How to fill out the WH-347 certified payroll form
WH-347 is the U.S. Department of Labor's weekly certified payroll form. The form itself is optional. Reporting the information on it is not, if federal money is in your project. Here is what goes in each column, and the deadline that decides whether it counted.
What you will do
- Know when WH-347 applies to you
- Fill each column correctly
- Meet the weekly deadline
Who actually has to file a WH-347
The trigger is federal money, not the size of your company. Davis-Bacon and the related acts reach federal and federally assisted construction contracts, and once a project is covered, on-site laborers and mechanics have to be paid at least the locally prevailing wage for their classification.
Florida adds nothing on top. Florida has no state prevailing-wage law, so if there is no federal funding in the job, there is no certified payroll obligation to meet. That single question decides whether this form matters to you at all.
The form is optional; the reporting is mandatory. Covered contractors must report the same payroll information weekly under 29 CFR 3.3 and 5.5(a), and the Copeland Act (40 U.S.C. 3145) is what requires the weekly statement. Using WH-347 is simply the easiest way to satisfy it.
If you are the prime, you are responsible for your subs. The prime contractor submits every subcontractor's payrolls, which means a sub who files late is your problem, not just theirs.
Filling out the form, column by column
- 1
Start from the week you are reporting
Contractor or subcontractor name and address, payroll number, week-ending date, project and location, and the contract number. The week-ending date is the one people get wrong: it is the end of the payroll week being reported, not the day you are filling the form in.
- 2
Report the hours that were actually worked
Column 4 is the day-by-day grid, split between straight time and overtime. This is what an auditor reconciles against your time records, so it has to agree with what the crews actually clocked.
- 3
Set classification, rate, and deductions per worker
Column 3 must match a classification on the project's wage determination, because the prevailing rate is per classification. Columns 5 through 9 carry the rate including any fringe paid in cash, gross earned, each deduction itemised, and net pay. Use an individually identifying number such as the last four of the Social Security number, never the full number.
- 4
Sign the Statement of Compliance and file within seven days
Page two is the signed certification that the payroll is correct, that no unlawful deductions were taken, and that everyone was paid at or above the applicable rate. Each weekly payroll plus its statement is due within seven days after the regular pay date (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)).
What to watch, and what this is not
- There are currently two live WH-347 layouts in circulation because DOL redesigned the form. Check which one the contracting agency expects before you build a process around a particular column order.
- The form is a U.S. government work in the public domain (17 U.S.C. 105), so unlike the AIA pay-application forms it can be reproduced as-is.
- FL Permit Pay prepares WH-347 output from time entries, wage classifications, and worker records already on the job, so the weekly form is assembled from what your crews recorded rather than retyped from a spreadsheet.
- This is a compliance walkthrough, not legal advice, and it does not tell you which wage determination governs your project. Confirm coverage and classification with the contracting agency.
Common questions
Is the WH-347 form itself required?
No. The form is optional, but reporting the same information weekly is mandatory for covered contractors under 29 CFR 3.3 and 5.5(a), and the Copeland Act (40 U.S.C. 3145) requires the weekly statement. WH-347 is simply the standard way to satisfy the requirement, which is why most agencies expect it.
When is a certified payroll due?
Within seven days after the regular pay date for that payroll period (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)). Each weekly payroll goes in with its signed Statement of Compliance.
Does Florida require certified payroll on private jobs?
No. Florida has no state prevailing-wage law, so certified payroll obligations come only from federal Davis-Bacon coverage. If there is no federal money in the project, WH-347 does not apply.
Should I put a full Social Security number on the form?
No. Use an individually identifying number such as the last four digits. The full number does not belong on a document that leaves your office.
Put the guide to work.
Build the weekly certified payroll from the hours your crews already clocked, with the classifications and rates held on the worker record.