By Adam Hicks, CooperBuild AI · November 6, 2026

Certified payroll in construction is the signed weekly report that proves you paid laborers and mechanics on a covered public or federally assisted job at least the required prevailing wage and fringe for the work they actually performed. Regular payroll pays your people. Certified payroll is the compliance layer on top: classifications, hours by day, rates, fringes, deductions and a Statement of Compliance you sign under penalty of perjury.

This guide explains what certified payroll is, when Davis-Bacon and state prevailing-wage rules require it, how Form WH-347 fits in, what to capture before you certify, how primes handle subcontractor payrolls, and how certified hours should tie to job costing. It is general information for GCs and controllers, not legal, tax or employment advice — confirm requirements with your CPA, employment counsel and the awarding agency.

#What is certified payroll?

Certified payroll is a project-specific report. For each week of covered work, you list the laborers and mechanics who worked on that project, their classifications, hours (straight time and overtime), wage rates paid, fringe benefits (or cash in lieu), deductions and gross/net amounts. You then sign a Statement of Compliance certifying that the information is accurate and that each worker was paid at least the applicable prevailing wage (including fringe) for the classification of work performed.

It is not a second paycheck system. You still run regular payroll. Certified payroll is the signed proof the contracting agency (or its designee) reviews to confirm prevailing-wage compliance.

#When do you need certified payroll?

You need it when the contract or funding triggers prevailing-wage coverage — not on every private job.

Federal and federally assisted construction (Davis-Bacon and Related Acts). Covered contractors and subcontractors must submit payroll information weekly, with a signed Statement of Compliance. The U.S. Department of Labor's WH-347 instructions (opens in a new tab) explain that Form WH-347 itself is optional; the weekly payroll information and the Statement of Compliance are not. The Copeland Act requires a weekly statement of the wages paid each employee on covered federal or federally financed construction.

State and local public works ("little Davis-Bacon"). Many states and localities have their own prevailing-wage statutes, forms and portals. Filing frequency, who receives the report and electronic-submission rules vary. Read the wage determination and the contract clauses before the first week of work. For crews that also cross state lines, see our guide to construction payroll for multi-state contractors.

Private work with no public funding often has no certified payroll requirement — but you still need correct wage-and-hour, tax and workers' comp compliance.

#What is Form WH-347?

Form WH-347 is the DOL's optional weekly certified payroll form for Davis-Bacon and Related Acts work. Properly completed, it satisfies the payroll and Statement of Compliance requirements in 29 CFR parts 3 and 5. DOL also publishes an online fillable WH-347 and an annotated guide to cut common errors.

You may use WH-347 or another form that captures the same required information and identical Statement of Compliance wording. Agencies care about the data and the certification, not whether you printed the official PDF.

Typical fields include project name and number, wage determination number(s), week ending date, each worker's identifying number (not a full Social Security number), journeyworker or registered apprentice status, labor classification for the work actually performed, hours by day (ST/OT), hourly rates, fringe credit or cash in lieu, gross for the project and for all work that week, deductions and net pay.

#How often must certified payroll be submitted?

On federal DBRA work, submit a certified payroll for each week in which covered work is performed. Under 29 CFR 3.4 (opens in a new tab), delivery is generally due within seven days after the regular payment date for that payroll period, to the contracting agency (or, when the federal agency is not a party to the contract, to the sponsor/owner designated to receive records for transmission to the agency).

State rules differ. Some require weekly filings; others use different intervals or state portals. Your contract and the agency instructions control — confirm them before week one, not after the first rejected package.

#What should you capture before you certify?

Certified payroll is only as good as the timesheet.

1. Job and wage determination. Project name/number and the wage determination number(s) that apply to the work that week.
2. Classification for work performed. Use the classifications on the wage determination. If a worker spent time in more than one class, break the hours into separate rows — or pay the highest applicable rate for all hours if you did not keep an accurate breakdown (per DOL's WH-347 instructions).
3. Hours by day, ST and OT. Include overtime rules that apply to the contract (including Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act overtime where it applies).
4. Rates and fringes. Show the rates actually paid. Fringe obligations can be met through bona fide benefit plans, cash in lieu of fringes, or a mix — document which path you used.
5. Apprentices. Registered apprentices need the correct program and progression level; unregistered "helpers" are a common audit finding.
6. Reconcile to the paycheck. Hours and gross on the certified report should tie to regular payroll and to the job-cost detail before anyone signs.

#Who signs, and who is responsible for subs?

The Statement of Compliance must be signed by the contractor or subcontractor, or by an authorized officer or employee who supervises the payment of wages. DOL accepts an original handwritten signature or a legally valid electronic signature; a photocopy or scan of a wet signature does not satisfy the requirement.

On Davis-Bacon Act contracts, the prime contractor is responsible for submittal of all certified payrolls, including each subcontractor's. On Related Act projects, the prime submits as directed by the federal funding agency (often to the non-federal sponsor). Build a submittal checklist into your weekly close: every sub that worked that week either filed or documented a no-work week if the agency requires it.

Missing or late subcontractor payrolls hold up your own compliance package — and can delay payment on the pay application.

#How does certified payroll connect to job costing?

Prevailing-wage labor is still a job cost. If certified hours do not match the hours posted to the job and cost code, your job costing and WIP will drift even when the agency package looks clean.

At week-end you want: timesheet → paycheck → certified payroll → job cost, with the same employee, class, hours and job. When those four disagree, you either underpaid someone relative to the wage determination, overstated a class on the report, or posted labor to the wrong job. Catching that before you certify is cheaper than amending after an agency review.

#Common mistakes that get packages rejected

• Using your internal job titles instead of wage-determination classifications.
• One row for a worker who split time across two classes, without paying the higher rate.
• Full Social Security numbers on the form (use a worker ID such as the last four digits).
• Fringe credit claimed for plans that are not bona fide or not properly approved when unfunded.
• Prime packages missing a sub who was on site that week.
• Signing a Statement of Compliance before reconciling hours to payroll and the job.

#Where CooperBuild AI fits

Certified payroll fails when the field day, the paycheck, the WH-347-style report and the job cost live in four places. CooperBuild AI keeps estimating, jobs, change orders, billing and built-in accounting (GL, AP and AR) in one system, connects to QuickBooks Online when that is where your books live, and helps assistants chase the paperwork between a crew day and a clean cost report — so labor stays on the job.

We are not a certified-payroll portal or a Davis-Bacon filing engine. Use your payroll provider and the agency's required form or portal for submissions; use CooperBuild AI so the same hours still land on the right job for costing, billing and the WIP.

If you're tired of rebuilding the same labor numbers for payroll, the agency and the job cost report, get started with free credits — no credit card needed.

#FAQ

#What is certified payroll in construction?

It is the signed weekly report that documents wages, classifications, hours and fringes for laborers and mechanics on a covered prevailing-wage project, plus a Statement of Compliance certifying the report is accurate and that workers were paid at least the required rates.

#Is Form WH-347 required?

No. WH-347 is optional. Covered contractors must still submit the required payroll information weekly with a Statement of Compliance that uses the required wording. Many contractors use WH-347 because agencies already know it.

#How often do I submit certified payroll on federal work?

Weekly for each week of covered work, generally within seven days after the regular payment date for that payroll period, to the contracting agency or its designated recipient.

#Do subcontractors have to file their own certified payroll?

Yes. Each covered contractor and subcontractor must prepare its own weekly certified payroll. On Davis-Bacon Act contracts, the prime is responsible for making sure all of those payrolls (including subs) are submitted to the agency.

#Does private commercial work need certified payroll?

Usually not, unless the contract or funding triggers federal or state prevailing-wage coverage. Always read the wage determination and contract clauses; do not assume "private owner" means no certified payroll.

This article is general information for contractors, not legal, tax or employment advice. Davis-Bacon, Copeland Act, state prevailing-wage and certified payroll rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Confirm requirements with your CPA, employment counsel and the awarding agency before you change payroll or reporting practices.