---
title: "Davis-Bacon Apprentice Ratios and Pay | Public Works Pay"
description: "Davis-Bacon apprentices: OA or SAA registration, whose ratio applies since 2023, pay as a percent of the journeyworker rate, fringes and the WH-347."
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last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---

# What are the apprentice rules on a Davis-Bacon job?

On a Davis-Bacon job, a worker can be paid below the wage determination rate only as an apprentice individually registered in a program registered with the DOL's Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency. Pay is the program's percentage of the journeyworker rate, the ratio is the one for the job's locality, and unregistered or over-ratio workers get the full rate for the work they perform, under 29 CFR 5.5(a)(4).

By [the Public Works Pay team](https://publicworkspay.com/editorial) · Updated October 19, 2026

## Who counts as an apprentice on a Davis-Bacon job?

Only a worker individually registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program that is itself registered with the DOL's Office of Apprenticeship (OA) or with a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) recognized by the OA (29 CFR 5.2 and 5.5(a)(4)(i)(A)). The one exception is a new hire in the first 90 days of probationary employment who isn't registered yet but whom the OA or SAA has certified as eligible for probationary employment as an apprentice.

Which agency registers programs depends on the state. The OA registers and oversees programs in states without a recognized SAA, and a recognized SAA does it in its own state. Apprenticeship.gov has a map of which states are which.

If the OA or SAA withdraws approval of a program, the contractor can't pay apprentices below the wage determination rate until an acceptable program is approved (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)(i)(A)).

## How are apprentices paid?

At the percentage of the journeyworker rate set by the registered program for the apprentice's level. The DOL's guidance says the percentage is applied to the basic hourly rate on the wage determination for the classification. For example, a program that sets a level at 60% of the journeyworker rate, on a wage determination line with a $40.00 basic hourly rate, works out to $24.00 an hour for that level. The real percentages come from the program's standards, not from this page.

## Do apprentices get fringe benefits?

Yes. Apprentices get fringe benefits as the apprenticeship program provides. If the program doesn't specify fringe benefits, they get the full fringe amount listed on the wage determination for the classification. If DOL's Administrator determines a different practice prevails for the apprentice classification, that practice applies (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)(i)(B)).

## What ratio of apprentices to journeyworkers is allowed?

The ratio allowed under the registered program, or the ratio that applies in the locality of the project, counted in each craft classification on the job site (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)(i)(C)). The DOL's compliance guidance says the ratio is checked daily, not weekly, and that when it's exceeded, only the apprentices who were working before the ratio was exceeded can be paid at apprentice rates.

The regulation doesn't set one federal ratio. The number comes from the registered program or, since the 2023 rule, the locality where the work is performed.

## Which state's ratio applies when you work outside your program's state?

Since the 2023 rule, the ratio and wage percentages of the locality where the work is performed. The text at 29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)(i)(D) says that when a contractor works in a locality other than the one where its program is registered, the ratios and wage rates (as percentages of the journeyworker rate) that apply in the project's locality must be observed. If the project's locality has no applicable ratio or wage rate, the contractor's own registered program applies.

Before the 2023 rule, it was the other way around: the ratios and wage rates in the contractor's own registered program traveled with it to jobs in other states. The DOL changed this in its final rule published August 23, 2023 (88 FR 57526), effective October 23, 2023, and the rule applies to contracts entered into after that date. The DOL's FAQ on the rule says the locality standard applies whether several programs are registered in the same state or the contractor is working outside its program's area.

## What happens to an unregistered or over-ratio apprentice?

They're owed the full wage determination rate for the work they perform. Under 29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)(i)(C), any worker listed on a payroll at an apprentice rate who isn't registered (or in a certified probationary period) must be paid not less than the wage determination rate for the classification of work actually performed. Any apprentice working on the job site above the allowed ratio must also be paid not less than the wage determination rate for the work performed.

## What about trainees and helpers?

The 2023 rule removed the old trainee provisions. The DOL explained that the definition referred to on-the-job training programs approved by its Employment and Training Administration, and ETA no longer reviews or approves those programs. The apprentice paragraph at 29 CFR 5.5(a)(4) no longer mentions trainees.

One carve-out remains in the definition: the apprentice rules don't apply to apprentices and trainees on highway projects under 23 U.S.C. 113 who are enrolled in programs certified by the Secretary of Transportation (29 CFR 5.2).

Helpers are a separate classification. Under 29 CFR 5.2, a helper classification appears on a wage determination only where its duties are clearly defined and distinct, using helpers is an established practice in the area, and the helper isn't a trainee in an informal training program. One can be added after award only through conformance, which our [wage determination page](https://publicworkspay.com/wh-347/wage-determination) covers.

## How do apprentices show up on the WH-347?

On the WH-347 (Rev. January 2025), apprentices show up in two places:

| Where | What the DOL's instructions ask for |
|---|---|
| Page 1, column 2 | "J" for a journeyworker or "RA" for a registered apprentice, and for an apprentice, their level of progression in the program |
| Page 1, column 3 | The labor classification for the work actually performed, from the wage determination |
| Page 2, box 4 | Checked if anyone was paid as an apprentice that week, with each apprenticeship program name, whether it's registered with the OA or an SAA, and the labor classification. Enter "N/A" under the program name if no one was paid as an apprentice. More than three programs need an addendum. |

By checking box 4, the signer certifies that workers paid as apprentices are registered in a program registered with the OA or a recognized SAA and that the program information is accurate. The regulation also requires contractors with apprentices to keep written evidence of the program's registration, each apprentice's registration, and the ratios and wage rates in the program (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(i)(D)). Our [statement of compliance page](https://publicworkspay.com/wh-347/statement-of-compliance) covers the rest of page 2.

## Sources

- [29 CFR 5.5, Contract provisions and related matters](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-A/part-5/subpart-A/section-5.5), eCFR, Office of the Federal Register. Apprentice rate of pay, OA or SAA registration and the 90-day probationary rule (a)(4)(i)(A); apprentice fringe benefits (a)(4)(i)(B); ratio and full rate for unregistered or over-ratio workers (a)(4)(i)(C); locality ratios and wage rates (a)(4)(i)(D); apprenticeship records (a)(3)(i)(D); EEO and 29 CFR part 30 (a)(4)(ii).. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [29 CFR 5.2, Definitions (Apprentice and helper)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-A/part-5/subpart-A/section-5.2), eCFR, Office of the Federal Register. Definition of apprentice; when a helper classification is issued; the exception for apprentices and trainees on 23 U.S.C. 113 highway projects in programs certified by the Secretary of Transportation.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations, Final Rule (88 FR 57526, August 23, 2023)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-08-23/html/2023-17221.htm), Federal Register, via U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo). Effective October 23, 2023 and applicable to contracts entered into after that date; the old rule made the contractor's own program ratios and wage rates portable; the new reciprocity text uses the ratios and wage rates of the locality where the work is performed; trainee references removed because ETA no longer approves on-the-job training programs.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Frequently Asked Questions: Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations Final Rule](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/construction/rulemaking-davis-bacon/faqs), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Contractors must follow the apprentice wage and ratio standards of the locality where the work is actually performed, including when several programs are registered in the same state.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Davis-Bacon Compliance Principles (Prevailing Wage Resource Book)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/prevailing-wage-resource-book/db-compliance-principles), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Apprentice pay is the program's percentage of the basic hourly rate on the WD; ratio compliance is checked daily, not weekly; only those working before the ratio was exceeded may be paid less.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) Frequently Asked Questions, Question 13](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/construction/faq), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Apprentices not properly registered or over the ratio must be paid the applicable WD rate for the work performed; apprentice pay is set by the program as a percentage of the journeyworker rate.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [The Apprenticeship System](https://www.apprenticeship.gov/about-us/apprenticeship-system), U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship (Apprenticeship.gov). OA registers programs in states without a recognized SAA; SAAs are recognized by OA to register and oversee programs in their state; the map of OA and SAA states.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Instructions For Completing Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form, WH-347](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/forms/wh347), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Column 2 J or RA and the apprentice's level of progression; box 4 on page 2 with each apprenticeship program, OA or SAA, and the labor classification; N/A when box 4 doesn't apply; addendum for more than three entries.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form (WH-347), Rev. January 2025](https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/wh347.pdf), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. The (J) Journeyworker / (RA) Registered Apprentice column; the page 2 statement that workers paid as apprentices are registered with OA or an SAA, and the Apprenticeship Program Name, Registered OA/SAA and Name of Labor Classification table.. Checked October 19, 2026.

## More about Davis-Bacon certified payroll

- [How to fill out the WH-347, line by line](https://publicworkspay.com/wh-347): Every field on the current WH-347 (Rev. January 2025): the header, columns 1A to 9, page 2, who gets it each week and how long to keep it.
- [How do you read a Davis-Bacon wage determination?](https://publicworkspay.com/wh-347/wage-determination): Finding the WD on SAM.gov, which modification applies, rate identifiers, base rate and fringe columns, footnotes, EO notes and conformance.
- [What does the WH-347 statement of compliance certify?](https://publicworkspay.com/wh-347/statement-of-compliance): The six boxes on page 2 of the WH-347 (Rev. January 2025), how fringes paid to plans and in cash are reported, who signs, and the false-statement warning.
- [What are the penalties for late, missing or false certified payroll?](https://publicworkspay.com/wh-347/penalties): Withheld payments, back wages with interest, 3-year debarment, cross-withholding, prime liability and false-statement penalties on Davis-Bacon jobs.
- [What is certified payroll?](https://publicworkspay.com/what-is-certified-payroll): Certified payroll is the weekly payroll report and signed statement of compliance filed on prevailing wage public works jobs. Who files and what's on it.

## About this document

This is the Markdown version of a page on Public Works Pay (https://publicworkspay.com). Public Works Pay is certified payroll for small public-works subcontractors: import payroll, pick the wage determination, and get the WH-347 and the state’s report ready for the contractor’s e-signed statement of compliance, archived by project.

- Site index for AI assistants: https://publicworkspay.com/llms.txt
- About Public Works Pay: https://publicworkspay.com/about
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- All states: https://publicworkspay.com/#products
- Every page has a Markdown version at its URL plus .md (the home page is https://publicworkspay.com/index.md).

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