• 1099 Employment Status

    As a 1099 contractor, you’re responsible for managing your own time and ensuring accurate billing for the work you complete. Properly tracking your hours is essential not just for ensuring you are fairly compensated but also for managing tax obligations and project planning.

    Why Tracking Hours is Essential

    1. Accurate Invoicing: Consistently tracking your hours ensures you can invoice with confidence and avoid underbilling or overbilling.

    2. Tax Deductions: As a 1099 contractor, you are responsible for paying your own taxes. Documenting work hours helps to substantiate tax deductions and gives you a clearer picture of your taxable income (you can deduct many work costs related to your role - like travel expenses for work events - aka get that money kids). 

    3. Time Management: Having a clear log of your hours allows you to better manage multiple projects, set realistic deadlines, and optimize your productivity. It can also highlight when you might need additional support or relief. 

    4. Client/Employer Transparency: Being able to show clients/employers an accurate record of your work hours builds trust and credibility, minimizing disputes over work completed.

    Best Practices for Tracking Hours

    1. Use Time Tracking Software: Tools like Toggl (setup demo), google sheets, or a simple notebook allow you to log work hours in real time and generate reports for invoicing and tax purposes. I suggest Toggle, but many timetracking softwares offer integrations with project management tools and apps for mobile use (it integrates with Asana, which is a bonus). 

      1. At this time, there is no officially recommended/required time tracking method. I'm currently experimenting with a few, although I do have experience with Toggl and I'm able to establish a team for free. Let me know if you'd like to be added to the team Toggl. 

    2. Set a Routine: Develop a habit of tracking your time daily or in real time to avoid guessing at the end of the bi-weekly pay period. This ensures accuracy and prevents missed billable hours.

    3. Categorize Work: Break down your hours by task or project to get a clearer picture of where your time is going. This can help you identify time-draining activities and areas where you might improve efficiency or request additional support.

    4. Review Weekly: Regularly review your logged hours to ensure that everything is correctly categorized and up to date, so you can make adjustments or bill your hours on time. 

    5. Backup Your Data: Always have a backup of your hours either through a physical log, additional cloud save, or by exporting reports. This ensures you have proof of work if clients, employers, or tax agencies ever request it (I export reports and save them dropbox).

    What Must Be Included in Hourly Reporting

    General project tracking notations that effectively communicate what's happening in your sphere. 

    For example, my hourly submission might look like this:

    • 10/1/24 10am - 12pm: Organized inbox and flagged important messages, web dev to resolve 2 queued problems (CCF), responded to priority flags in asana(SC - EP), began graphic design work for annual event (WYA)

    • 10/2/24 1pm - 4:30pm: Email team meeting, web dev to resolve 2 problems in queue (CCF), began graphic design work for Mr. Bob (fundraiser flyer & social media), ensured payroll processed smoothly, checked analytics for social posts, researched web dev competitors and on-page script tricks, responded to emails

    • 10/4/24 10:30am - 12:30pm: Iyall campaign meeting, CCF graphic design, Bob graphic design, analytics check for all accounts (social & web), BB web dev, PAC research, biz dev emails

    • 10/4/24 1:30pm - 5pm: Team sync, CCF web dev design, BB web dev, PAC research, BB copywriting, event planning review, PAC research, global web dev health check, review weekly meeting notes and add action items to Asana, check off asana items and write milestone update, DeHart campaign meeting, EOW review

    Notice I'm not detailing how much of an hour each task is broken into, only that in each hourly segment I completed X tasks. That's because, as we all know, time allotment fluctuates depending on the complexity of the task. Is it a two minute fix or a two hour fix? It depends.

  • Break Blue does not currently offer W2 employment.