What will Public Works Pay put on your WH-347?
What is the WH-347?
Form WH-347, the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form, is the Department of Labor's optional form for the weekly certified payroll that contractors and subcontractors on covered federal and federally assisted construction jobs submit. The regulation lets you use any format that carries the same information, but each payroll has to come with a signed statement of compliance: page 2 of the WH-347 or a document with identical wording.
Sources: Instructions For Completing Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form, WH-347, checked October 19, 2026; Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form (WH-347), Rev. January 2025, checked October 19, 2026; 29 CFR 5.5, Contract provisions and related matters, checked October 19, 2026; 29 CFR 3.3, Certified payrolls, checked October 19, 2026; 29 CFR 3.4, Submission of certified payroll and the preservation and inspection of weekly payroll records, checked October 19, 2026.| Item | What the DOL and the regulations say |
|---|---|
| Form | WH-347, Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form, Rev. January 2025 |
| OMB number | 1235-0008, expires 01/31/2028, as printed on the form |
| Is the form required? | No. The weekly payroll may be submitted on the WH-347 or in any other format with the same information (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(B)) |
| Who files | Each contractor and subcontractor with laborers or mechanics on a covered contract |
| How often | Weekly, for each week in which any covered work is performed (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(A)) |
| When | Within 7 days after the regular payment date of the payroll period (29 CFR 3.4(a)) |
| Where it goes | The federal agency if it is a party to the contract; otherwise the applicant, sponsor, owner or other entity that keeps the records, for the funding agency. The prime is responsible for submitting all subcontractors' payrolls. |
| Checked against | The wage determination or determinations in the contract, for each classification of work actually performed |
| Signature | The contractor or subcontractor, or their agent who pays or supervises payment. Original handwritten or legally valid electronic signature. The DOL's instructions say the statement need not be notarized. |
| Worker ID on the form | An identifying number such as the last four digits of the Social Security number. Never the full number. |
| Record retention | Certified payrolls and basic payroll records kept for 3 years after all work on the prime contract is completed |
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Which version of the WH-347 is current?
The version on dol.gov on October 19, 2026 is marked "Rev. January 2025," OMB No. 1235-0008, expires 01/31/2028. In 2024 the DOL told the Federal Register it was revising the form "to simplify and clarify certain fields and to obtain more specific information about fringe benefits," with check boxes and fillable fields, and that substantive edits had last been made in 2011. That makes the January 2025 form the first substantive revision since 2011, and the first since the DOL's 2023 Davis-Bacon final rule took effect on October 23, 2023.
On the January 2025 form, page 1 numbers its columns 1A through 9, and page 2 has six check boxes and a table for fringe benefit plans. The DOL's WH-347 page links only this version. If a prime or an agency hands you a blank form, the revision date and expiration date are printed in the top right corner of page 1.
What goes in the header of page 1?
The header identifies the job, the company and the week. The DOL's instructions describe each box:
| Header field (as printed) | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Submission of Final DBRA Certified Payroll Form (check box) | Check it only on the payroll for your last week of work on the project. |
| Prime Contractor / Subcontractor (check boxes) | Check the one that describes your company on this project. |
| Project Name | The name of the project you're reporting on. |
| Project No. or Contract No. | The project number or prime contract number the contracting agency assigned, if there is one. |
| Certified Payroll No. | Start at 1 and number each weekly payroll you submit for the project in order. |
| Prime Contractor's/Subcontractor's Business Name | Your company's legal name. |
| Project Location | The full address of the project, or if there's no address, a description that names at least the county or counties and the state. |
| Wage Determination No. | Every wage determination number and revision number in the contract that applied to work in this pay period. |
| Week Ending Date | The last day of the workweek for this pay period. |
| Prime Contractor's/Subcontractor's Business Address | Your company's full business address. |
The wage determination number and revision come from the contract: the DOL's instructions say to list the ones "included in the covered contract."
What goes in each column on page 1?
Each worker gets a two-line entry: a straight time (ST) row and an overtime (OT) row. The form has room for 8 entries per page, and the instructions number the next page's first row 9.
| Column | Label on the form | What goes in it | Where the value comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Worker Entry No. | 1, 2, 3 and so on. A worker in two classifications gets two rows with the same entry number. | Your own numbering for this payroll |
| 1B, 1C, 1D | Worker Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial | The worker's name | Your payroll records |
| 1E | Worker Identifying No. | The last four digits of the Social Security number or another number unique to the worker. Never the full Social Security number. | Your payroll records |
| 2 | (J) Journeyworker / (RA) Registered Apprentice | "J" or "RA." For an apprentice, also the level of progression in the program. | Apprentice registration records |
| 3 | Labor Classification | The classification for the work actually performed, one row per classification | The wage determination in the contract |
| 4 | Hours Worked Each Day | Across the top, the first letter of each day of your workweek, with the dates under them. Then each day's hours on this project, ST on the top row and OT on the bottom row. | Time cards or daily reports |
| 5 | Total Hours Worked for Week | The total of the hours in column 4 | Column 4 |
| 6A | Hourly Wage Rate Paid for ST and OT | The rate actually paid, ST on top and OT below. If you paid more than the wage determination rate, the rate you paid. Not cash paid in lieu of fringes. | Your payroll records |
| 6B | Total Fringe Benefit Credit | Total hours times the worker's total hourly fringe credit listed on page 2 | Page 2, Hourly Credit for Fringe Benefits |
| 6C | Payment in Lieu of Fringe Benefits | Total cash paid in place of fringe benefits this week: total hours times the hourly cash amount | Your payroll records |
| 7A | Gross Amt Earned | Gross earned this week for hours on this project | Your payroll records |
| 7B | Gross Amt Earned for All Work | Gross earned this week on all work, including other jobs and private work | Your payroll records |
| 8 | Deductions for All Work: Tax Withholdings, FICA, Other, Total Deductions | Deductions actually taken from the column 7B gross, not prorated by job. Describe a single "Other" deduction in Additional Remarks on page 2, or attach an itemized addendum if there's more than one. | Your payroll records |
| 9 | Net Pay to Worker for All Work | The actual amount paid to the worker for the week across all projects | Your payroll records |
The instructions say all deductions have to follow the Copeland Act regulations at 29 CFR part 3, and any deduction not listed in 29 CFR 3.5 needs the DOL's prior approval. Taxes, FICA and other deductions required by law are on the 3.5 list.
Does the WH-347 have a withholding exemptions column?
No. The January 2025 form goes straight from column 1E (the identifying number) to column 2 (journeyworker or apprentice), and there's no column for withholding exemptions anywhere on page 1. The tax side of the form is column 8, which records the deductions actually taken that week.
How do you show a worker who worked in two classifications?
Give the worker one row per classification and use the same entry number in column 1A on each row. Split the hours by classification in column 4 and show the rate paid for each in column 6A. 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1)(i) allows pay at each classification's rate only when the payroll records "accurately set forth the time spent in each classification." The DOL's instructions add that without an accurate breakdown, all hours have to be paid at the highest applicable prevailing wage rate, base and fringe.
If the work doesn't fit any classification in the wage determination, the instructions say to contact the contracting officer or agency representative right away.
What counts as overtime on the WH-347?
On contracts covered by the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), the DOL's instructions say to enter hours over 40 in the week as OT in column 4, counting hours worked on and off the site of the work. The DOL's overtime guidance says CWHSSA requires at least one and one-half times the basic rate of pay for those hours, and that the fringe amount on the wage determination is left out of the overtime calculation.
What goes on page 2?
Page 2 repeats the project name, project or contract number, payroll number, business name, project location and week ending date, then adds the certifying official's name and title. Below that is the statement of compliance: six check boxes, a list of apprenticeship programs, the Hourly Credit for Fringe Benefits table, an Additional Remarks box, and the signature, date, telephone number and email address of the person signing. The statement of compliance and fringe benefits page covers every box.
Where does the WH-347 go, and when?
29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(A) says certified payrolls go weekly, for each week any covered work is performed, to the federal agency if it is a party to the contract. When the agency isn't a party, they go to the applicant, sponsor, owner or other entity that keeps the records, for transmission to the funding agency. On Related Acts jobs, the DOL's resource book says that entity is generally a state or local government agency, or an applicant or sponsor to one. The prime contractor is responsible for submitting all of its subcontractors' certified payrolls.
29 CFR 3.4(a) sets the timing: within 7 days after the regular payment date of the payroll period.
The same regulation lets a contracting agency or a prime require an electronic system, as long as it takes a legally valid electronic signature, keeps the payrolls available for 3 years after the prime contract is done, and allows another way to submit for contractors who can't use it. The DOL's resource book says each contracting agency decides its own electronic options, because the payrolls go to the agency and not to the DOL.
How long do you keep WH-347s and payroll records?
29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(G) says certified payrolls are kept during the work and for 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed. Your regular payroll and basic records follow the same 3-year rule under 29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(i)(A), and they hold what the WH-347 leaves out: each worker's full Social Security number, last known address, telephone number and email address.
Common questions about Davis-Bacon certified payroll
Is the WH-347 required?
No. 29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(B) says the weekly certified payroll information may be submitted on Optional Form WH-347 "or in any other format desired," as long as it carries the required information. The statement of compliance has to match the WH-347's page 2 wording (29 CFR 3.3(b)).
When is the WH-347 due?
Every week in which covered work is performed. 29 CFR 3.4(a) says each certified payroll is delivered within 7 days after the regular payment date of the payroll period.
Can the WH-347 be signed electronically?
Yes. The DOL's instructions accept a legally valid electronic signature: an electronic process that shows acceptance of the certified payroll and verifies the signer's identity. The instructions also say photocopies or scanned copies of signatures don't meet the requirement.
Does the full Social Security number go on the WH-347?
No. Column 1E asks for an identifying number such as the last four digits of the Social Security number, and the instructions say full numbers must not be included. The full number, address, phone and email stay in your own payroll records (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(i)(B)).
Is there a fillable WH-347?
The DOL posts the WH-347 as a PDF and also an Online Fillable WH-347 Form at dol.gov/agencies/whd/forms/wh347-web, which you fill in the browser and then print or save as a PDF to submit to the contracting agency.
How long do you keep WH-347s?
29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(G) says certified payrolls are preserved during the work and for 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed. The same 3 years applies to basic payroll records under 29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(i)(A).