Certified payroll software automates much of the record-keeping required to comply with Federal regulations for certain construction projects. The Form WH-347 is the document that lays out the way the payroll must be done.

The Copeland Act (40 U.S.C. § 3145) requires contractors and subcontractors performing work on certain Federal contracts to "furnish weekly a statement with respect to the wages paid each employee during the preceding week."

That statement must be signed (That's the certifying part!) that the payrolls are correct and complete and that each laborer or mechanic has been paid not less than the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rate for the work performed. That wage is pre-determined based on specific guidelines.

The form shows wages and benefit amounts paid to each and every worker. For each worker the form shows a breakdown of all payments made.

By using certified payroll software the reporting requirements can be easily met.

Look out though. You can add a lot of work if you pick the wrong system. Here's how...

Make sure that your payroll software is compatible with your main accounting software. Otherwise, you really have trouble. You certainly don't want to be entering data twice or reconciling two different systems!

Many payroll software packages will take input data from QuickBooks software as well as other major accounting packages.

The required Form WH-347 isn't complex to complete, but keeping track of the payroll data without the right software can be a real pain. The right payroll software can remove a real obstacle to timely reporting of payroll costs.



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