Certified Payroll with Gusto: WH-347 Guide (2026)

If you run payroll in Gusto and just won your first government-funded construction contract, you have probably discovered a gap: the contract requires weekly certified payroll, and Gusto does not hand you a ready-to-submit WH-347. This guide explains what certified payroll with Gusto actually looks like in practice, what to export, and how to turn that export into a compliant federal WH-347 without leaving Gusto as your payroll system.

Does Gusto generate certified payroll reports?

Gusto is built to run payroll: paychecks, tax filings, direct deposit, and benefits. A federal Davis-Bacon project adds a second, separate obligation on top of that: a weekly certified payroll report, usually on federal Form WH-347, submitted to the contracting agency and signed under a Statement of Compliance.

Gusto's certified payroll support has varied over time and by plan, and some contractors handle it through third-party add-ons or partner tools. The dependable takeaway is this: your Gusto payroll run is the system of record for what you paid, and the certified payroll report is a compliance document built on top of that data. Whatever your plan includes, you are responsible for the report being complete, correct, and filed weekly under 29 CFR 5.5.

What a WH-347 needs that a Gusto export does not have

A payroll report from Gusto shows what each employee was paid. The WH-347 asks for more, because the contracting officer is verifying compliance, not just payment:

• The wage determination. The U.S. Department of Labor revised the WH-347 in 2025, and the form header now asks for the wage determination number that applies to your contract. Prevailing wage under Davis-Bacon is a base hourly rate plus a fringe benefit amount for each work classification, and you must pay no less than those rates.
• Work classifications. Each worker is reported under the classification from the wage determination (for example, Electrician or Laborer Group 1), not their internal job title in Gusto.
• The base and fringe split. The form separates the cash rate from fringe benefits, and page two requires you to attest how fringe was handled: paid into approved plans, paid in cash, or a mix.
• Daily hours on the project. The WH-347 grid reports hours by day for the covered project only. If a crew member split the week between a Davis-Bacon job and private work, only the covered hours belong on the form.
• The signed Statement of Compliance. Page two is a signed certification that the payroll is correct and complete, and willful falsification can subject the signer to civil or criminal prosecution.

Which Gusto report to export

Export a payroll report as CSV for the pay period you are certifying. The importer needs, at minimum, columns for the employee name, hours, and pay. Gusto's standard payroll report columns map cleanly:

• Employee name (Gusto's "Employee" column)
• Regular hours and overtime hours
• Regular pay rate
• Total pay (gross), total deductions, and net pay
• Pay period start and end dates

Job title comes along if present, but expect to map workers to their wage determination classifications during review; a payroll system's job titles rarely match the classifications on the determination word for word.

The weekly workflow

1. Run payroll in Gusto as usual. Nothing about your pay runs, taxes, or direct deposit changes.
2. Export the payroll report CSV for the week you are certifying.
3. Import it into your certified payroll tool. CertifiedPayrollPro reads Gusto's CSV format directly: workers, hours, rates, and pay land in a draft payroll, and returning workers match up week over week.
4. Review the compliance layer. Confirm each worker's classification against the wage determination, check the base and fringe split, and confirm daily hours on the covered project.
5. Generate and submit the WH-347. The form fills with your project, wage determination number, worker grid, and Statement of Compliance, ready to sign and submit weekly.

Common pitfalls when importing Gusto data

• Overtime rate on the wrong base. On covered federal work, overtime under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act is generally paid at one and one half times the basic hourly rate; the fringe portion is paid at the straight rate for all hours, not multiplied for overtime. If Gusto's overtime rate was set from a blended number, the WH-347 grid can show a rate the contracting officer will question.
• Job titles standing in for classifications. "Foreman" or "Tech II" in Gusto is not a wage determination classification. Map each worker to the determination's actual classification during review.
• Whole-week hours on a single project. If the crew split time across jobs, only the covered project's daily hours belong on that project's report. Deductions on the form are still shown against the worker's full weekly gross, which trips up first-time filers.

Keep Gusto, add the compliance layer

Switching payroll providers because of one government contract is usually the wrong move. Gusto keeps doing what it does well, and the certified payroll layer sits on top of the same data you already have. That matters most for contractors who bounce between private and public work: your payroll process stays identical, and the WH-347 workflow only runs for the weeks and projects that need it.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Gusto file the WH-347 for me?

Your weekly certified payroll goes to the contracting agency or a state portal, with a signed Statement of Compliance. Gusto's role is producing the underlying payroll data. Check what your specific Gusto plan or any add-on includes, but plan on owning the WH-347 submission yourself or through a dedicated certified payroll tool.

Do I need to re-enter my crew every week?

No. Import the Gusto CSV each week and returning workers match to their existing records, so classifications, identifying numbers, and addresses carry over. You review and certify rather than re-key.

What about fringe benefits I pay through Gusto?

If you provide benefits through Gusto, those may count toward the fringe portion of the prevailing wage, but the WH-347 still requires you to attest on page two how fringe was handled and to show any cash paid in lieu of benefits in the worker grid. Read our guide to fringe benefits on certified payroll before your first submission.

Does this work for state prevailing-wage projects too?

Yes. The WH-347 covers federal Davis-Bacon work, and many states have their own formats, such as California's DIR eCPR. The same imported Gusto data can produce the format your project requires; your contract tells you whether federal, state, or both apply.

Before your first submission

Three things to have in hand: the wage determination number from your contract documents, the work classification for each crew member on that determination, and your fringe approach (plans, cash, or both). If any of those are unfamiliar, start with our guides to filling out the WH-347, the Davis-Bacon Act, and prevailing wage determinations. Getting the first week right makes every following week a repeat.

This guide is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Gusto. Gusto is a registered trademark of Gusto, Inc. Certified payroll requirements vary by agency, state, and project. Always review your specific contract and consult a compliance professional as needed. Last updated: July 2026.