How to track contractor hours
Agree the rules first, let each contractor log their own time, check the hours before you invoice a client or pay anyone, and keep a statement of what each person is owed. This guide shows the steps and where Honest Day fits.
Last reviewed November 1, 2026. Free to start, no credit card.
Agree the rules before the first hour
- The rate: per hour, per day or per task, and whether it is the same for every project.
- What counts as billable, and what does not: meetings, travel, rework.
- How often hours are submitted: weekly is easiest to check.
- Who checks them, and how corrections work.
- How rounding works, if you round at all.
Let contractors log their own time
Hours are most accurate when the person who did the work records them as they go. In Honest Day a contractor is a person in your workspace with a cost rate, which is what you pay them per hour. They log time with a timer, the week grid or a plain-language entry, Contractors count toward team size, so the free plan covers you and up to 4 others.
Check the hours before you pay or invoice
Read the week against what was agreed. Look at the notes on the entries, the projects they were on and the total. If something is off, ask the contractor and have them correct it, rather than editing their hours for them.
- Timesheet approvals let a manager approve a week or send it back with a note, and approved weeks lock. They are part of Premium.
- Without approvals, review the week in a report before you create a statement or an invoice.
Turn hours into a pay statement
- Pick the person and the period. A statement lists their hours at their cost rate.
- Approve it and share the link. The contractor can open it and see what they are owed.
- Pay them yourself. Use your bank or payment app. Honest Day does not send money.
- Mark it paid. Honest Day keeps the record and the status.
Track hours without watching people
Contractors are hired for the work, not for how their screen looks. Honest Day takes no screenshots, logs no keystrokes and scores no activity, so the record is the hours people report. If you need to know the work is happening, agree what is delivered and when, and review the hours against it. Read how that works.
What Honest Day does not do
- It does not pay contractors, run payroll or file tax forms.
- It does not decide whether someone is a contractor or an employee. That depends on the law where you are, so ask a lawyer or an accountant.
- It does not track location or the apps people use.
Questions
How do I track hours as an independent contractor?
Log time against each client and project as you work, using a timer or a week grid, and note what you did. At the end of the period the totals per client are your invoice lines. Keep the record: it is your evidence of what you billed.
How do I keep track of the hours a contractor works?
Give the contractor a place to log their own time, agree how often they submit, and review each submission against what was agreed before you invoice a client or pay them. A weekly rhythm keeps it manageable.
How do I track hours for remote workers?
The same way: each person logs their own time against clients and projects, and a manager reviews the week. Tracking does not need screenshots or monitoring to be reliable. It needs a clear rate, a clear schedule for submitting and a review step.
How do I know whether remote contractors are working?
Agree what is delivered and by when, and read the hours against it. Honest Day does not monitor screens or activity: it records the hours people say they worked, with notes.
Can I track contractor hours for free?
Yes. Honest Day's free plan covers up to 5 members, and contractor statements are on the free plan. Timesheet approvals are Premium. You can also use the printable contractor timesheet template.
What should I look for in an app to track contractor hours?
A rate for each person, a way for contractors to log their own time, a review step before anything is paid or invoiced, and a record of what each person is owed. Check what it does not do, such as sending payments or filing tax forms.
Does Honest Day pay my contractors?
No. A statement shows what each person is owed and records when you have paid them. The payment itself happens outside Honest Day.
Related
Keep contractor hours and client billing in one place.
Add a contractor with a cost rate, let them log their time and create a statement from the same hours. Free for up to 5 members.