What Is a Time & Material Ticket?
A time and material (T&M) ticket is a document used by contractors to track and bill for the work they perform. It shows the total hours worked by a contractor and the total cost of materials used to complete the job.
Many construction projects start with fixed-price contracts that estimate labor and material costs. The purpose of a T&M ticket is to detail the work performed, how long it took, and all materials used.
T&M tickets vary by template, but all tickets should include:
Date of work
Client name and address
A clear description of the work performed
Number of workers and hours worked
Line items for each material used
Equipment used
Unit rates for labor and materials
Signature from both parties
Time and material tickets are crucial tools for managing and billing projects where flexibility and transparency are keys to success.
Why T&M Tickets Still Matter in Construction Billing
1. Changes During The Project
Construction projects are rarely completely straightforward. Unexpected site conditions, client-request changes, and/or additional work are common and to be expected. T&M tickets and T&M billing can help ensure more accurate and efficient billing for additional work. With a fixed-price contract, formal change orders would be required and may delay the project.
2. Transparency and Trust
T&M tickets offer a transparent breakdown of labor hours worked and materials used. T&M billing is essential for building trust between contractors and clients. Clients can ask specific questions regarding the work, fostering a collaborative relationship for future work.
3. Project Flexibility
With T&M billing, contractors can begin work right away without the need for upfront planning or proposal negotiations. Construction tickets can be used to track the work as it progresses.
4. Tracking Costs and Job Costing
Contractors gain valuable insight into the true costs of each project, as each hour and each material is accounted for. This is crucial data for contractors who want to analyze their profits and allocate labor resources.
Take Back Control of Your Time Keeping
Problems With Paper T&M Sheets and Work Tickets
No longer are the days of organizing stacks of illegible T&M sheets and work tickets, documenting needless financial losses, and overall inefficiency. The rise of digital T&M ticket templates makes paper redundant for many subcontractors — especially when paired with verified time tracking.
Legibility and Accuracy Issues
Ask any contractor — trying to write neatly on a jobsite is like trying to shingle a roof during a hurricane: nearly impossible. Poor handwriting makes it difficult for office staff to accurately interpret hours, material quantities, and/or descriptions. Manual entry is prone to typos, miscalculations, and omissions.
Loss and Damage
Work tickets can get lost, misplaced, or damaged. A lost ticket or missing signature can mean lost revenue. Floods, fires, or damage to your property can ruin storage bins and wipe out your backup documentation, putting payment at risk.
Documentation and Verification Difficulties
Without digital T&M sheets, it’s impossible to attach photos or videos of the project or back up any data entered. Photos, videos, and additional documentation must be submitted separately and then manually assigned to that work ticket. This can lead to missing assets, and without solid proof, disputes with clients can become tedious and costly.
The Rise of Digital T&M Ticket Templates and Systems
Real-Time Data
The demand for real-time data and efficiency increases contractors’ need to make informed decisions. Time and material templates can provide faster updates on labor hours and materials used. Contractors can make immediate changes to the schedule or inventory.
Digital ticket templates help speed up approvals — especially when paired with verified time data from tools like SmartBarrel.
Increased Productivity
Digital systems free up valuable time for contractors as tasks such as data entry and manual calculations become automated. Automated ticket templates increase focus on efficiency and productivity.
Contractors can also cut overhead and administrative costs because office staff aren’t wasting hours decoding sloppy handwriting or fixing missing hours. Verified punches mean no more chasing down the field for corrections. Payroll gets clean time upfront and can focus on job cost control.
Transparency and Dispute Resolution
Digital T&M ticket templates create a timestamped record of work, including details of labor hours and materials used.
By using time and material templates, contractors can attach photos and videos directly to the construction ticket. This provides visual proof of the work performed, materials used, and site conditions.
Contractors can use ticket templates to collect electronic signatures from clients throughout the job process.
Cloud Storage and Integration
Cloud-based time and material templates sync data instantly, making it accessible for contractors from their smartphones, tablets, or laptops anywhere. This accessibility is key to seamless collaboration between the office and the field.
Digital ticket template software often integrates with larger construction software platforms that manage project management, accounting, and payroll. Verified time data can be exported and used to support T&M billing in your accounting system.
Accountability and Insights
Contractors using digital time and material templates often rely on separate systems for timestamping and geotagging. SmartBarrel supports these workflows by providing verified time data that backs up each T&M entry. Contractors can customize their own ticket templates while using SmartBarrel to capture verified hours that support faster review and approval.
Contractors gather accurate job costing as verified data provides a clear picture of actual labor costs and materials used.
Where Verified Data Comes In
It’s not just about having data. Verified data gives your office the proof it needs to approve hours and process billing. With facial verification, GPS tracking, and timestamps, there’s no guesswork.
1. Data Capture and Validation
Contractors can use real-time data entry to track the project’s progress as it happens.
SmartBarrel verifies who clocked in, when, and where. Facial verification confirms worker identity, and GPS coordinates tie each punch to the jobsite — creating a reliable audit trail for every hour logged.
2. Documentation
Every punch includes a timestamped photo. Additional photos can be uploaded from the dashboard or mobile app, providing visual evidence of site conditions and work completed. These records support external T&M workflows even though SmartBarrel doesn’t generate T&M tickets.
3. Supporting Approvals
With verified time flowing from the field, the office has clean records to support ticket review and approval. That means fewer follow-ups, less ambiguity, and faster processing.
4. Impact of Verified Data
Verified data speeds up billing, reduces disputes, and strengthens client trust. Contractors can job cost more accurately, plan ahead with confidence, and protect their margins on every T&M ticket.
Take Back Control of Your Time Keeping
How Contractors Use Verified Time to Support Faster T&M Approvals
Verified time helps contractors get T&M tickets approved faster by reducing delays and giving clients the backup they need to sign off. When every hour is tied to a face, a location, and a timestamp, approvals move quicker and payments stay on track.
Providing Solutions With Time Tracking Data
Without verified records, contractors often rely on memory, especially for smaller or last-minute tasks. SmartBarrel’s biometric facial verification confirms which workers were on site for each task, minimizing back-and-forth and helping speed up client approvals. As one contractor put it, “SmartBarrel cleaned up the information and sped up the process…”
SmartBarrel captures timestamped punch photos tied to the worker, project, and location, providing visual proof of who was there and when. These records can help validate hours and site conditions when used to support T&M tickets.
With verified time and punch photos automatically captured, foremen and office staff no longer have to interpret messy handwriting or unclear notes. They get accurate field data tied to the right worker and task, including what was done and why.
Streamlining The Approval Workflow
- While SmartBarrel doesn’t generate T&M tickets, it captures verified labor data with facial verification, GPS validation, and timestamped records
- Contractors can export that data to external ticketing systems or share it with clients for faster approvals
- Verified time removes the gray areas in handwritten notes or memory-based hours
- With clean records from the field, office staff can back up T&M billing without delays or disputes
- SmartBarrel gives contractors clean labor records to support faster approvals
Building Trust and Confidence
When contractors have clean, verified records, including who worked, when, and where, approvals go faster; these records also support transparency and give clients confidence in the billing process.
SmartBarrel supports these workflows by syncing verified time data directly into your construction software. That proof helps protect margins and reduce billing disputes.
With verified time in place, contractors can turn the T&M approval process from a delay into a strength, getting paid faster and keeping client relationships strong.
How Verified Time Tools Like SmartBarrel Support T&M Billing
SmartBarrel doesn’t generate T&M tickets, but it gives contractors the verified data they need to back them up — with accurate, timestamped records and visual proof of work performed. Here’s what to look for in a time tracking tool that supports T&M workflows:
Verified Time Tracking
- Biometric facial verification to confirm who worked
- GPS and geofence validation for location-based accuracy
- Crew and individual punch options
- Break and overtime rule support
- Cost code tagging for labor allocation
- Offline punching for low-connectivity jobsites
Field-Friendly Access
- Simple punch-in/punch-out process (one tap or one button)
- Mobile app and on-site time clock options
- Dashboard access for back-office review and export
Punch Photo Records and Admin Uploads
- Timestamped punch photos linked to worker, project, and location
- Optional photo uploads via dashboard or mobile app for additional documentation
- Supports billing backup with visual verification of presence
Take Back Control of Your Time Keeping
T&M Starts With The Right Time Data
Accurate and verified time data is a key supporting player for efficient time and material ticket workflows. Contractors benefit from a clear and transparent T&M invoice, where every hour is backed by verified time data, while materials can be documented separately with photos or notes.
Time-tracking software like SmartBarrel offers biometric facial verification to confirm who was on site and when, supporting accurate labor costing and seamless approvals, all while integrating with your existing construction software.
Verified time eliminates manual entry errors and accelerates T&M approvals. So stop getting burned by paper tickets — book a free demo with SmartBarrel!
