Prevailing wage calculator · Free · No email
Prevailing wage calculator. Clear crew costs.
Enter your base wage and fringe. See the hourly package, cash in lieu of fringe and overtime labor in one estimate you can save with its assumptions. Everything runs in your browser.
One craft. One crew. A clear cost.
Use the rate in your contract. Edit any figure to update the estimate instantly.
Worked example: base $42.00 + fringe $18.00; not a published or payable rate.
4 workers · 180 crew hours
Before employer burden, taxes, markup and premiumsBase $42.00 + fringe $18.00
Base × 1.5 + fringe at 1×
- Straight-time labor 160 crew hours
- $9,600.00
- Overtime labor 20 crew hours
- $1,620.00
- Cash in lieu of fringe After eligible benefits entered
- $18.00/ hr
Total includes $11,220.00 in cash wages and $0.00 in entered benefit credit. Eligibility of benefit credit must be verified.
Free text download. Inputs stay in this browser; no email required.
Overtime assumption: 1.5× base, fringe at 1×. Contract clauses and applicable state rules control. This calculator does not choose or validate a payable rate.
Match the WD and modification, classification, work dates, benefit credit and overtime rules to your contract. Then prepare the required payroll report.
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.
Official guidance: U.S. Department of Labor — Davis-Bacon and Related Acts ↗. Published county rows are dated snapshots; confirm the WD and modification incorporated into your contract.
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
Keep the saved estimate with your source determination. Before preparing certified payroll, verify actual hours, classifications, wage payments and eligible benefit contributions; an estimate is not a payroll report. Form WH-347, column by column. State projects have their own reports: certified payroll requirements by state.
A crew estimate is not a payroll record
Four workers at 40 planned hours give 160 crew hours. If the actual total is 156, one worker can still have 42 hours. Keep individual records; do not average the total into payroll entries.
Compare planned and recorded hours before preparing payroll →
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.