- Official template? The DOL provides a fillable PDF, not an Excel file. Any Excel template is a third-party replica.
- Can Excel work? Yes — for simple federal-only crews. It breaks down with fringe calculations, multi-classification workers, or state forms.
- The 9 columns: name, exemptions, classification, daily hours, totals, pay rate, gross, deductions, net.
- Statement of Compliance: page 2 of the form — must be signed or the whole submission is invalid.
- Faster option: the free WH-347 generator does the math and produces a print-ready report.
What the WH-347 Excel template actually is
The Department of Labor's official WH-347 is a fillable PDF — it's never been released as an Excel file. The spreadsheet templates circulating online are built by payroll firms, contractors, and compliance consultants who recreated the form's structure in Excel so you can type directly into cells and do basic math.
That's useful, but it comes with a catch: the Excel file doesn't know what the prevailing wage is on your project, doesn't validate your fringe math, and doesn't generate the state-specific forms that states like California, New York, and Illinois require on top of the federal form. It's a blank grid, not a compliance tool.
For a full walkthrough of every field, see the step-by-step WH-347 guide. The field reference below covers what goes where.
Skip the spreadsheet
The free WH-347 generator pre-fills the form structure, calculates base + overtime + fringe math, and produces a print-ready certified payroll report. No Excel required.
Generate a WH-347 free →If you prefer working in Excel, keep reading — the field reference and checklist below work with any template.
WH-347 field reference: what goes in each column
The WH-347 has a project header across the top and nine columns for each worker. This table covers every field and the most common mistake in each one.
| Field | What to enter | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Project header | Company name, contractor or subcontractor, project name and location, contract number, week-ending date, payroll number | Payroll numbers not consecutive, or "Final" not marked on the last submission |
| Col 1 — Name & ID | Worker's name and last four digits of SSN | Using full SSN on submitted form (keep full SSN in internal records only) |
| Col 2 — Exemptions | Withholding exemptions (W-4) | Leaving blank is fine — this column is optional |
| Col 3 — Classification | The work performed, matched to the wage determination — not job title. Multiple classifications on separate lines. | Classifying by job title instead of actual work. Listing one classification when a worker did two trades. |
| Col 4 — Daily hours | Hours each day (Mon–Sun), split straight time and overtime, per classification | Hours not matching timecard; overtime hours not separated |
| Col 5 — Total hours | Straight time total + overtime total for the week | Adding straight + overtime into one number instead of keeping them separate |
| Col 6 — Rate of pay | Basic hourly rate + fringe rate; base must meet prevailing wage minus any fringe paid into plans | Forgetting to include the fringe rate component; rate below prevailing wage |
| Col 7 — Gross wages | Total earned for the week before deductions | Overtime calculated at straight time rate |
| Col 8 — Deductions | FICA, federal and state withholding, and any other permissible deductions, itemized | Unauthorized deductions; deductions not itemized |
| Col 9 — Net wages | Gross minus all deductions | Doesn't match the check or direct deposit amount |
| Statement of Compliance | Company name, payroll period, fringe payment method (4a or 4b), any exceptions — then sign and date | Left unsigned. Missing fringe method checkbox. Incomplete exceptions section. |
Your project's prevailing wage rates come from a wage determination — a document attached to your contract. If you don't have it, ask the general contractor. You can also look up current determinations on SAM.gov. The wage determination, not any general table, controls what rate you owe each classification.
When Excel works — and when it doesn't
Excel templates work fine in a limited set of circumstances. Outside those circumstances, they introduce errors that look fine on paper until you get an audit notice.
- You have a small crew (2–5 workers)
- All workers use the same classification all week
- It's a federal-only project (no state form required)
- Fringe is paid entirely in cash (no plan/fund splits)
- Pay rates are stable week to week
- One person handles payroll and knows the form cold
- Workers do two trades in the same week (multi-classification)
- Fringe is split between cash and a benefit plan
- You have apprentices with ratios to track
- The project is in CA, NY, IL, or NJ (state form required)
- Multiple people touch the spreadsheet (version drift)
- You copy last week's file and forget to update the payroll number or dates
The most common Excel error isn't a typo — it's a formula that calculates fringe incorrectly. The prevailing wage rate on your wage determination is a total package (base + fringe). If you pay part of the fringe into a health plan and part in cash, your Excel formula has to account for both — and the math changes if an employee waives the plan. Most templates don't handle this correctly out of the box, and the error is invisible until an auditor runs the numbers.
Can the spreadsheet be fixed?
Before replacing Excel entirely, most contractors try one of three patches. They help — but none of them remove the weekly review burden.
Multiple sheets: one tab per week or project. Keeps headers reusable but makes cross-project review harder and version drift worse, not better.
Pivot tables and exports: useful if someone technical owns the setup, fragile the moment that person is unavailable or leaves.
Pre-submit checklists: the most practical fix, and the least scalable. A checklist helps catch obvious mistakes before upload — but you're still doing the manual work every week, you're just doing it twice. The checklist below is a good starting point.
WH-347 Excel checklist — 9 things to verify before you submit
Whether you're using a template or our free generator, run through this before you file:
- Payroll number is consecutive — not a copy of last week's number.
- Week-ending date is correct — easy to miss when copying a prior week.
- Every worker is classified by work performed, not job title, matched to the wage determination.
- Multi-classification workers have separate rows for each trade worked.
- Daily hours match your timecards or time-tracking app.
- Base + fringe meets or exceeds the prevailing wage for each classification on the wage determination.
- Overtime hours are at 1.5× the basic hourly rate, not the prevailing wage rate.
- Net wages match the actual paycheck or direct deposit amount.
- Statement of Compliance is signed and dated — unsigned = invalid submission.
Signs you've outgrown Excel
If any of the following are true, a template is likely costing you more time and risk than it saves:
- You're working in California, New York, Illinois, or New Jersey — each requires a separate state form, and California's eCPR must be filed electronically to the DIR.
- You've had workers do two different trades in the same week and you weren't sure how to split the rows.
- Your fringe benefits include a health or retirement plan — the cash-vs-plan split needs to be tracked each week per employee.
- You've manually fixed a formula in the spreadsheet more than once.
- Certified payroll is taking more than an hour per week and you're still not confident it's right.
If Excel takes you more than 45 minutes on a Friday afternoon and you're double-checking fringe by hand, it's not saving you time. The risk isn't that Excel is wrong — it's that you have no way to know it's wrong until someone else checks it.
State forms: the other form you might owe
The WH-347 covers federal Davis-Bacon requirements. If your project has any state funding, most states require their own certified payroll on top — filed on a state-specific form, often through a state web portal. The federal form doesn't satisfy the state requirement.
See the state-specific guides: California DIR eCPR · New York · Illinois
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official WH-347 Excel template?
No. The Department of Labor provides a fillable PDF, not an Excel file. Any Excel template is third-party. They can work for simple situations, but they don't validate rates, fringe math, or state requirements.
Can I use Excel for certified payroll?
Yes, as long as your spreadsheet captures all required WH-347 fields and you sign the Statement of Compliance. The regulations don't require any specific software — they require the right information, signed. What Excel can't do is check your rates against the wage determination or generate state forms automatically.
What columns does the WH-347 have?
Nine: name and identifying number, withholding exemptions, work classification, day-by-day hours (straight and overtime), total hours, rate of pay including fringe rate, gross wages earned, itemized deductions, and net wages paid. The Statement of Compliance on the back identifies your fringe payment method.
Do I need to file WH-347 every week?
Yes — within seven days of the regular pay date for every week the project runs. If your crew didn't work that week, you still file a "no work" report. Payroll numbers must be consecutive, and the last submission should be marked "Final."
What if we use QuickBooks for payroll?
QuickBooks handles standard payroll — wages, deductions, taxes — but it has no concept of prevailing wage or Davis-Bacon. It doesn't know which workers need to be classified under which trade, what the wage determination says the rate should be, or how to split fringe between cash and a benefit plan. Most contractors who run QuickBooks still need a separate step to map classifications, verify rates against the wage determination, and produce WH-347-formatted output. That gap is where misclassifications and fringe errors accumulate, invisibly, until an audit finds them.
What's the difference between WH-347 and state certified payroll forms?
WH-347 is the federal form for Davis-Bacon projects. Most states have their own certified payroll requirements for state-funded work — California requires eCPR submission to the DIR, New York uses a state wage portal, Illinois has its own format. State forms are separate from WH-347 and must be filed independently.
Get the WH-347 compliance checklist
A two-page checklist for the whole form — columns 1–9, fringe method, Statement of Compliance, and deadline reminders. Free, no spreadsheet required.
Related guides
How to fill out WH-347 in 2026 (step by step) · Free WH-347 generator · California DIR eCPR guide · New York electronic filing guide · Prevailing wage fine calculator
This guide is general information for small subcontractors, not legal advice. It reflects U.S. Department of Labor WH-347 instructions as of June 2026. Always confirm classifications and rates against the project's wage determination and your awarding agency's requirements.