Field guide · document preparation
Wage determination number vs. modification number
Read a federal wage determination reference as two pieces: the General Decision number identifies the determination; the modification identifies a revision within that edition.
One reference, two identifiers
CA20260022 / 4This example is modification 4. Its header and modification record show July 14, 2026. It is a historical document, not a claim that this is the latest version or the version required by your contract.
CA20260022
CA identifies California. 2026 is the annual edition. Keep 0022 with the complete number when searching or writing a question.
The edition year is not a wage effective date or a contract award date.
4
The revision of this determination within the 2026 edition. The publication date printed in its modification record is July 14, 2026.
The number 4 is not a county, classification or construction type.
Source header: General Decision Number: CA20260022 07/14/2026. State: California. County: Los Angeles. Construction types: Building, Heavy and Highway.
Open this exact historical version in SAM.gov →Keep the version and its date together
The document’s modification history includes these entries. These dates are printed in the determination itself; they do not describe when the website listing was updated. This is an excerpt, not a complete revision history.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to read all three columns.
| Modification | Published | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | January 30, 2026 | An earlier revision of this annual edition. |
| 3 | May 18, 2026 | A later revision, still the same General Decision number. |
| 4 | July 14, 2026 | The specific historical version illustrated here. |
DOL republishes general determinations in an annual rollover and issues modifications during the year. A change of annual edition and a modification are different events; do not compare revision numbers across different determinations as if they were one timeline.
Before using a rate from a county page
- Copy the complete determination number and modification from the contract file, plus the document’s publication date.
- Check its state, county coverage, construction type, classifications and notes against the work.
- If the contract and SAM.gov show different versions, ask the contracting agency which version applies. A newer web result does not by itself replace the contract’s requirements.
Return to the federal county rate archive with the exact reference in hand. The archive is a snapshot and does not select a contractual determination.
Primary sources
Checked October 30, 2026. No wage amounts are reproduced in this guide.