When Do You Start Work?

[Tenzing_Norgay]

I've "hired" a neighbor (who is temporarily down on his luck) to be my assistant with contracting jobs. I don't pay him as an employee, but as an independent contractor. Days/hours are varied. If he has another job for a day or two, I don't mind if he takes it.

Typically, we start around 9a, meeting in my driveway (we live directly across the street from one another) and take my truck to the jobsite. He drives a big ole' pick-em-up truck that doesn't get good mileage, so that stays in his drive. My truck, my gas.

Some/most of our jobs are about 45 mins. to 1 hour away. I start the clock (for him) when we arrive on the job-site and stop the clock when we leave. I'll always round-up in his favor if the job ends on a quarter hour (e.g. 2:45p is recorded as 3:00p on his timesheet).

However, now he's being pissy about the "time I'm taking from him for travel". He thinks if he shows up in my driveway at 9a, the clock should start running and the clock should stop when we pull back in.

Does anyone here get paid to drive to/from work or am I just an out-of-touch cheapskate...??

[Wakko]

Nope, you're doing him the favor of letting him ride with you. If he drove himself he wouldn't get paid for travel time, why should you pay him while saving him his gas?

If he wants to get paid for travel time, he can get a job Ubering.

[Skoll]

Shit, I wish I got paid driving to Boca every morning. At most, my employer will reimburse me for gas if there's a communications mix up and I go there on a day I'm not supposed to.

[TC6969]

If he drove himself he wouldn't get paid for travel time, why should you pay him while saving him his gas?

This is the answer you seek!

If he wants to "Get Pissy" then walk over and hand him an address written on an old drive through napkin and say "See you on site!"

[FfNJGTFO]

The IRS rule I always followed (and I know this, having been subject to it and used it in my busienss), is that your first daily travel from your home to your place of business (and your last daily travel from the business to home) is not covered. But any travel you do in between *is* covered as std. business mileage. Since I worked from home, I would always stop off at the Post office (where I had my business PO Box) and pick up the mail. And I did that going and coming. Hence, my trip from home to place of business and return. But everything else in between was counted. And I would not return home until EOD.

In the case of the OP, I guess that's your call if you want to cover that mileage (or educate your contractor on how to take it for himself). But if you were to offer it, I'm sure you could deduct it as a business expense.

[N4KVE]

Besides doing gun shows, I also transport cars. I am only paid while I am actually driving a car. Once I reach the destination, usually one of the auto auctions in Orlando & jump into the van for the return ride home, I’m off the clock, & usually snooze. To to the OP, you’re doing the right thing. He can always show up at the job site in his own gas guzzler. GARY.

[TACC]

Tell the guy to meet you at the site, his time starts when gets to the site.

Guaranteed, he will no longer be employed, or no longer bitch.

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[Legio]

Hmm, you help him and he bitches ? You don't want to know what I think.

[lakelandman]

Hmm, you help him and he bitches ? You don't want to know what I think.

1+++++

[Dr. Dickie]

Don't get paid by the hour, so yes/no/maybe. Most weeks I don't get paid for all the hours I put in at work. Still, I get paid for the work I do!

Oh, and I got into work about a half hour ago.