Hourly Rates

Hourly rates in DSPTCH can come from several sources: apprenticeship wage schedules, prevailing wage determinations, user default rates, or custom position rates.

This article will cover the pecking order of what determines a user's rate that is applied to their time entries, how to edit this, and how it appears on exports.


Table of Contents

PWA-Eligible vs. PWA-Ineligible Hourly Rates

For Positions with PWA tracking enabled, there are two categories of hourly rates:

  • PWA-Eligible Hourly Rate
    • This is the hourly rate for work where the work scope falls under construction, alteration, or repair.
  • PWA-Ineligible Hourly Rate
    • This is the hourly rate for work where the work scope does NOT fall under construction, alteration, or repair.

Whether an hour is treated as PWA-eligible or PWA-ineligible is custom-scoped for your company and determined by the configuration of the active time code. In other words, a time code can be set to be either PWA-eligible or PWA-ineligible in the "Settings" page of the "Time" tab.


PWA-eligible hours for a position are multiplied by the PWA-eligible hourly rate to calculate total earnings for those hours (which is visible in time entries).


PWA-ineligible hours for a position are multiplied by the PWA-ineligible hourly rate to calculate total earnings for those hours (which is visible in time entries).

The Pecking Order of PWA-Eligible Hourly Rates

The "pecking order" of hourly rates refers to which rate takes priority when multiple rates apply. In DSPTCH, higher-priority hourly rates override those with lower priority (more information on how this works later). The pecking order for PWA-eligible hourly rates is as follows:


Example Scenario (1): Prevailing Wage Determination Flows Through to Time Entries

If a position is created on a PWA job with a wage determination of $24/hr, with no custom PWA-eligible position rate set (i.e. the "PWA Wage Pay Rate (USD)" field is left blank), the position will default to a PWA-eligible hourly rate of $24/hr.


As a result, all time entries associated with the position will use the $24/hr rate. In this case, the hourly rate for the user’s time entries (which ultimately dictate the user's take-home pay) is sourced from the prevailing wage determination, with no higher-priority rates overriding it.

Example Scenario (2): Apprenticeship Wage Progression Schedule Rate Flows Through to Time Entries

Assume that a Position is created for an apprentice on a PWA job with a wage determination of $24/hr. This apprentice has 1500 hours accrued in their apprenticeship program which, as defined by their apprenticeship wage progression schedule, dictates that they should earn 87.5% of the journeyworker's rate.


As a result, all time entries associated with the position will use the $21/hr rate ($24/hr * .875). In this case, the hourly rate for the user’s time entries (which ultimately dictate the user's take-home pay) is sourced from the apprenticeship wage progression schedule, as it is the highest priority hourly rate.


If the apprentice accrues enough hours to move to the next period of their wage progression schedule (e.g. at 2000 hours, they earn 95% of the journeyworker wage and earn $22.80/hr), DSPTCH will automatically update their PWA-eligible hourly wage rate on the position.


Example Scenario (3): Custom PW Position Rate Overrides All Other Hourly Rates and Flows Through to Time Entries

If a position is created on a PWA Job with a wage determination of $24/hr and a custom PW position rate set to $25/hr, the position will default to a PWA-eligible hourly rate of $25/hr.


As a result, all time entries associated with the position will use the $25/hr rate. In this case, the hourly rate for the user’s time entries (which ultimately dictate the user's take-home pay) is sourced from the custom position rate, as it is the highest priority hourly rate.

The Pecking Order of PWA-Ineligible Hourly Rates

The "pecking order" of hourly rates refers to which rate takes priority when multiple rates apply. In DSPTCH, higher-priority hourly rates override those with lower priority (more information on how this works later). The pecking order for PWA-ineligible hourly rates is as follows:


To better understand the hourly rates pecking order, it is important to understand how PWA-ineligible hourly rates "flow" through DSPTCH. Please refer to the diagram below:

Example Scenarios

Example Scenario (1): Default User Rate flows through to Time Entries

If a user has a default user rate of $15/hr, and a position is created on a non-PWA job without a custom position rate and with the "Hourly Rate" field left blank, the position will automatically default to an hourly rate of $15/hr.


As a result, all time entries associated with the position will use the $15/hr rate. In this case, the hourly rate for the user’s time entries (which ultimately dictate the user's take-home pay) is sourced from the default user rate, with no higher-priority rates overriding it.

Example Scenario (2): Custom Position Rate Overrides the Default User Rate

Assume that a user has a default user rate of $21/hr. If a position is created on a job with a custom position rate set to $23/hr, the position will default to an hourly rate of $23/hr.


As a result, all time entries associated with the position will use the $23/hr rate. In this case, the hourly rate for the user’s time entries (which ultimately dictate the user's take-home pay) is sourced from the custom position rate, as it is the highest priority hourly rate.

How to Set a User Default Rate

Creating a User's Default Rate

A user's default rate can be set when creating a new user in DSPTCH.

For instructions on how to create a new user, please read our Creating & Inviting Users - Web Help Document.

The "Hourly Rate" field is the relevant field that will set the default rate for a user.


Editing a User's Default Rate

To edit a user's default rate, start by clicking the "People" tab in the primary navigation bar at the top of the page. This will open the "Users" page, which displays a list of all users in your company. Click on the relevant user and scroll down to the "Employment Details" section of their profile. Then, click the three dots icon at the top of the section followed by the "Schedule Pay Change" button. This will open the "Schedule Changes" form. See the video below for a demonstration:

There are several fields in the Schedule Pay Change Form:

  • Effective Date (Required)
    • The date which the hourly rate change will take effect (in MM/DD/YYYY format).
  • Hourly Rate (USD) (Optional)
    • The new hourly rate (in USD) that will be set as the default rate for the user.
  • Compensation Type (Optional)
    • Dropdown to select between salary or hourly pay type.
  • Overtime Eligible Toggle (Optional)
    • Toggle on if the Hourly Rate is overtime eligible
  • Custom Overtime Package (Optional)
    • Dropdown to select the overtime package, if applicable

For a deep dive on the Prevailing Wage Information section of the "Schedule Changes" form, please read our help document here.

How to Use a User's Default Rate

A user's default rate can be used automatically when creating a new position associated on a job.

For a deep dive on jobs and positions, please read the following help documents:

When creating a position, if the "Hourly Rate" field is left blank, DSPTCH will automatically load the user's default rate. See the video below for a demonstration:

How to Set a Prevailing Wage Determination Rate

For a more detailed overview of wage determinations (including how to edit them), please read our Wage Determinations Help Document.


Below is an overview of how to create a wage determination:


Navigating to Wage Determinations

To navigate to the Wage Determinations, start by clicking on the "Jobs" tab from the primary navigation bar at the top of the page. Then, click on the relevant job card. Next, click the "Compliance" tab from the sub-navigation bar at the top of the screen. Lastly, click the "Wage Determinations" tab from the menu on the left side of the page. This will open the "Wage Determinations" page.


See the video below for a demonstration:


Wage Determinations Background

A Wage Determination is a listing of the prevailing wage rates and fringe benefit rates for a specific type of construction work in a given area.

Your Wage Determination rates may be provided by your client, or can be found from official Wage Determinations on SAM.gov

How to find Wage Determination sheets on SAM.gov

Creating a Wage Determinations

From the "Wage Determinations" page, click the "+ New Federal Wage Determination" button near the top right corner of the page (indicated by the red box and arrow in the image below).

If you do not see the "Compliance" tab, be sure that you have selected "Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeships" or "Prevailing Wage only" in the "Federal prevailing wage and apprenticeship tracking" field in the job settings.

Fill out the wage determination information based upon the wage determination sheet that applies to your job.

To learn more about filling out a wage determination read our Wage Determinations - Web help document.

How to Set an Apprenticeship Wage Schedule Rate

To learn more about setting an apprenticeship wage schedule rate read our Apprenticeships help document.

How to Set a Custom PWA-Ineligible Position Rate

For a deep dive on jobs and positions, please read the following help documents:

To create a custom PWA-ineligible position rate, start by creating a new position. Then, fill in the "Hourly Rate" field with the rate that applies to the Position. This will override all other rates associated with a user.


See the video below for a demonstration:

How to Set a Custom PWA-Eligible Position Rate

For a deep dive on Jobs and Positions, please read the following Help Documents:

To create a custom PWA-eligible position rate, start by creating a new position. Select a wage determination from the dropdown and ensure the "Enable Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Tracking" box is toggled on. Then, fill in the "PWA Wage Pay Rate (USD)" field with the rate that applies to the Position. This will overwrite all other rates associated with a User.


See the video below for a demonstration:


How Scheduling a Pay Change Affects Hourly Rates

For instructions on how to schedule a pay change, please read our Scheduling a Pay Change Help Document.

Once a scheduled pay change's effective date is reached, the pay change will update the user's Default Rate.


In practice, this means that for all positions the user is assigned to (where there is no custom PWA-ineligible hourly rate set), the user's PWA-ineligible rate will automatically update to reflect the new default rate.


After the scheduled pay change's effective date, the user's new default rate will flow through to time entries for all positions without a custom PWA-ineligible hourly rate set.


Example Scenarios

Example Scenario (1): New Default User Rate from Pay Change Flows Through to Time Entries

Let's assume there is a user with an initial default rate of $21/hr who is assigned to a position with no custom PWA-ineligible hourly rate. This user's manager schedules a pay change of $22/hr effective on 1/7/2026.


On 1/7/2026, the user's PWA-ineligible hourly rate will update from $21/hr to $22/hr, and all time entries associated with that position starting from 1/7/2026 (and onward) will be compensated at the $22/hr rate.


See the video below for an example:

Example Scenario (2): Custom PWA-Ineligible Hourly Rate Overrides New Default User Rate from Pay Change and Flows Through to Time Entries

Let's assume there is a user with an initial default rate of $21/hr who is assigned to a position with a custom PWA-ineligible hourly rate of $24/hr. This user's manager schedules a pay change of $22/hr effective on 1/7/2026.


The user's PWA-ineligible hourly rate will remain at $24/hr because the custom PWA-ineligible hourly rate still overrides the user's new default rate. All time entries associated with that position will continue to be compensated at the $24/hr rate.


See the video below for an example:

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