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  • 1.  Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-23-2016 20:40

    I would like to know how other consultants charge when they travel out of town for a meeting that requires an overnight stay. Would travel time or hours at dinner with the client/project team be included in the hours invoiced?  

    Thanks

    Sowmya Rao

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    Sowmya Rao

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  • 2.  RE: Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-23-2016 21:38

    This is something that should be discussed with the client during contract negotiations. Generally I don't invoice for travel time or social events because it is too difficult to sort out how much time, if any, was spent doing actual work. However, if you happen to eat during work time, e.g., sandwiches are served during a meeting, then that is billable time – the meal was secondary. Also, if I have free time at the airport or in the hotel room and do work for a client (now that you can pretty much work anywhere), then I bill for that. You have to be careful to keep track of your time, though, and not allow people to interrupt you to socialize while you are trying to work.

    If the job requires many hours of non-billable travel time, you should consider raising your rate for this job, since it is taking time that you could have used to do billable work for other clients.

    Hope this helps.

     

    Linda Pickle, StatNet Consulting LLC



    ------Original Message------

    I would like to know how other consultants charge when they travel out of town for a meeting that requires an overnight stay. Would travel time or hours at dinner with the client/project team be included in the hours invoiced?  

    Thanks

    Sowmya Rao

    ------------------------------
    Sowmya Rao

    ------------------------------


  • 3.  RE: Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-24-2016 08:10

    Travel expenses are part of the contract negotiations. Many clients will pay reasonable costs for the actual travel (air or train ticket or mileage for driving) and lodging. By reasonable, I mean standard coach and a room at a national chain hotel within the US, Canada, and Mexico. If you travel internationally to other countries, especially to another continent, then a business class plane ticket may be in order. If I have to make my own travel arrangements, I'll first check with the client to find out their standards and act accordingly. Keeping receipts, even for a cup of coffee during transit, is very strongly recommended. My contracts usually state that I'll be paid 1/2 my normal rate for travel time. I count travel time as, e.g., time to drive to an airport, wait for the flight, scheduled flight (to the nearest 1/2 hour), travel from destination airport to client. If you stay overnight, charge your meals to your room, even when the room is pre-paid. In my experience meals are not. Follow same procedure when returning home. Hours worked for the client during travel are billed at the standard rate and time in travel fees are deducted. Do NOT double dip by charging for time in travel and for work done during travel. 

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    Nestor Rohowsky
    President and Principal Consultant
    Integrated Data Consultation Services, Inc.



  • 4.  RE: Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-24-2016 08:39

    I charge for travel time if it interferes with the work day, so I would not generally charge for short overnight trips but would charge for longer trips.  In all cases, you cannot double bill (charge for travel time while doing other work, even for a different client, that you also charge for).  If it is not explicit in your contract, you may not be able to charge for travel time and, in addition, you may needlessly upset your client.  In other words, if it's not in your contract and you don't feel strongly, don't charge it.  At the least, discuss with your client prior to travel.  If you are having a meal where you are doing work, the time should be chargeable but generally I do that for lunches and not dinners, since lunches tend to be working lunches and dinners tend not to be.

     

    Alan J. Salzberg, Ph.D.

    Principal

    (646) 461-6153 (office and virtual)

    (917) 805-3107 (mobile)

    Salt-Hill-lores

    77 Water Street, 8th Floor

    New York, New York 10005

    Mailing Address:

    39 Plaza Street West, Unit 1A

    Brooklyn, NY 11217

     

     



    ------Original Message------

    Travel expenses are part of the contract negotiations. Many clients will pay reasonable costs for the actual travel (air or train ticket or mileage for driving) and lodging. By reasonable, I mean standard coach and a room at a national chain hotel within the US, Canada, and Mexico. If you travel internationally to other countries, especially to another continent, then a business class plane ticket may be in order. If I have to make my own travel arrangements, I'll first check with the client to find out their standards and act accordingly. Keeping receipts, even for a cup of coffee during transit, is very strongly recommended. My contracts usually state that I'll be paid 1/2 my normal rate for travel time. I count travel time as, e.g., time to drive to an airport, wait for the flight, scheduled flight (to the nearest 1/2 hour), travel from destination airport to client. If you stay overnight, charge your meals to your room, even when the room is pre-paid. In my experience meals are not. Follow same procedure when returning home. Hours worked for the client during travel are billed at the standard rate and time in travel fees are deducted. Do NOT double dip by charging for time in travel and for work done during travel. 

    ------------------------------
    Nestor Rohowsky
    President and Principal Consultant
    Integrated Data Consultation Services, Inc.
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  • 5.  RE: Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-24-2016 09:27

    I agree with Linda.  You should discuss this with your client beforehand. I typically do not charge my clients for travel time, but I have had some clients TELL be to charge them at least half my rate, as they were aware that traveling takes time away from my ability to do work.  If I socialize with clients and it is strictly social, then I don't charge for that time either.  However, if the client indicates it will be a "working dinner" then that is billable time.

     

    Susan E. Spruill

    Susan E. Spruill, PStat®

    Statistical Consultant, President

    Applied Statistics and Consulting

    828-467-9184 (phone)

    Professional Statistician accredited by the American Statistical Association

    www.appstatsconsulting.com

     



    ------Original Message------

    I would like to know how other consultants charge when they travel out of town for a meeting that requires an overnight stay. Would travel time or hours at dinner with the client/project team be included in the hours invoiced?  

    Thanks

    Sowmya Rao

    ------------------------------
    Sowmya Rao

    ------------------------------


  • 6.  RE: Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-24-2016 10:44

    One theme in these responses is that travel time is often contracted/agreed upon as a whole, not billed hourly.

    I just had this situation come up in my practice, and while I typically bill hourly, I am billing a flat fee for my trip. My pay is separate from travel expenses, for which the client will reimburse me.

    On my end, because I am attending this particular meeting simply to become acquainted with the project and the time will not be particularly demanding (though it does require me to attend a day and a half of meetings), I chose to calculate my requested pay based on the work I would be "missing". I can usually work four billable hours in a typical day in the office, so I requested an amount that would be in line with the billable hours I would not be able to work while out of the office. Note that this reasoning will not be specified in the invoice.

    For future travel I may use different rationale and bill differently.

    Kim

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    Kim Love
    Owner and Lead Consultant
    K. R. Love Quantitative Consulting & Collaboration



  • 7.  Consulting fees for travel to a meeting

    Posted 10-24-2016 14:26

    Thanks to everyone for their quick responses.

    Sowmya

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    Sowmya Rao
    Boston University School of Medicine
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