Free tool
Wage Determination Lookup
Wondering what you must pay your workers on a government contract? Tell Sam what the contract covers and where, and you'll get the right law, the exact steps, and a direct link to the official wage determination — in plain English, no login.
What is a wage determination?
On most federal contracts you are legally required to pay your workers a prevailing wageset by the U.S. Department of Labor for the work's location and labor category. The official rate schedule for a contract is called a wage determination. Two laws decide which one applies — the Service Contract Act for services and the Davis-Bacon Act for construction. This tool tells you which law governs your contract and walks you to the exact official rates; it does not publish or estimate the dollar amounts itself, because they change by county and category.
- Service Contract Act (SCA)
- Applies when the main purpose of your federal contract is to provide services through service employees — janitorial, security, grounds, IT support, staffing, food service. SCA wage determinations set a minimum hourly rate plus a health & welfare fringe benefit for each labor category. It covers federal service contracts over $2,500.
- Davis-Bacon Act (DBA)
- Applies to the construction, alteration, or repair (including painting and decorating) of public buildings or public works. Davis-Bacon determinations are published by construction type — building, residential, highway, or heavy — and list a rate for each trade classification. It covers federal construction contracts over $2,000.
Find your wage determination
Answer two quick questions and Sam will point you to the right official source. Nothing is submitted until you ask to track matching bids.