Hourly Worker: How do you bill time on Business Travel?

[Mackie2k]

Thoughts?

I have to start doing some business travel, and wondering what is fair/legal.

Personally, I think if you are flying somewhere to do work, you should be compensated for the time you have to travel.

Thanks,

Mackie

 

[iamwiz82]

Either by the hour or by the mile, their choice. My company pays all employees by the mile plus hourly gets by the hour, as well.

 

[mugs]

8 hours per day at least

 

[y2kc]

my company pays for travel time, time on site and all expenses (meals, car rental, taxis, etc).

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Mackie2k
Thoughts?

I have to start doing some business travel, and wondering what is fair/legal.

Personally, I think if you are flying somewhere to do work, you should be compensated for the time you have to travel.

Thanks,

Mackie

If I am sitting in the airport, I am not at home doing things I would do if I wasn't working. Therefore every moment I am not driving to/from my house for the distance equal to a typical commute is 'work.' I think this is how most companies do it....

 

[lokiju]

Ha! Yeah fvcking right I'm not gonna bill for travel time! shyte if I'm stuck traveling for their asses I'm sure as shyte gonna bill the hours!

Now sure when I get to where I'm going I'll just bill the hours worked in that day, but as far as travel goes, I can not be anywhere else as a result of traveling for them, so I bill every min of it.

I got 9 hours over time last week and didn't work on Friday as a result of travel time and being stuck in N.C. for 3.5 hours on a layover.

 

[Mackie2k]

That's how I felt...

If it's past the normal 1.5 hours I commute, I should be paid for the travel...

No, I shouldn;t be paid while sitting around the hotel room, but if I have to be at the airport at 4:30am and flying for 4 hours, I should get paid for it.

Period.

I'm gonna bring it up, after I get back 🙂

 

[Descartes]

It depends on the amount of travel and the method. If it's very frequent (as in once a week) flying then I will typically bill both directions, but if it's only occasionally I will generally not; there is a cost of doing business, and you have to be careful not to leave the perception of bleeding your client. If I am driving my policy is to bill the time for one direction no matter where it is.

For what it's worth, I fly between three major cities (right now at least) to work with clients, and when I'm home I spend most of my day driving around to meet with them.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Mackie2k
That's how I felt...

If it's past the normal 1.5 hours I commute, I should be paid for the travel...

No, I shouldn;t be paid while sitting around the hotel room, but if I have to be at the airport at 4:30am and flying for 4 hours, I should get paid for it.

Period.

I'm gonna bring it up, after I get back 🙂

Unfortunately things aren't just cut and dry like that. You can certainly set a policy, but you have to know when to give a little extra to the client as well. If you do give them time always put it on the invoice as a separate line item so they at least have vision of the fact that you gave them time.

You can argue "It's my time and I should be paid for it", but most clients will perceive it as, "He is billing us for his time and he's not rendering any services for us at this time." If you deal with only one client then it's obviously easier, but if you deal with multiple clients it's quite difficult to be so cut and dry about it.

 

[RU482]

I miss expense accounts and travel expenses...I used to hide all kinds of sh!t on them