Introduction to Prevailing Wage Configuration

How to Create Prevailing Wage Rate and Fringe Benefit Rules in TradeSeal

If your job is subject to prevailing wage requirements, TradeSeal allows you to configure both wage rates and fringe benefit rules at the job level using the “rates” and “benefits” tables in Data Manager. This ensures your certified payroll reports and internal time tracking reflect the correct required compensation for each position.

What Are Prevailing Wage Rules?

Prevailing wage rules apply to specific jobs—often government-funded construction projects—where workers must be paid a minimum hourly wage and fringe benefit amount based on their position. These amounts vary by location, job classification, and sometimes union affiliation.

Tip: Watch our video for more information on Prevailing Wages!

In TradeSeal, you can set up:

• Wage Rate Rules: Hourly rates assigned to specific job numbers and positions: the “rate” portion of the government’s “total prevailing wage rate.”
• Fringe Benefit Rules: Hourly benefit amounts assigned to specific job numbers and positions: the “benefit” portion of the government’s “total prevailing wage rate.”

Required Fields for Setup

To configure prevailing wage rules, go to Job Settings → Rates & Benefits. Whether you’re entering manually or using the import template, these are the required fields:

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✅ For Wage Rates:

• Job No (e.g. P123 or Job1234)
• Position (matching the Position used in your employee import)
• Rate (hourly rate)

✅ For Fringe Benefits:

• Name: (e.g. "PW Fringe" or "Fringe")
• Code: (should match an earning code in your payroll system, e.g. PWF or PWFringe)
• Job No (same as above wage rates example, e.g. P123 or Job1234)
• Position (same as above wage rates example)
• Amount (hourly fringe amount)
• Calculation Type: must be "pw fringe"
• Type: must be "earning" 

🧾 What About Employer-Paid Fringe Credits?

• In TradeSeal, job-level fringe benefits are not the same as employee-level benefits.
  • For union employees: most employer-paid benefits should be defined as union rules, NOT prevailing wage rules.
  • For non-union employees: employee-specific, employer-paid “fringe credits” should be defined in employee records using the advanced employee import template.

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⚠️Note — Avoid a Common Mistake!

Be sure the "Rate" you're entering into TradeSeal is the base wage rate only—not the total prevailing wage (which typically includes fringe benefits). Entering the combined amount will lead to overstatement of wages in your reporting.

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Tips & Best Practices

• Job Numbers must exactly match between rate and benefit rows. Typos or mismatches will prevent rules from applying.
• All values should be entered as hourly amounts.
• Keep Position codes consistent across employee, timecard and rate/benefit data: for example, if your rate rule says “OpEng,” your time system should also use the code “OpEng” for any hours worked as this position.
• The PW Fringe benefit must be calculated as "pw fringe" for the system to apply it correctly during payroll calculations.
• We also have a detailed video on how to walk through the process of setting up Prevailing Wages - check it out here!

🧰 Example: One Position, Multiple Jobs

Suppose an employee works as a Laborer on both Job P123 and Job P456. You want to apply prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits specific to each job.

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✅ Step 1: Create Prevailing Wage Rate Rules

Job No	Position	Rate
P123	Laborer	42.50
P456	Laborer	38.75

Note: You can enter these via the Rates tab in the UI or more efficiently using the bulk upload spreadsheet.

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✅ Step 2: Create PW Fringe Benefit Rules

Name	Code	Job No	Position	Amount	Calculation Type
PW Fringe	PWF	P123	Laborer	8.50	pw fringe
PW Fringe	PWF	P456	Laborer	9.00	pw fringe

🧰 Example: One Job, Multiple Positions

Suppose an employee works on Job P789 as both a Laborer and an Operator, and each role has its own prevailing wage and fringe values.

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✅ Step 1: Create Prevailing Wage Rate Rules

Job No	Position	Rate
P789	Laborer	41.25
P789	Operator	48.00

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✅ Step 2: Create PW Fringe Benefit Rules

Name	Code	Job No	Position	Amount	Calculation Type
PW Fringe	PWF	P789	Laborer	9.25	pw fringe
PW Fringe	PWF	P789	Operator	10.50	pw fringe