CONTRACTOR GLOSSARY · FIELD & PAPERWORK
What is a T&M tag (time and materials tag)?
A T&M tag is a daily record of extra work — hours, materials, and what was directed — signed in the field by the GC or owner's representative before the details go cold.
When work happens outside the contract scope — a directive in the hallway, a surprise behind a wall — the T&M tag captures it the same day: what was done, who directed it, the hours, and the materials. The signature is the point. A signed tag is contemporaneous evidence; an unsigned recollection three weeks later is a negotiation.
Tags aren't invoices. They're the backup that turns into a change order or a T&M bill later. The discipline that makes them work is daily capture and same-day signature — the two things hardest to do from memory and easiest to do from a phone standing in front of the super.
Signed tags also quietly prove your last-work dates, which matter for lien deadlines. The daily record does double duty.
Common questions
What should a T&M tag include?
Date, job, description of the work and who directed it, labor hours by worker, materials and equipment used, and a signature from the GC or owner's representative — captured the day the work happened.
Is a signed T&M tag a change order?
No — it's the evidence behind one. The tag documents that directed work happened; the change order (or T&M invoice) prices it and amends the contract.
Related terms
RevnuPros tracks the thing, not just the word
Permits to sign-off, T&M tags to signature, materials to billed through, retainage to released — built for subcontractors. Browse the full contractor glossary or the Massachusetts permit guide.
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