Resource Guide

The contractor's guide to government wage rules.

How to find the minimum pay and benefits a government contract requires, and build them into your price.

01

Find the wage sheet for your county

Government service contracts over $2,500 come with a wage sheet that sets the lowest hourly pay and benefits you can give each worker. The numbers are not national. They depend on the county where the work happens. On SAM.gov, open the contract notice and look for the attachment called Wage Determination. Check that the county on the sheet matches the job site. If it does not, ask the agency in writing before you price anything, because the wrong sheet means the wrong price.

02

Match your people to the government's job titles

The government uses its own job titles, and they do not always match yours. Your HVAC technician might be listed as an Air Conditioning Mechanic. Your cleaner might be a Janitor or a Housekeeping Aide. Each title has its own minimum pay. Match every person on the job to one title before you build your price. If someone fits two titles, use the one with the higher pay. If your payroll uses a title that is not on the sheet, the government may decide you underpaid and ask you to pay back the difference.

03

Add the benefits amount on top

The wage sheet also sets a health and welfare benefit for every hour worked: $5.92 per hour, effective 10 August 2026. It is added on top of the hourly pay, not taken out of it. If you pay cash wages only, the $5.92 is owed as extra cash. You can also put it toward a health plan instead. Many companies new to government work leave it out, win the job with a price that is too low, and then owe the difference later. Add $5.92 to every labor hour in your price so your bid holds up.

Rather not do the math yourself?

We build every price on these numbers. Our Monthly Bid Team writes your bids, and every Federal Roadmap shows the labor costs for the contracts near you.

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