Wage determination
Start with the document incorporated into the contract, including its construction type, county, and modification.
Federal jobsite field manual · federal sources checked monthly
Check the wage determination before it costs the job.
Bring the wage determination from the bid package. The free preview maps candidate classifications, base and fringe rates, and the issues to resolve before a certified payroll leaves the jobsite.
Free preview with real rates · full report is a one-time $19 · no account · no subscription
The four-document chain
From bid package to signed payroll.
Each step should point back to the incorporated wage decision. The precheck keeps the document, work, rates, and weekly payroll in one review path.
Classification
Compare the work actually performed with the laborer or mechanic classifications listed in that document.
Base + fringe
Read both required components. Cash wages and bona fide benefit credits require separate support.
Certified payroll
Prepare the weekly payroll and Statement of Compliance only after the pay and review questions are resolved.
Why contractors precheck
What a mistake costs.
Errors tend to arrive as held money, wage corrections, payroll rework, or questions from the prime or agency—not as a friendly warning.
Consequences vary with the facts. Primary references: DOL investigative procedures and remedies and DOL Fact Sheet #66.
- Hold
- Withheld contract funds. Federal contracting agencies may withhold enough contract money to cover wage liabilities.
- Repair
- Back wages and payroll corrections. Underpayments still have to be calculated, documented, and made right.
- Explain
- A weekly federal certification. A WH-347 or equivalent payroll should not be treated like ordinary internal paperwork.
- Risk
- Debarment for qualifying violations. DOL identifies up to three years for aggravated or willful violations.
JOB FILE / NY20260003 / MOD 1
Messy payroll example — Brooklyn building
04Fix first
07Confirm manually
01Looks consistent
Fix first · $531.60 candidate differenceBricklayer row shows both a candidate base-rate and total-package shortfall for the week.
Confirm manually · plan creditBenefit-plan credit needs plan and contribution support before it is treated as fringe.
Looks consistent · boilermakerThe reported base and fringe amounts match the candidate document row.
The free preview comes first
See your rates and issues before checkout.
The preview exposes the candidate rows, dollar rates, and issue counts. The $19 full report adds the row-by-row workup, printable crew wage sheet, findings export, and WH-347 starter packet when the run supports it.
Certified payroll field kit
One review packet. Fewer loose ends.
- Candidate classification rows from the document you provide
- Base wage, fringe, overtime, and candidate difference screening
- Fix-first, confirm-manually, and looks-consistent findings
- WH-347 starter and job-file exports when the run is ready
- No stored payroll text, worker names, or Social Security numbers
Wage guides · primary sources attached
Field notes for the questions that slow a job down.
Estimators + payroll
How to read a Davis-Bacon wage determination
A field guide to the cover sheet, construction type, counties, modification number, classifications, base rates, fringes, and footnotes.Payroll + project admins
How to prepare a first WH-347
A practical walkthrough of the weekly payroll record, worker rows, rate and fringe columns, deductions, and Statement of Compliance.Estimators + payroll
Base wage versus fringe benefits
How the basic hourly rate and fringe-benefit amount work together, including cash in lieu, benefit-plan credit, and overtime treatment.Estimators + contract admins
Which wage-determination modification controls?
Why the newest SAM.gov modification is not automatically the contract rate, and what to compare before bidding or payroll.Source and privacy review
Useful enough to keep. Cautious enough to trust.
Every substantive guide shows its review date and primary federal sources. Location pages never invent a local rate: the incorporated wage determination controls. The tool flags questions for review; it does not approve classifications, certify compliance, or replace the contracting agency.