How to fill out the WH-347, field by field
This guide walks through the Rev. January 2025 edition of Form WH-347, the "Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Weekly Certified Payroll Form," in the order the boxes appear. It summarizes the DOL instructions; it is not legal or payroll advice, and the DOL instructions for Form WH-347 are the place to check anything you are unsure about.
One thing first: the form says it is "For Contractor's Optional Use." What is required is that covered contractors and subcontractors submit payroll information weekly, with a signed Statement of Compliance. The WH-347 layout is simply a common way to present it.
Header checkboxes and fields
At the top of page 1 there are three checkboxes:
- Submission of final DBRA certified payroll form — the DOL instructions say to mark it if this is the final week of work on the project.
- Prime contractor or Subcontractor — tick the one that describes you on this project.
Then the header fields:
- Project name and project no. or contract no.
- Certified payroll no. — number payrolls sequentially, starting at 1.
- Prime contractor's/subcontractor's business name — your legal business name — and business address.
- Project location.
- Wage determination no. — the wage determination number(s), including revisions.
- Week ending date.
Worker columns 1A to 9
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| 1A | Worker entry number. Number workers sequentially. A worker with more than one classification gets a separate row for each, under the same entry number. |
| 1B, 1C, 1D | Last name, first name, middle initial. |
| 1E | Worker identifying number, such as the last four digits of the SSN. Full Social Security numbers must not be included. |
| 2 | "J" for journeyworker or "RA" for registered apprentice, with the apprentice's progression level. |
| 3 | Labor classification, taken from the wage determination. If one is missing, contact the Contracting Officer or agency representative. |
| 4 | Days of the work week: the first letter of each workday on top, its date below, and hours worked each day split into ST (straight time) and OT (overtime) rows. |
| 5 | Total hours worked for the week — the total of column 4. |
| 6A | Hourly wage rate paid for ST and OT, excluding cash paid in lieu of fringe benefits. |
| 6B | Total fringe benefit credit: hours worked times the hourly credit shown on page 2. |
| 6C | Payment in lieu of fringe benefits: hours worked times the cash rate. |
| 7A, 7B | Gross amount earned on this project, and gross amount earned for all work. |
| 8 | Deductions for all work: tax withholdings, FICA, other (specify), and total deductions. |
| 9 | Net pay to the worker for all work. |
A few details from the instructions that are easy to miss: if hours by classification were not tracked, all hours must be paid at the highest applicable rate; multiple "other" deductions should be itemized in an addendum; deductions should not be prorated across projects; and deductions outside 29 CFR 3.5 need prior DOL approval. For the hours columns, see overtime and daily hours on the WH-347; for 6B and 6C, see the fringe benefit columns.
Page 2: the Statement of Compliance
Page 2 repeats the project header and adds the certifying official's name and title. It then has six numbered items. The DOL instructions say boxes 1, 2, 3 and 6 must always be checked; box 4 applies if any apprentices are paid, and box 5 if a fringe benefit credit is claimed. Below the items are optional Additional Remarks, then signature, date, telephone number and email address. The person who signs is the contractor or its agent who paid or supervised the payment of the workers. More detail is in our Statement of Compliance guide.
Where the WH-347 Layout Tool helps
If your payroll already lives in a spreadsheet or a payroll export, the WH-347 Layout Tool reads the CSV or Excel file in your browser tab (nothing is uploaded), lets you map your columns, and lays the data out in the WH-347 layout. Before you export, it checks that daily ST and OT hours add up to the weekly total, flags straight time over 40 for the week, checks gross against rate times hours and net against gross minus deductions, and points out missing names, classifications, week ending date, contractor or project. It prints only the last four of the SSN, auto-increments the payroll number per project, and adds continuation sheets past eight workers.
It does not decide classifications or rates for you, does not compute fringe, and leaves the page-2 signature, date, phone and email blank so a real person can sign. If you only have a few workers and would rather type, DOL's free online fillable WH-347 may be all you need.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use Form WH-347?
No. The form notice says use of Form WH-347 itself is optional. Covered contractors and subcontractors must still submit payroll information weekly, and each certified payroll must be accompanied by a signed Statement of Compliance.
Can I put a full Social Security number in column 1E?
No. The DOL instructions say to use an individual identifier such as the last four digits of the SSN and that full Social Security numbers must not be included.
How should certified payrolls be numbered?
The DOL instructions say to number payrolls sequentially starting at 1.
What if a worker did two classifications in one week?
Per the DOL instructions, give the worker a separate row for each classification, under the same worker entry number in column 1A.
About the WH-347 Layout Tool
- Browser-only: your CSV or Excel payroll export is read and laid out in your browser. Payroll is never uploaded. No account.
- Optional layout: it produces the WH-347 layout (Rev. January 2025, OMB 1235-0008). Use of Form WH-347 itself is optional; the weekly payroll information and a signed Statement of Compliance are what you submit.
- Price: free watermarked preview. Clean PDF + normalized CSV: $39 one-time for one project (31 days) or $29/month for one project.
- Not legal, payroll or tax advice. You review the output and the certifying official signs page 2.