Wage determinations and modifications: which version applies to your project

Where determinations are published

General wage determinations are published by the Department of Labor on SAM.gov, organised by state, county and construction type — building, residential, heavy and highway. Each carries a number (for example TX20260012) and a modification number that increments when rates change. Project wage determinations, issued for a specific contract when no general determination fits, are requested by the contracting agency.

When a determination locks in

For contracts awarded through competitive bidding, the determination in effect ten days before bid opening generally applies, provided the contract is awarded within 90 days of bid opening. For contracts awarded without bidding, the determination in effect on the date of award applies. Modifications published after the lock-in date do not change the contract's rates, with limited exceptions such as a contract not awarded within 90 days or a determination that the agency incorporated incorrectly. Since the Department's 2023 rule, determinations can also update for certain option periods and contract extensions.

The practical consequence: know the determination number and modification that your contract incorporates, and keep that version with the project file. A payroll checked against the latest modification instead of the incorporated one will produce false exceptions — or hide real ones.

Reading a determination

Each classification line shows a basic hourly rate and a fringe amount. Lines are grouped by the source of the rate — union agreements (identified by prefixes such as ELEC, PLUM, CARP) or survey-based rates (SU prefixes) — with footnotes on holidays, shift differentials and zone pay. Some classifications appear with sub-classifications; the notes explain which applies. Rates apply to the work performed, not the worker's job title.

When a classification is missing

If the work requires a classification that the determination does not list, the contractor asks the contracting agency for an additional classification and rate — a conformance — using Standard Form 1444, before the work begins. The proposed rate must bear a reasonable relationship to the listed rates. Work performed before the conformance is approved is still owed the approved rate retroactively, so request early.

Keeping versions straight in payroll

A project can only be checked correctly if each work date resolves to the determination version in effect for the contract on that date. That means recording versions, not just rates, and never overwriting a verified version when a modification arrives — the modification is a new version, effective from the date the contract adopts it, if at all.