Davis-Bacon weekly payroll: a 1-page primer
The Davis-Bacon Act (federal) and its “little Davis-Bacon” state cousins require contractors on government-funded projects to pay prevailing wages and file weekly certified payroll. This is the field-tested version of what the form actually wants, by column.
WH-347 columns, explained
(1) Name and Individual Identifying Number
Full legal name + last 4 of SSN OR a contractor-issued employee ID. Nicknames disqualify the line.
(2) Number of Withholding Exemptions
From W-4. Optional in many state versions; required on federal WH-347.
(3) Work Classification
Must match the wage determination on the contract. 'Operator (Excavator)' isn't valid if the WD says 'Power Equipment Operator, Group 4.'
(4) Day and Date / Hours by Day
One row per worker per project per week. Sunday → Saturday. Each day's straight-time + overtime split.
(5) Total Hours
Straight + overtime + holiday. Must reconcile to (4).
(6) Rate of Pay
Includes base + cash fringes paid in lieu of benefits. Use the WD rate, not your internal scale.
(7) Gross Amount Earned
Hours × rate. Include both Davis-Bacon work AND non-DB work for the week if the worker did both.
(8) Deductions
FICA, withholding, other. Each deduction line item must be itemized.
(9) Net Wages Paid
Gross - deductions. Match the actual check.
Common mistakes
- ⚠Reporting only DB hours when the worker also did non-DB work that week. WH-347 wants the full week, with non-DB labeled.
- ⚠Using your internal job titles instead of the wage-determination classifications. Auditor finds it instantly.
- ⚠Missing Statement of Compliance (page 2 of WH-347). The form is a packet, not a single page.
- ⚠Late filing. Federal WH-347 must be submitted within 7 days of the regular pay date.
- ⚠Failing to track apprentice ratios. Apprentices count against journeyman:apprentice limits set by the WD.
How DirtFleet helps
Drivers and operators log hours against a project the same way they log any shift. At week-end, hit GET /api/export/certified-payroll?projectId=…&from=…&to=… for a CSV grouped by worker × week × asset. Your payroll specialist transposes into WH-347 columns in under a minute. We don't generate WH-347 PDFs in v1 — every general contractor and grant-funder has a slightly different cover sheet, so we hand off cleanly to whatever template you already use.
Disclaimer: general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm applicable wage determinations + state addenda for your specific contract.