Three things decide it: whether your agency or prime contractor already requires a platform, whether you want a company to run your whole payroll, and whether you also file state prevailing wage reports. If you already run payroll elsewhere and need a weekly WH-347 checked against the wage determination, Simple Certified Payroll does exactly that for $490 a year. If your project requires LCPtracker, or you want payroll handed off entirely, the questions below show which way to go.
The comparison
| Software | Who it's for | Starting price | WH-347 output | Wage determination check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Certified Payroll | Small subcontractors on federal Davis-Bacon jobs | $490 a year or $49 a month, up to 2 active projects | Filled WH-347 with Statement of Compliance and fringe table, one PDF | Every line against the Davis-Bacon determination you select; active determinations from SAM.gov, refreshed weekly |
| LCPcertified (LCPtracker) | Subcontractors reporting on their own, including state reports | $12 per report, or $145 a month for up to 5 active projects | Supports the updated WH-347, plus state and federal reports | Over 50 validation checks; California determinations maintained, other states uploaded by you |
| LCPtracker Pro | Agencies and prime contractors managing every tier | By quote; LCPtracker says no cost to contractors | Contractors submit through the portal | Validation checks, including prevailing wage verifications |
| QuickBooks Workforce Elite | Companies running their whole payroll in QuickBooks | $134 a month plus $17 per employee | Excel spreadsheet matching the WH-347; some fields by hand | You enter each classification's rates as pay types |
| Points North for RUN Powered by ADP | ADP RUN customers | $175 a month plus $7.50 per report, $995 setup | Federal WH-347 report (Basic edition) | The listing does not describe one |
| eBacon | Contractors who want construction payroll run for them | Not published; demo on request | WH-347 and state certified payroll reports | Assigns the determination to each project and calculates the rates |
| Payroll4Construction | Contractors who want construction payroll run for them | Not published; price shown after a quote form | Certified payroll in print and electronic formats | Prevailing wage calculations; automated pay rates by job, location and trade |
Every row comes from that company's own page, read on November 10, 2026; each name links to the page. "Not published" means we found no price on the company's site, not that it is expensive.
Start with the question that decides it
1. Does your agency or prime contractor require a platform?
If the project uses LCPtracker or a similar portal, you submit there. That is not a choice, and LCPtracker's contractor guide says "There is no cost to Contractors for this service or for online training" (LCPtracker: Contractor User Guide Overview).
The portal receives and checks your payroll, but you still have to produce it each week. LCPtracker says data can be typed in or uploaded from major construction accounting and payroll systems. So the real question becomes what you use to get your week ready to upload.
2. Do you want someone else to run your whole payroll?
Then look at construction payroll services such as eBacon and Payroll4Construction, or a payroll plan with a certified payroll report built in, such as QuickBooks Workforce Elite. They handle paychecks, taxes, fringe and reports in one place. They cost more and take longer to switch to, because you move your payroll, but you end up with one system.
eBacon says it assigns the wage determination to each project and calculates the prevailing wage rate for every classification, then builds the WH-347 from payroll (eBacon). Payroll4Construction lists certified payroll in print and electronic formats, prevailing wage calculations, and report formats for LCPtracker and other portals (Payroll4Construction). Neither publishes a price.
3. Do you file state prevailing wage reports too?
Some states take certified payroll in their own electronic formats. LCPcertified lists California DIR XML, Washington L&I XML and Maryland DLLR XML exports, and keeps California wage determinations up to date (LCPtracker: LCPcertified). eBacon and Points North's higher editions also list state reports. If most of your work is state prevailing wage, start there.
4. Do you just need the weekly WH-347 for federal Davis-Bacon work?
If you already run payroll in QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP or a spreadsheet and don't want to move it, you need a tool that takes your payroll as it is, checks it against the wage determination, and gives you the form to sign. That is what we built.
What to look for in any certified payroll software
- Where the rates come from. A tool that loads the wage determination checks your pay against the official rates. A tool where you type the rates in only checks your pay against what you typed. The wage determination in your contract is what you must pay [29 CFR 5.5(a)(1)(i)].
- Whether fringe is checked properly. Fringe can be met through plans, cash, or a mix [29 CFR 5.31(a)], and pay above the basic rate can offset it [DOL WHD: Fact Sheet #66E]. A check that only compares the hourly rate will miss a fringe shortfall.
- Overtime. On contracts covered by CWHSSA, hours over 40 in a week are paid at no less than 1.5 times the basic rate [29 CFR 5.5(b)(1)].
- The current form. The WH-347 is Rev. January 2025, OMB No. 1235-0008 [DOL WHD: Form WH-347 (Rev. January 2025)]. If a tool makes its own format, its Statement of Compliance must have the same wording as the WH-347's [29 CFR 3.3(b)].
- No full Social Security numbers on the weekly payroll [29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(B)].
- What you still type by hand each week, and what the price is for the number of weeks and projects you actually have.
Why Simple Certified Payroll fits small subcontractors
We built it for the subcontractor with a crew on one or a few federal or federally funded jobs, whose payroll already runs somewhere else.
It checks what you certify. When you sign, you certify that each worker got at least the wage and fringe rates in the wage determination [29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(C)]. Every line is checked as you type against the wage determination you selected: the basic rate, the fringe (plan credits, cash in lieu, or pay above the basic rate), and overtime at 1.5 times the basic rate. Anything short shows in red, with the amount per hour, before anyone signs.
The rates are already there. Enter the project's county and type of construction, and we list the active Davis-Bacon wage determinations for it from SAM.gov, refreshed weekly, showing only the classifications that apply in that county. Each project keeps the exact determination and modification you picked, with a link to the official text on SAM.gov.
Your payroll comes in as a file. Upload the CSV export from QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP or a spreadsheet and match its columns once; we remember the match. Then set each worker's classification and daily hours in the grid. The following week starts with last week's workers and rates copied in.
One PDF to sign. The filled WH-347, the Statement of Compliance and the fringe benefit table download as one PDF, with payrolls numbered in order per project and the final one marked.
One price per company. Unlimited workers and weeks on every plan. Starter is $490 a year or $49 a month for up to 2 active projects; Crew is $790 a year or $79 a month for up to 10. A finished project stops counting toward your limit. Cancel any time (pricing).
What the check catches (fictional example)
All names and numbers are made up. The wage determination lists Electrician at $40.00 basic and $20.00 fringe. Your electrician works 40 hours plus 4 overtime at $42.00 an hour and $63.00 overtime, with a $12.00 health plan credit.
The rate is above scale, and the overtime is right. The fringe is not: $12.00 in plan credit plus the $2.00 paid above the basic rate is $14.00, against $20.00 required. The line shows:
Fringe is owed for every hour, overtime included [DOL WHD: Fact Sheet #66E], so that is $264.00 owed for one worker's week. You fix it before you sign, not after an agency review asks for back wages with interest [29 CFR 5.5(a)(1)(vi)].
How we compared
We read each company's own website on November 10, 2026, and used only what it says there: prices, who it is for, what it outputs, and how it handles wage rates. Where a company publishes no price, we say so instead of quoting a reseller's estimate. We left out products whose own pages don't say whether they produce a WH-347.
FAQ
Is there free certified payroll software?
DOL's own WH-347 is free, with an online fillable version [DOL WHD: Form WH-347]. If your agency or prime requires LCPtracker, LCPtracker says it costs contractors nothing. Otherwise, the tools above charge by report, by month or by year.
Can QuickBooks do certified payroll?
Intuit says certified payroll reporting is available only in QuickBooks Workforce Elite, as an Excel spreadsheet that matches the WH-347, with some fields such as the wage determination number entered by hand (Intuit). If you are on another QuickBooks plan, you can export your payroll as a CSV and use a separate tool.
Does the software sign the payroll for me?
No. The contractor or subcontractor, or its agent who pays or supervises the payment of the workers, signs the Statement of Compliance [29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(C)], with an original or legally valid electronic signature [29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(E)].
What does certified payroll cost overall?
See our guide to what certified payroll costs, from doing the WH-347 by hand to a full construction payroll service. For the form itself, see how to fill out the WH-347, and for who has to file, what is certified payroll.