Free Certified Payroll Template
A simple spreadsheet for collecting each worker's week — everything a WH-347 certified payroll report needs, in one row per worker. Download it, fill it in, and let the math be done for you.
Last updated July 2026
Every certified payroll report starts the same way: someone has to write down who worked, what trade they worked in, how many hours they put in each day, and what they were paid. A certified payroll template is just a spreadsheet that collects those facts in a consistent shape, so that when Friday comes you have everything a WH-347 asks for in one place instead of scattered across timecards and pay stubs.
Download the free certified payroll template (CSV) — opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
The file is a plain CSV with a header row and one example worker. Each row holds one worker's week: name, last four digits of their SSN, work classification, the wage-determination base and fringe rates, the rates you actually pay, seven daily-hour columns, and the week's deductions. That is the complete set of raw inputs a Form WH-347 is built from.
What's in each column
Only worker_name is required — every other column can be left blank and filled in later. Headers are matched loosely, so "Worker Name" or "WORKER-NAME" work just as well, and money cells can carry a $ and commas.
| Column | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| worker_name | The worker's name. The only required column. | Gomez, Maria |
| ssn_last4 | Last 4 digits of the worker's SSN. Never put the full SSN on a WH-347. | 1234 |
| classification | Work classification from your wage determination. | Electrician |
| base_rate | Wage-determination base hourly rate for that classification. | 34.50 |
| fringe_rate | Wage-determination fringe hourly rate that must be provided. | 12.75 |
| cash_rate | Straight-time cash hourly rate you actually pay the worker. | 34.50 |
| fringe_cash | Fringe you pay in cash, per hour. Use 0 if fringes go to plans. | 0 |
| fringe_plans | Fringe you pay into approved plans or funds, per hour. | 12.75 |
| hours_day1 … hours_day7 | Hours worked each day of the workweek — seven columns, one per day, in whatever order your workweek runs. | 8 |
| fica | FICA withheld for the week (a dollar amount, not a rate). | 210.68 |
| federal_tax | Federal income tax withheld for the week. | 180.00 |
| state_tax | State income tax withheld for the week. | 62.50 |
| other_deduction_label | What any other deduction was for. | Union dues |
| other_deduction_amount | Dollar amount of that other deduction. | 25.00 |
Two of these pairs matter more than the rest. The base_rate / fringe_rate columns come off your wage determination — they are what the law requires. The cash_rate / fringe_cash / fringe_plans columns record what you actually did. Keeping both side by side is what makes a fringe compliance check possible later: required package versus provided package, hour by hour.
How to use the template
- One row per worker, per week.If a worker split the week between two classifications, give them two rows — that's exactly how they will appear on the WH-347.
- Fill in daily hours as the week goes, or copy them from your timekeeping system on payday. Rates and deductions can wait until you run payroll.
- Then do the math — either by hand onto the official WH-347 PDF, or the easy way: import the CSV into Certiwage, or paste it into the free WH-347 builder. The builder splits straight time from overtime, computes the correct overtime rate, fills gross and net, and runs the fringe check before you certify anything.
What a template honestly can't do
A spreadsheet is a great collection tool and a poor compliance tool. Three limits worth being clear-eyed about:
- It won't compute Davis-Bacon overtime correctly by itself. The overtime rate is 1.5× the basic hourly rate plus the fringe at straight time— not 1.5× the whole base-plus-fringe package. A plain
=rate*1.5formula over a combined rate gets this wrong, and an auditor will notice. (See our WH-347 guide for a worked example.) - It won't catch fringe shortfalls.The single most common audit finding is a total package (cash rate + fringe to plans + fringe in cash) that falls short of the wage determination's base + fringe. A template stores the numbers; it doesn't compare them.
- It is not the official form. No spreadsheet is. You still submit a WH-347 (or an equivalent approved format) with a signed Statement of Compliance every week — the template only feeds it.
Where to get the official WH-347 form
The official form and its instructions are published by the U.S. Department of Labor at the DOL WH-347 page. That's the PDF you (or your software) ultimately fill out and sign. Keep your wage determination next to it — the classifications and rates in your template must trace back to that document.
Is there an official WH-347 Excel template?
No. The Department of Labor publishes WH-347 only as a PDF, along with instructions. Every Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV version you find — including this one — is an unofficial helper for gathering the data. That's fine: using the WH-347 form itself is optional as long as your submission carries the same information and certification. But the spreadsheet stage is prep work, not the filing.
Can I submit this template as my certified payroll?
No. A CSV or spreadsheet is not a certified payroll report. What you submit each week is a completed WH-347 (or equivalent) plus a signed Statement of Compliance — the certification is what makes the payroll "certified." The template's job is to make producing that report fast and accurate. Certiwage is a preparation tool, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with the Department of Labor.
When your rows are filled in, paste them into the free WH-347 builder and watch the overtime, gross, net, and fringe check compute themselves.
Free download
The WH-347 filing checklist
One printable page: what to gather before the first payroll, the checks to run every week, and the mistakes that trigger agency letters.
Build your WH-347 in minutes
Skip the spreadsheet. Enter hours and rates and Certiwage generates a correct, fringe-checked certified payroll report — free for your first one.