How to file a "no work performed" certified payroll

Some weeks nobody works on the job. Rain, material delays, holidays. The GC still expects a certified payroll. This is how you file one without breaking the form.

Last reviewed: October 2026, against 29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii)(A).

When a "no work performed" payroll is required

If you have a Davis-Bacon covered contract and the project is active, the GC or contracting agency may require a weekly certified payroll even if no hours were worked. The requirement depends on the contract and the agency, but the safe answer is: submit one for every week the contract is active, even if the answer is zero.

Common situations that trigger a "no work performed" week:

Weather delays (rain, snow, extreme heat)
Material or equipment not delivered
Inspection or permit hold
Federal or state holiday
Project shutdown or demobilization

What to write on the form

The WH-347 form assumes that someone worked. If nobody did, you do not need to fill out the wage columns. Instead, you need to make it clear on the form that the week was a "no work" week.

The standard practice is to:

Fill in the header. Enter the prime contractor, project name, contract number, and week ending date as usual.
Leave the worker rows blank. Do not enter a worker with zero hours. A row with zero hours is ambiguous — it could mean the worker was off, or it could mean the data is missing.
Write "NO WORK PERFORMED" in the remarks or certification section. If the form has a remarks column or a certification statement area, write "No work performed this week" in clear text.
Sign and date the certification. The signature attests that no work was performed and no wages were paid on the contract for that week.

What not to do

Do not submit a blank form with no explanation. A blank form looks like a missing submission. The GC may reject it or ask for a corrected one.
Do not enter a worker with zero hours and a zero wage. That is not how the form is designed. It creates confusion about whether the worker was on the job or not.
Do not skip the week. A missing week is a compliance gap. It is easier to submit a "no work" form than to explain a gap during an audit.

How PayrollWarden handles it

The free WH-347 filler has a "no work performed" mode. When you select it, the engine fills the header, skips the worker rows, and writes the "NO WORK PERFORMED" statement in the correct location on the form. You download the PDF and send it to the GC.

File a "no work" payroll free

What goes in every box on a normal week: field-by-field WH-347 guide.

Sources

29 CFR 5.5 — Records to be kept and furnishing of weekly information — paragraph (a)(1)(ii): weekly submission for each week in which covered work is performed (verified from the current eCFR text, October 2026).
Form WH-347 (Rev. January 2025), U.S. Department of Labor.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to submit a certified payroll if it rained all week?

Yes, if the contract is active. The GC needs a record for every week, even if the answer is zero hours. Submit a "no work performed" form with the header filled in and the statement in the remarks section.

What if only some workers were on the job?

If any worker performed work on the contract during the week, you submit a regular certified payroll with the hours for the workers who worked. The "no work performed" form is only for weeks when nobody worked at all.

Can I just write “N/A” on the form?

“N/A” is ambiguous. Write “NO WORK PERFORMED” in clear text and sign the certification. That makes the intent explicit and gives the GC a clean record.

Does the “no work” form need to be notarized?

No. The Statement of Compliance is not notarized, but it is subject to the penalties of 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (a fine, imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both). A signature and date are sufficient.