How to fill out a WH-347 without getting it kicked back

If your company works on federally funded construction, you owe the prime contractor or agency a certified payroll report for every week you have workers on the job. The Department of Labor’s form for this is the WH-347. You are not strictly required to use that exact form, but you are required to report the same information, and most agencies and general contractors expect it in that shape or in their own portal.

Most rejections are not about fraud or underpayment. They come from small mismatches between what the payroll system produced and what the wage determination on the contract says. This guide covers what goes on the report and where it usually goes wrong.

Always download the current WH-347 and instructions from dol.gov. The form was revised in 2025, and GCs are quick to bounce reports on an outdated version.

What the report has to show

For each week, the report lists every worker who performed work on the project, including apprentices and working owners where applicable. For each worker you report:

• Identity. Name and an identifying number. You do not need a full Social Security number; the last four digits or another unique ID is typical.
• Work classification. The labor classification from the wage determination, such as Electrician or Laborer (Group 2). This is where most problems start.
• Hours by day. Straight time and overtime hours for each day, on this project.
• Rate of pay. The hourly rate paid, and the fringe benefits paid either in cash or to approved plans.
• Gross and net pay. Gross earned on this project and in total for the week, deductions and net wages.

The second page is the Statement of Compliance. Someone with authority at your company signs it, certifying that the information is correct and that each worker was paid at least the required wage and fringe. That signature is why it is called certified payroll, and why false statements can carry civil and criminal penalties.

Where reports get rejected

Classification does not match the wage determination

Your payroll system might call someone “Journeyman” or “Helper.” The wage determination does not have those words. Every worker must be reported under a classification that appears on the determination attached to that specific contract, and paid at least that classification’s rate for the hours worked in it. If someone splits the day between two classifications, you need time records that support the split.

Fringe benefits do not add up

The required fringe can be paid in cash, into bona fide plans, or a mix. The report has to show which. A common failure is a health plan contribution that is calculated monthly or annually but never converted into an hourly credit, so the fringe looks short on the weekly report.

Apprentices without registration

Apprentices can be paid less than journeyworker rates only if they are registered in an approved program and the ratio of apprentices to journeyworkers on the site is allowed. If the paperwork is missing, the worker must be paid the full journeyworker rate.

Overtime and multiple jobs

Overtime on federal jobs follows the 40-hour workweek across all projects, not just this one. When a worker splits time between a prevailing wage job and a private job in the same week, the math on the report needs to reflect that.

Missing weeks and “no work” reports

If your crew is off the job for a week, many agencies still want a report marked “no work performed” so the sequence has no gaps. Check with the prime contractor.

A pre-submit checklist

1. The report uses the current form or the agency’s required format.
2. Project name, contract number and week ending date match the contract exactly.
3. Every classification appears on the wage determination for this contract.
4. Base rate plus fringe meets or exceeds the determination for every hour reported.
5. Fringe paid to plans is converted to an hourly credit.
6. Apprentice registrations and ratios are documented.
7. Overtime reflects all hours worked that week, across projects.
8. The Statement of Compliance is signed by someone with authority to sign it.
9. Payroll numbers tie back to your actual payroll register.

State reports are a separate job

Many states run their own prevailing wage programs with their own formats and portals. California, for example, requires electronic certified payroll through its Department of Industrial Relations. A WH-347 that is perfect for a federal job does not satisfy a state portal, so contractors often end up keying the same payroll twice.

Where Payrung fits

Payrung is being built to take the payroll export you already run and produce the WH-347 and the state and portal formats from it, flagging classification and fringe mismatches before you submit. If you would like early access, join the waitlist.

This guide is general information, not legal or payroll advice. Confirm requirements with your contracting agency or a qualified advisor.