Timesheet set-up: labour rates, breaks, GPS data and logging time for others

This article answers common questions about setting up timesheets for your team. It covers changing labour rates, restricting which rates staff see, breaks, GPS data, and logging time for other workers, ex-employees and contractors.

How do I change the labour rate on timesheet entries that have already been logged?

Setting or updating a rate doesn't automatically update timesheets or charges already logged, so changing existing entries is a manual process. There are two quick ways to do it.

Update the existing charges on the job

1. Open the job and go to Charges.
2. Switch to Sections View.
3. Click into each hourly labour charge and update the charge price to the correct rate.

Replace the charges

1. Add new labour charges using the correct rate.
2. Delete the old, incorrect entries from Sections View.

Updating the rate directly in Sections View is usually the quickest option.

The account code used for labour when invoices sync to Xero can't be changed in NextMinute. Map or adjust that sales account in your Xero integration settings instead.

How do I make staff only see their own labour rate when logging hours?

Assign each labour rate to the person who uses it:

1. Go to Sale Items and select Labour.
2. Click the labour rate for the team member.
3. Click Edit.
4. Scroll to Assigned To, click into it and select that person.
5. Click Save.

Once a rate is assigned to a user, they only see the rates assigned to them when entering time. See How to invite Your Team & set up their Labour Rates.

Keep in mind that a user with an assigned rate is limited to that rate when quoting as well as when timesheeting. If someone, such as an estimator, needs access to all labour rates, don't assign a labour rate to them.

Can I set a default lunch break time on timesheets?

Not at the moment. There's no option to set a default break time, such as 12:00 to 12:30pm.

You can set up break types and break prompts. See Timesheet Breaks and How to automatically prompt your team to log a break when recording their timesheets.

Why doesn't an unpaid break show on the main weekly timesheet?

The main timesheet screen shows the total hours logged, including breaks, whether the entries are billable or non-billable.

The small minutes figure (such as 30 mins or 15 mins) under each day's hours is not the unpaid break. It's part of the total hours worked: when the total goes over a whole number of hours, the extra minutes show on the next line. That's why a day can have a break recorded but show nothing underneath.

To get paid hours with unpaid breaks already deducted, run the report in the top-right corner of the Timesheets screen. It calculates total hours worked minus unpaid breaks for you.

How do I add a second break to a timesheet entry?

1. Click Select New Break.
2. Select a break type. You can't save the break until a break type is selected.
3. Save.

Why can't I see GPS pins for timer start and stop times?

GPS data for a job includes start and stop timer events and timesheet entry events. To view it:

1. Open the job.
2. Select More > View GPS Data.
3. Check Filters. Filters can hide start and stop timer events, timesheet entry events and on-site events, and can limit the data to particular users or a date range.

See View GPS Data.

When I add labour for another worker on a job, why does it go onto my timesheet?

Labour charges added directly to a job go onto the timesheet of the person adding them. You have two options.

Option 1: Stop job labour charges going to timesheets

1. Go to Admin > Settings and scroll to Job and Task Details.
2. Turn on Exclude Labour Charges from Time Sheets when adding labour via the Job or Task Actual Charges.
3. Save.

This only affects labour charges added directly to a job. It doesn't affect entries made from the Timesheets area.

Option 2: Log the hours on the worker's own timesheet

1. Go to Timesheets and click My Timesheets at the top.
2. Switch the view to your worker.
3. Log the hours under their name.

This attaches the time to their timesheet and adds it as a charge on the job.

Why does adding hours for another staff member on mobile use my name and labour rate?

When you add time in Timesheets using Select Recent Task, you only see labour items assigned to you. That's why the entry ends up under your name.

To add hours for someone else:

1. Open the job and click Add Labour.
2. Select the other staff member's labour item and add the hours.

Alternatively, the other person's labour item can also be assigned to you, so you'll see both options when adding timesheets.

How do I enter time for ex-employees who have been disabled?

Timesheets need an active, enabled user, so you can't enter time directly into timesheets for disabled users without re-enabling them. If you don't want to re-enable them, use this workaround:

1. Create a labour rate for each ex-employee, for example "Labour – [Name]". See Creating Sale Items - Desktop.
2. Log their work as job charges using that labour rate, instead of timesheet entries.
3. Run a Job Charges report and export it, then filter by that charge type or user to get their total hours for payroll.

See also How to ensure Disabled Users don't show in timesheets.

How do I record contractors' hours without using up user licences?

You have two options.

Add contractors as users

They can log in and timesheet their own hours against jobs. They count as users on your subscription, so there is an extra cost once you go over your user allowance.

Record their hours on the job

If contractors don't need access to NextMinute, a foreman or office admin can enter their hours against the job instead:

• Labour item: set up each contractor as a labour item under Sale Items > Labour, then add their hours to the job. This is easiest for data entry, as the item is saved and you don't need to recreate it each time. See Creating Sale Items - Desktop and Adding Charges to a Job - Desktop.
• Other charge: add their hours as an Other charge. This keeps subcontractor costs separate from your team's labour on the job, but Other items can't be saved, so you need to create the charge each time. See How to - Adding Sub Contractor time and or Invoices to a Job.

Either way, you have a record of who worked, how many hours, and on which job, which you can check against the contractor's invoices.

Can contractors' time be imported into NextMinute from a spreadsheet?

Don't import it as a supplier invoice. That logs everything as materials, not labour. Instead, import it as a quote and create charges from that quote:

1. Have contractors' hours recorded in a file that matches your quote import template. See Quote Import Templates.
2. Import the file as a quote on the job. See Create a Quote using Import file.
3. Go to Charges > Import and pull the line items across from the quote. This records them as actual labour charges on the job.

Quote imports don't split across multiple jobs. If a sheet covers several jobs, filter the file by job and upload each part to its own job.

Can staff see when they entered their hours?

Yes. Go to the timesheet and click the entry. The bottom of that screen shows where and when the entry was made.