Best Construction Payroll Software (2026): Certified Payroll Compared

Gusto is the easiest full-service payroll for a small contractor, and it has more construction features than its reputation suggests. Hourly employees and contractors log their own hours, salaried staff track hours by project, and the Time Clock Kiosk turns a tablet into a job-site time clock with PIN sign-in. Job and workforce costing reports then break down wages, taxes, workers’ comp and benefits by project, task or employee, which helps you bid the next job accurately.

Workers’ comp is available on a pay-as-you-go basis through NEXT Insurance, so premiums follow each payroll instead of a large deposit up front. Gusto also connects to construction tools such as Buildertrend, JobTread and Workyard for GPS time tracking.

Which plan to pick: Plus for most contractors, since it adds time tracking and multi-state payroll. Simple only works for a single-state crew that tracks time elsewhere.

Watch out for: public work. Gusto’s construction page does not list certified payroll reports. If you bid on prevailing wage jobs, confirm how you would produce WH-347s before you commit.

eBacon is payroll built around certified payroll. Time captured in the field is tied to a job and cost code, then flows straight into certified payroll and job costing without a paper timesheet in between. It applies the correct prevailing wage rate by classification and locality, annualizes fringe benefits, and generates the WH-347.

It is also a full-service payroll provider: it calculates paychecks, files federal and state returns, handles garnishments, tracks PTO and sick accruals, and offers same-day or next-day deposit and pay cards. A customizable general ledger export sends payroll into your accounting system.

Which plan to pick: eBacon quotes each customer, so ask for pricing based on your headcount and the number of prevailing wage jobs you run.

Watch out for: fit. eBacon describes itself as built for non-union, open-shop contractors. Union contractors with fringe remittances to multiple locals should also look at Foundation.

Foundation makes the most sense when payroll and accounting are one problem. Its payroll sits inside a construction accounting system, so labor costs post to jobs as payroll runs, and certified payroll comes out in the formats public agencies ask for, including DIR, eMars and LCPtracker. Union and multistate requirements are handled in the system rather than in spreadsheets.

We cover its accounting side in our construction accounting guide.

Which plan to pick: Foundation quotes by configuration. Ask for a demo with your own union rules and certified payroll formats.

Watch out for: scope. Foundation replaces your accounting system as well as your payroll, so compare the total cost and switching effort with keeping QuickBooks and adding a payroll service.

OnPay is the cheapest way in this guide to pay a crew that works in several states. Its single base plan includes multi-state payroll, unlimited pay runs, and federal, state and local tax filings, so a job across the state line does not change your price. Gusto charges for multi-state payroll through its Plus plan.

Its accounting sync lets you map payroll line items to your chart of accounts, which helps labor land in the right cost accounts.

Which plan to pick: the base plan, plus the Time Tracking add-on if your crews do not already clock in through another app.

Watch out for: public work and job-level costing. Confirm how OnPay would handle certified payroll before you bid on prevailing wage jobs, and plan to do job costing in your accounting or project software.