the preparation of a specific bid or proposal, either government or commercial. IR&D is funded and managed at the contractor’s discretion from contractor-controlled resources.
B&P is comprised of contractor efforts to prepare, submit, and support bids and proposals, either government or commercial, whether or not the bid is successful.

Contract Type Matters

To recognize the impact that changes in indirect cost rates have on both the contractor and the government, it is vital to understand the various types of contracts used in government work. In some cases, increases in indirect costs are totally or partially paid by the customer.

A cost-reimbursement contract is used when the cost of contract performance cannot be predicted with accuracy, such as in the development of weapons systems.
Cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) contract, the contractor is reimbursed for his actual cost, subject to certain government requirements regarding allowability, plus a negotiated fixed fee.
A cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (CPIF) is a cost-reimbursement contract that provides for a fee that is adjusted by a formula according to the relationship of total allowable costs to target costs. The target cost, target fee, minimum and maximum fee, and the fee-adjustment formula are negotiated at the outset. The fee paid to the contractor is negotiated after contract performance and final actual costs are determined, using the formula and the minimum and maximum fees.

Additional Resources

DEFENSE CONTRACT AUDIT AGENCY INFORMATION FOR CONTRACTORS

Making technology work for you

Making Technology Work For You

Today’s technology moves so fast that it’s not easy to keep up with. It seems like new tools are surfacing every day to help business owners and entrepreneurs save time, money and boost productivity. New technology empowers business owners to achieve what they set out to do and allows them to be creative while maintaining a high level of productivity. Businesses that want to stay relevant know that they must incorporate new technologies into their company’s growth strategy.

The trick to making technology work for you and your team will depend on how it’s integrated. You can use these tips to help your employees to successfully embrace technology:

1. Highlight the Benefits

Technology can do so much to make our lives easier, but the process of learning new technology can still be daunting. To ensure team member buy-in, help them understand the decision to implement new technology. Identify the limitations or problems in the current tools or software. Help your users see how technology could solve these problems. Even though fear is normal in the face of change, we can’t let fear stop us from moving forward.

2. Find Your Champions

There are always employees who readily accept new technology. These are your champions! They can help convince reluctant coworkers where no one else can. Have them be available for questions and training to those who are slower to adopt. Some employees may not be convinced of the benefits of technology until they see someone else do it.

3. Provide Training

Training is critical to the successful adoption of new technology. You must ensure that team members of all levels of technological know-how have the access they need to learn at their own speed. Training can be looked at as a two-step process: You need training from external sources (free at Hour Timesheet), and then you need a core group of internal employees who are comfortable in the new system and can help others if needed.

REASONS YOUR BUSINESS SHOULD EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY

By embracing today’s new technology your company will reap the benefits that keep them ahead of their competitors who fail to embrace technology, including:

Staying connected
Encouraging timely and accurate input
Ability to monitor employee productivity
Improving manager productivity
Improving employee accountability
Access to advanced business reporting and analysis

Additional Links

HTS QuickBooks Online Marketplace Listing

HTS QuickBooks Desktop Marketplace Listing

HTS Android Download Link in Google Play

HTS iOP Download Link in Apple Store

FLSA Timekeeping Requirements

Who does FLSA apply to?

One of the FLSA Timekeeping Requirements is that hourly employees must be paid at least the minimum wage and not less than one and one-half times their regular rates of pay for overtime hours worked.

What are the timekeeping recordkeeping requirements?

Every covered employer must keep certain records for each non-exempt worker. The department of labor requires accurate records. The following is a listing of the basic records that an employer must maintain:

Time and day of week when employee's workweek begins
Time worked each day
Total hours worked each workweek and pay period
Total daily or weekly straight-time hours
Total overtime hours for the workweek

Track Overtime | California Over Time

What type of record should be retained?

Each employer shall preserve for at least three years payroll records, collective bargaining agreements, sales and purchase records. Records on which wage computations are based should be retained for two years, i.e., time cards and piece work tickets, wage rate tables, work and time schedules, and records of additions to or deductions from wages.

What type of timekeeping is best?

Employers may use any timekeeping method they choose. For example, they may use a time clock, have a timekeeper keep track of employee's work hours, or tell their workers to write their own times on the records. Any timekeeping plan is acceptable as long as it is complete and accurate

Android App | Time Tracking Android App | Time Tracker | Leave Management

What about employees on irregular work schedules?

Many employees work on a fixed schedule from which they seldom vary. The employer may keep a record showing the exact schedule of daily and weekly hours and merely indicate that the worker did follow the schedule. When a worker is on a job for a longer or shorter period of time than the schedule shows, the employer must record the number of hours the worker actually worked, on an exception basis.

Are timesheets required by law?

Timesheets are a legal document, which are the source of payroll transactions, and are related to a project, customer invoicing. Timesheets serve as the legal authority to pay an employee. ... For example, the timesheet policy might require that time worked be reported accurately on the date that such work was performed.

Can my boss alter my timesheet?

While falsification of an employee's time sheet can be a serious offense, it isn't illegal for a supervisor or employer to change an employee's time sheet –as long as it reflects the correct hours that were worked.

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Additional Resources

Record-keeping Requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

Tired of Deltek Timesheets?

Okay is Not Okay

Is your firm using a Deltek timesheet software solution for tracking employee time? If so, are you "okay" with its features and functionality?

Stop settling for "okay"! it's time for something better. Hour Timesheet offers you a solution that helps you end the nightmares and headaches that accompany timesheet collection and payroll processing.

Q #1 Are you tired of reminding employees that timesheets are due each labor period?

how about a system that sends daily and weekly timesheet reminders to both employees and supervisors.

Q #2 Are you tired of employees charging to expired charge codes?

how about a system that restricts employees charging to ended charge codes

Q #3 Are you tired lingering unprocessed timesheets from previous timesheet periods?

how about a system that ensures all timesheets are accounted for when processing?

Q #4 Are you tired of workarounds for employees working non-standard schedules?

how about a system that allows employees to open a timesheet with 8-days and is DCAA compliant?

Q #5 Are you tired of employees and supervisors not adhering to company policies?

how about a system that allows you to easily customize and adhere to company, state and contract policies.

Q #6 Are you tired of paying too much for time and attendance software?

how about a system that will provide a simple yet complex time and attendance software solution, while saving you money....guaranteed?

Try Now

Contact us today and if we can't show you in 5 minutes our solution is better than your current Deltek Timesheet "okay" solution...we will give you 3 months free.

Resources

The importance of company polcies

Irregular Work Schedules

The New Standard American Workday

QuickBooks Integration Q&A

Common questions and answers for Hour Timesheet and QuickBooks Integration

Question 1. How does QuickBooks sync data with Hour Timesheet?

Answer. We utilize the Web Connector (provided by QuickBooks) to sync company data between QuickBooks Desktop and Hour Timesheet in real time. The version of QuickBooks Online offers a direct sync between the two systems.

Question 2. What type of data does QuickBooks sync with Hour Timesheet?

Employees: The sync tool will import all “active” QuickBooks employees and vendors (optional) into your Hour Timesheet account. Only vendors that have a First and Last Name field value in QuickBooks will be imported.
Customers/Jobs: The sync tool will import all “active” Customer/Jobs in to your Hour Timesheet account.
Service Items: The sync tool will import all “active” Service Items in to your Hour Timesheet account.
Classes: (optional) The sync tool will import all “active” Classes in to your Hour Timesheet account.
Payroll Items: (optional) The sync tool will import all “active” Payroll Items in to your Hour Timesheet account.

Question 3. How do I add a new data in Hour Timesheet (employees, customers, jobs, etc)?

Answer. New data will need to be entered into your QuickBooks company file first. Once the new data is entered, you can use the web connector tool to import your new data in to your Hour Timesheet account.

Question 4. How will my employees receive their Hour Timesheet login credentials?

Answer. Hour Timesheet will send an email invitation to each employee with the link and login ID to the Hour Timesheet account included in the body of the email. Once the employee accesses the link, the employee will be prompted to create an initial password to login to Hour Timesheet.

Question 5. Can my employees track time against customers and jobs, service items, classes and payroll items?

Answer. Yes, your employees will be asked to select from a list of authorized charges. Employee authorized charges (EOC) are defined by the admin at the employee level. This feature enables the employees to only see EOC’s that are assigned to each user.

Question 6. How do I delete information in my Hour Timesheet account?

Answer. Once you mark the data (employee, customer, job, etc.) as inactive in QuickBooks, the data will be updated in your Hour Timesheet account upon performing the data sync.

Question 7. How does Hour Timesheet identify billable vs non-billable items on the timesheet?

Answer. By default, any EAC that includes a service item will be marked as billable time in QuickBooks.

Question 8. Can employees add comments to a timesheets?

Answer. Yes, Hour Timesheet includes a feature to allow employees to input general comments and daily comments.

Question 9. I exported my employee's time into my company QuickBooks file, but now I need to make corrections. How do I do this?

Answer. Hour Timesheet does not allow processed timesheet data to be edited. Hour Timesheet will display a link on the Timesheet Review page that will allow the user to create a “corrected” copy of the timesheet. The detailed audit trail will show the log of all changes made to the revised timesheet.

Question 10. Can multiple supervisors approve a single timesheet?

Answer Yes. Hour Timesheet will allow for multiple supervisors to approve a timesheet.

Question 11. We have a requirement for our employees to enter hours worked.daily, does Hour Timesheet include daily reminders?

Answer Hour Timesheet includes the option to turn on daily notifications to serve as reminders for those employees who forget to enter time daily.

Question 12. I track my employee leave balance data manually in an Excel spreadsheet because QuickBooks doesn’t include all of the options I need, can Hour Timesheet manage leave?

Answer - Hour Timesheet has a full-function leave management feature that will allow accrued and earned types of leave tracking.

Visit us in the marketplace

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop

Additional Resources

QuickBooks Tutorials for Accountants

Attend a QuickBooks Training Class Near You

Top Timekeeping Tips

Top Employee Timekeeping Tips

Insight into how your employees spend time is critical. That's why employee timekeeping software tools make so much sense.

Knowing how much time your employees spend on overhead tasks, project, training, and unpaid leave is invaluable data for your business's future. Tools that track employee hours and employee schedules will greatly reduce your hours spent processing manual time cards.

Employee timekeeping is not just for hourly employees

Nonexempt employees need to track work time for FLSA compliance but having salaried employees keep a time sheet is helpful too. Exception-based time tracking helps employers track employee attendance and improve the overall management of daily resources. Tools and solutions that include the ability for employees to track hours worked on mobile devices will provide real time job costing and absentee management at the supervisor level.

Internal policies & approval workflows are the keys to a successful employee timekeeping software implementation.

Software tools are a dime-a-dozen, but it's how you use the software that defines your success. It's important to document your timekeeping policies and required approval workflows before you invest in a time & attendance tool.

Don't be afraid of internet-based employee timekeeping software tools

A detailed timesheet audit trail will flag when a user inputs timesheet data into your system from anywhere but the office. The activity log shows the IP address as well as each entry into the user's timesheet with a non-editable time and date stamp. Online employee time tracking software also allows for integration with your payroll system with a 2-way sync to and from your payroll software like QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop.

Microsoft Excel is for spreadsheet data, not for employee timekeeping

Yes, you can keep your employees timesheet data in Excel but is that really efficient? Don't be afraid to use the tools available to your organization to make you more productive. Rely on the experts...not Excel.

BOTTOM LINE... it's just smart business.

Features such as daily timesheet reminders, employee leave management and time card approval processes make Hour Timesheet the perfect choice for your organizations's timekeeping software needs. Available on the web or your iOS and Android mobile app store.

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QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop

Additional Resources

Measure Costs Right: Make the Right Decisions

How To Calculate And Track Overhead Costs

How do I Calculate Overhead Costs?

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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.