Certified‑payroll fringe calculator

Enter your wage‑determination base and fringe, your real hours, and how you pay fringe. We compute your true hourly obligation — and flag the flat‑weekly “$13k mistake.” Free, no signup.

Your inputs
How is fringe provided?
Your obligation
Total prevailing wage / hr—
Base wages (44 hrs)—
Cash fringe owed—
Gross obligation—
An aid, not the official determination — verify on SAM.gov.

Cash-in-lieu vs. bona-fide credit

You can satisfy the fringe obligation by paying it as cash on the paycheck, or by crediting bona-fide benefits (health, pension, training). The credit must be annualized — dividing an annual premium by only the prevailing-wage hours overstates it and underpays cash fringe. That gap, compounded across a crew and a year, is the “$13k mistake.” See fringe per hour for the worked math.

Frequently asked

Do I multiply fringe by the overtime premium?

No. Overtime is 1.5× the base rate only; the fringe amount is paid on all hours (straight and OT) at its straight value. This calculator handles that automatically.

What does “annualized” mean for benefit credits?

Divide the annual benefit cost by ALL hours worked in the year (not just prevailing-wage hours). Dividing by PW hours only inflates the hourly credit and underpays the required cash fringe.

Is this the official rate?

No. It is a computation aid. Always confirm the base and fringe against the current wage determination on SAM.gov before paying or bidding.

This calculator is an aid, not the official wage determination. Verify current rates on SAM.gov before bidding or paying. Not legal or tax advice.
Last reviewed: Jul 11, 2026 · Reviewed by: the Davis-Bacon Wage editorial team