Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Note: Executive Orders 13658 and 14026 establish a minimum wage for certain Federal contractors. Under Executive Order 14026, effective January 30, 2022, an hourly minimum wage of $15.00 for calendar year 2022 applies to all contracts subject to the Service Contract Act or the Davis-Bacon Act for which the contract is entered into, renewed, or extended on or after January 30, 2022. If the contract was awarded (and any solicitation was issued) on or between January 1, 2015 and January 29, 2022, and the contract is not renewed or extended on or after January 30, 2022, an hourly minimum wage of $11.25 for calendar year 2022 applies to such contracts under Executive Order 13658. The Executive Order minimum wage rates will be adjusted annually. Additional information on contractor requirements and worker protections under the Executive Orders is available at  www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts.

Effective July 16, 2021, the Health and Welfare Fringe Benefit Rates increased for those affected Service Contract Act wage determinations. The low-level (employee-by-employee) benefit is $4.60 per hour or $184.00 per week or $797.33 per month. Also, Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will continue to issue SCA wage determinations based on the average cost method of compliance. The high-level (average cost) benefit rate is $4.60 per hour. WHD will issue the average cost fringe benefit wage determinations only for those contracts where the formerly grandfathered high-level benefit rate applied. If you receive a wage determination that does not contain the new Health and Welfare rate of $4.60, please contact WHD via email at the address listed below. For contracts performed in the State of Hawaii; contracts subject to Executive Order 13706 on sick leave, or if there are any questions, please refer to All Agency Memorandum Number 237 (PDF) (HTML), or contact WHD via phone or email listed below. Contracting agencies may make pen and ink changes to their current WDs received for contracts beginning on or after July 16, 2021, and for which the updated H&W rates were not included. 

With inquiries about Service Contract Act policies, wage rates and/or benefits, please call (202) 693-0073 or email  WHD-WDS-PolicySupport@dol.gov.