When do your timesheets get signed?

[Numpty]

Am I the only one with recurring timesheet issues?

1st client - no permies came back from lunch on Friday; timesheets signed on Monday. Agent whined every week at us for that.

2nd client - client only signed timesheets for full weeks; agency only paid for full calendar months. Some months I had to wait an extra month for the monthly pay run because I could not meet the Tuesday deadline. Neither client nor agency would change their practices. (Later discovered agency was billing the client weekly!)

3rd client - policy to not sign timesheets until after work done. Timesheets were signed between 09:00 and 12:00 on Monday. I did not have a problem with that, but some other contractors did. The agent got monthly bonusses and would sometimes ring up on Friday afternoon demanding timesheets that day that we couldn't send him.

4th client - Monday mornings

5th client - sometime Monday. Timesheet deadline Wednesday. Agency fax machine always off-line on Monday and Tuesday outside working hours.

6th client - timesheets only signed by a senior manager who worked on a different site and was only available a few hours a week; timesheets had to be left on his desk and collected either days or up to two weeks later.

7th client - timesheets could only be submitted after the client's own internal timesheeting has been done (which cannot be before the following Monday) to one specific admin person (who worked part-time) who checked they matched the internal system then passed them to a specific senior manager for signing who returned them to the admin person who returned them to me. Process could never be completed before Tuesday pm. If either of those two is off, no timesheet. Their record for timesheet return was 25 days after the relevant week finished. Typically timesheet return was on Thursday afternoon.

Agency for my next gig (monthly payment, timesheet deadline at start of month, agency only pays up if a full month's timesheets are submitted ... I'm expecting all payment to be two months in arrears... like it was at client 2) says in their experience said ALL their clients ALWAYS sign timesheets on Friday afternoon.

Is it me or is it all bollocks?

What has been your experience?

[BolshieBastard]

Your current agency sounds like Parity!

My T\S' are signed on the Thursday of the current week ie not the following week.

Havent had issues with T\S signing myself. I've always made client aware of the agency requirements to get them in by a certain time.

[BrilloPad]

I can do timesheets weekly - but only bother every 4-5 weeks. I only have 1 timesheet signer - so I do it when he is in on a FRiday. He always straight away.

[NotAllThere]

Currently, I get the timesheets signed at the start of the following month. It can take a day or two for the electronic timesheeting system to spit them out for one client.

Most clients I've ever worked for had no problem signing timesheets Friday morning, or if they were leaving earlier, signing them a bit earlier, on the understanding that any discrepencies would be dealt with on the next sheet.

[Sockpuppet]

I wait till current pimp phones up and complains that I haven't submitted any timesheets.

[BolshieBastard]

I wait till current pimp phones up and complains that I haven't submitted any timesheets.

That's a bit silly isnt it? It means your co is missing out on valuable cash reserves for what, to hack off an agent?

I once knew a contractor who didnt send his timesheets in until they were 3 months in arrears. Very foolish imo.

[Old Greg]

I generally email mine off on a Monday to a nice lady who gets them printed signed and emailed. But then, I've never met the people I work for.

[cykophysh39]

I have never understood contractors who wait for ages to invoice!!

I charge a day rate, and as far as I am concerned I expect my money at the door when I leave for the day!!
I can just about take waiting for a week to get my money in my account. If the agency starts buggering me about on payment, I will pack bags and go.
Most agencies get paid weekly by the clients. I expect the same.

[TheBigYinJames]

Most agencies get paid weekly by the clients. I expect the same.

As a business, you can be expected to wait legal business times for payment of invoices, between 28 days and 3 months.

I've never understood contractors who expect a paycheque at the end of the week, like some sort of navvy.

[oraclesmith]

I'm on the bench now after 18 months on contract, but my last client would sign timesheets when I required them to and if I got them to the agent by Tuesday they would be paid in full by Friday of the same week.

I only did timesheets about once per month because it would cost myCo about £30 in travel costs to get to the clients office and back.

Personally I wouldn't put up with any timesheet shenanigans by client or contractor. I'm not a child and I don't expect to be treated like one....so there !