By Debbie Neese, Horticulture Certification | 16 years in the green industry | Founder, Offshoot Virtual Landscape Services (est. 2012)
The Department of Labor’s WH-347 fillable form works well for one-off jobs. For anything that runs for weeks, track your data in a spreadsheet and copy it onto the form. Paper only works if your prime accepts it. Check first whether your prime requires a portal, because that requirement overrides all three.
It’s Sunday night, and you’re typing the same eight names into a payroll form for the fourteenth week in a row. The classifications haven’t changed. Neither have the rates. Only the hours are new.
Nothing’s wrong with you. The tool is built for one week, and your job runs all season. So let’s sort out which format fits which situation.
What Is the WH-347 Fillable Form, and Where Do You Get It?
The WH-347 is the Department of Labor’s weekly certified payroll form. Certified payroll is a weekly wage report for government-funded construction, and our plain-English guide covers the basics. The form itself is optional. However, the payroll information it collects is not.
On DOL’s official WH-347 page, you’ll find three things. First comes the PDF. Next is an annotated guide. Finally, there’s an online fillable form.
What Does the DOL’s Online WH-347 Fillable Form Do?
It’s a web-based form generator, so it runs in your browser with no installation. You enter your project and worker details, and it calculates wages, overtime, and deductions. Then you print it or save it as a PDF.
Callout: DOL says the tool keeps your data on your own computer and stores nothing on its servers. That’s great for privacy. It also affects what the tool can do for you, which is the next section.
What Won’t the WH-347 Fillable Form Do for You?
Here’s where the Sunday-night retyping comes from. Because it doesn’t store anything, each week starts as a blank form. So plan on re-entering your crew, classifications, and rates every time.
It also won’t do these jobs:
- Choose classifications. Each worker must match a classification on your contract’s wage determination. If none fits, DOL says to contact the Contracting Officer right away.
- Track payroll numbers. Payroll No. 1 starts the sequence, and each following week gets the next number. Gaps look like missing payrolls.
- Handle a long roster. DOL’s instructions run eight worker rows per page, so bigger crews spill onto extra pages.
- Submit anything. It makes the form. Getting it to your prime is still your job.
Warning: The signature matters more than the software. The Statement of Compliance carries penalties under federal law, including up to five years in prison for a false statement. DOL accepts legally valid electronic signatures, but its instructions say a photocopy or scan of a signature doesn’t count. So ask your prime how they want it signed before you print, sign, and scan.
Did the WH-347 Form Change Recently?
Yes. DOL released a revised layout in January 2025, and the current version’s approval runs through January 31, 2028. Meanwhile, older copies of the form still circulate online with a 09/30/2026 expiration date printed on them. That’s tomorrow.
So download a fresh copy from DOL instead of pulling last year’s file from an old project folder. Here’s what’s different on the revised form:
- The withholding exemptions column is gone.
- New fields mark journeyworker or registered apprentice status.
- Each worker gets an entry number.
- A wage determination number now appears in the header.
- Two fringe benefit columns are new: one for credits, one for cash paid in lieu.
Should You Use Paper Instead of the WH-347 Fillable Form?
Sometimes, yes. Paper is fine for one crew, one page, and a prime who accepts it. However, you’ll do every calculation by hand, and one incorrect total can bounce the whole report.
DOL estimates about 55 minutes per form, including reading the instructions. Handwriting adds a second problem, because a smudged rate or a missed week rarely gets caught until the invoice stalls. For a column-by-column walkthrough, see our guide to certified payroll for landscapers.
When Does a Spreadsheet Beat the PDF?
As soon as a job runs longer than a few weeks. A spreadsheet remembers what a blank form can’t. It holds your roster, classifications, rates, and each week’s hours in one place.
Then the form becomes a copy job. You pull the week’s numbers across, and you’re done in minutes. Your payroll number sequence lives in the sheet, so gaps show up before your prime notices them.
One caution: the spreadsheet is your worksheet, not your certified report. DOL’s instructions allow another document only if the Statement of Compliance uses identical wording. So confirm with your prime before you swap formats.
Free download: Grab the Certified Payroll Tracking Workbook. It’s the same offer as our Starter Checklist, just a different door. Grab the Workbook.
How Do Paper, Fillable, Spreadsheet, and Portal Compare?
| Paper | Fillable Form | Spreadsheet | Portal | |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free to low | Varies |
| Weekly effort | Highest | Moderate | Lowest | Low |
| Remembers your crew? | No | No | Yes | Usually |
| Math checked? | By you | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Best for | One short job | One-off filing | Season-long work | Required by agency |
What Do Agencies Actually Accept?
It depends on who’s collecting. Some accept a PDF by email or paper. Others require an online portal, and a perfect PDF won’t help there.
- Paper or PDF to your prime. Common on smaller jobs. Ask which one they prefer and how they want it signed.
- Software portals. New Mexico, Colorado, and North Dakota DOTs each use LCPtracker for certified payroll.
- State systems. Some states run their own portals. Your prime will know which one applies.
- NCDOT. Its construction manual says second-tier subcontractors on federally funded jobs submit certified payrolls to the Resident Engineer’s office.
So ask your prime and the Resident Engineer once, up front. Get the format in writing, because nobody remembers the answer in week 20.
From our own files: A hydroseeding contractor in NC came to us six to eight months behind. We rebuilt every week from his time sheets and pay records. Then we matched each worker to a classification and filed the weeks in order. The form was never the hard part. Connecting the weeks was. That’s the work our certified payroll services take off your desk.
What Does a Simple Weekly Routine Look Like?
Here’s the routine that keeps a season from turning into a backlog:
- Enter the week’s hours in your tracking sheet by Monday.
- Confirm each worker’s classification corresponds to the wage determination.
- Check that the payroll number follows last week’s.
- Fill out the current WH-347 from your sheet.
- Sign the Statement of Compliance the way your prime requires.
- File within seven days of your pay date, then note it in the sheet.
Keep that sheet in a shared spreadsheet, so anyone in your office can see which week is next. Print our Certified Payroll Starter Checklist and pin it beside the routine.
WH-347 Fillable Form: Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official WH-347 fillable form?
Yes. The Department of Labor’s WH-347 page offers the PDF, an annotated guide, and an online fillable form. The online version calculates totals and lets you print or save the finished form as a PDF.
Does the WH-347 fillable form save my crew for next week?
DOL says its online tool stores nothing on its servers and keeps your data on your computer. So expect to re-enter your workers each week, or track them in a spreadsheet and copy across.
How long does a WH-347 take to fill out?
DOL estimates an average of 55 minutes per form, including reading instructions. With organized records and a tracking sheet, most weeks take far less.
Can I use a spreadsheet instead of the WH-347?
The form is optional, but the information is required. Another format can work if it carries the same data and a Statement of Compliance with identical wording. Confirm with your prime first.
How much does it cost to outsource certified payroll?
Pricing for certified payroll services depends on your crew size, how many contracts are active, and whether you need to clean up a backlog first. A free 45-minute consultation shows you exactly where you stand, whether you hire us or not.
Ready to Stop Retyping the Same Crew Every Monday?
You started a business to work outside, not to become a forms clerk. So let’s hand the weekly filing to someone who does it every week.
Call 828-699-8022 or book a free 45-minute consultation with Offshoot Virtual Landscape Services. You’ll leave with a list of what can come off your plate and a realistic first step.
I’m an offshoot of your business.
About the Author: Debbie Neese is the founder of Offshoot Virtual Landscape Services, LLC, a virtual assistant and back-office firm serving landscapers, hydroseeders, lawn care companies, and tree services across the U.S. She started in the green industry in 2010, studying horticulture and working at a nursery, and founded Offshoot in 2012. She holds a Horticulture Certification and an Associate of Science in Business Administration. Her gardening expertise has appeared in Men’s Journal, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, The Spruce, Well+Good, and Family Handyman.
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