Calculator · no email required
Prevailing wage calculator: total package, cash in lieu of fringe, overtime and crew cost
Type the base rate and fringe from your wage determination. The page returns the total hourly package, the cash you owe in lieu of fringe after the benefits you already provide, the overtime rate on the base wage, and the straight-time and overtime labor cost of the crew. Everything runs in your browser.
Calculator · no email required
Price a crew from your own wage determination
Type the base rate and fringe from the determination that governs your contract. Nothing is sent anywhere and no email is required — the arithmetic runs in your browser. Numbers below start from a worked example so you can see the shape of the answer before typing anything.
Arithmetic on the figures you entered. It does not look up, supply, or validate a state rate, and it does not decide which schedule governs.
Overtime assumption. The premium is applied to the base wage only and the fringe stays at 1× per hour worked. That is the usual Davis-Bacon treatment, but the contract clauses and the applicable state rule control. Verify the determination and modification incorporated into your contract before you bid or pay.
Where the numbers come from
A federal wage determination lists, for each classification, a basic hourly rate and a fringe benefit amount. The county pages in Davis-Bacon wage rates by county print both for the common trades in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota and Utah, with the determination number on every row. For a state schedule, use the source linked from the state reference.
How the arithmetic works
Total package
Base rate + fringe. This is the minimum hourly cost of the worker before employer burden and markup.
Cash in lieu of fringe
Fringe − bona fide benefits you already provide per hour (capped at the fringe). What is left must be paid as cash on the paycheck.
Overtime
Base × 1.5 for overtime hours, plus the fringe at 1× for every hour worked. Fringe is not multiplied unless the contract or a state rule says so.
Crew labor
Workers × straight-time hours × total package, plus workers × overtime hours × (base × 1.5 + fringe). Add your own burden and markup afterwards.
Then report it
On a federal or federally assisted project the same figures go on the weekly certified payroll: the cash rate in column 6A, the plan credit in 6B and the cash in lieu in 6C. Form WH-347, column by column. State projects have their own reports: certified payroll requirements by state.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculator look up my prevailing wage rate?
No. It does the arithmetic on the base rate and fringe you take from the wage determination incorporated into your contract. For federal rates by county in eight states see the Davis-Bacon county pages; for state schedules use the state agency source.
How is overtime calculated on Davis-Bacon work?
The usual treatment is time and a half on the basic hourly rate for hours over 40 in the week, with the fringe benefit paid at the straight rate for every hour worked. The contract clauses and any state daily-overtime rule control; this page applies the usual treatment.
What is cash in lieu of fringe?
The wage determination lists a fringe amount per hour. A contractor can meet it with bona fide plan contributions, with cash added to the hourly wage, or with a mix. The cash part is what this page calls cash in lieu; on Form WH-347 it goes in column 6C.