Prevailing Wage Calculator (Davis-Bacon)
Calculate the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage. Enter the base rate and required fringe to get the total wage package, the fringe credit from the benefits you provide, the cash due in lieu, and the overtime rate. Free, no sign-up.
What to calculate next
Tools commonly used alongside this calculation
Labor Burden Calculator
Calculate the fully burdened labor rate for construction. Add payroll taxes (FICA, FUTA, SUTA), workers' comp, insurance, and benefits to a base wage to get the labor burden % and the true cost per productive hour for accurate bids. Free, no sign-up.
Man-Hours Calculator
Estimate construction labor man-hours, crew duration, and cost. Enter a quantity and a production rate or labor unit, your crew size, and a productivity factor to get total man-hours, work days, and labor cost. Free, no sign-up.
Change Order Calculator
Price a construction change order with overhead, profit, and bond markup. Add labor, material, equipment, and subcontractor costs to get the total price, the markup added, and the true margin vs markup. Free, no sign-up.
Explanation
A prevailing wage calculator works out what you must pay a worker on a Davis-Bacon job and how much of it can come from benefits instead of cash. On federal construction contracts over $2,000, the Davis-Bacon Act requires the prevailing wage published in the wage determination for the project’s county and trade. That wage has two interchangeable parts — a basic hourly rate and a fringe benefit rate — and you can satisfy the fringe with cash, a bona fide benefit plan, or a mix of both.
How prevailing wage and fringe credit work
The total package is the base rate plus the required fringe. Any bona fide benefits you fund count as a credit against the fringe; whatever is left must be paid as cash on top of the base wage. The cash wage plus the benefit credit add up to exactly the full package. To compare against your real cost of labor, pair this with the labor burden calculator, which turns a base wage into the fully burdened hourly rate.
fringe credit = min(benefits provided, required fringe)
cash in lieu = required fringe − benefits provided (if positive)
cash wage = base rate + cash in lieu
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| base rate | Basic hourly rate from the wage determination |
| required fringe | Fringe rate from the wage determination, $/hr |
| benefits provided | Bona fide plan contributions, as $/hr (annual cost ÷ hours) |
| cash in lieu | Unfunded fringe paid as taxable cash wages |
Three ways to satisfy the fringe
For a $30.00 base and a $12.00 required fringe, the package is $42.00 per hour. You can pay all $12.00 as cash, fund $12.00 into a bona fide plan, or split it — for example $8.00 in benefits and $4.00 in cash. Paying fringe into a plan instead of cash lowers your payroll-tax and workers’ comp burden, because those are charged on cash wages.
| Method | Cash wage | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| All cash | $42.00 | $0.00 |
| All benefits | $30.00 | $12.00 |
| Mix ($8 plan) | $34.00 | $8.00 |
Overtime, exclusions, and where the rates come from
On Davis-Bacon overtime the half-time premium applies to the basic rate only — the fringe is paid at straight time for overtime hours, so the overtime rate is base × 1.5 plus the full fringe. When you estimate the hours behind a bid, the man-hours calculator helps size the crew and schedule.
Legally required employer costs — Social Security and Medicare (FICA), federal and state unemployment (FUTA/SUTA), and workers’ compensation — do not count toward the fringe credit; only bona fide benefits do. When you convert an annual benefit cost to an hourly credit, divide by the worker’s total annual hours actually worked — both Davis-Bacon and private jobs — not a flat 2,080; using 2,080 for someone who works more over-credits the fringe and is DOL’s most-cited fringe violation. This tool computes the standard prevailing-wage math from rates you enter; the actual base and fringe rates must come from the official wage determination on SAM.gov for your project’s county and classification. Always confirm current rates and any state prevailing-wage rules before submitting certified payroll.