Editorial standards
Every number on this site names its source document by number, modification and date, links to that exact text,
and was recalculated before publishing.
If any of that is missing on a page, that page breaks our standard: tell us.
What every page must carry
- The source, by numberRates cite the wage determination and modification (for example TX20260271 mod 1) and its publication date on SAM.gov. Rules cite the section (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4), FAR 28.102-1, a state statute).
- The words, not a summaryRules that decide money are quoted word for word, with a link to the section.
- The math, shownEvery result shows hours × rate lines that multiply out to the cent, and the total is the sum of the lines shown.
- The dateEach page shows when it was last verified. Pages built on data that changes (wage determinations, state lists) are re-checked against the source before each update.
- The limitsWhere a footnote, an executive order or a state rule changes the answer, the page says so next to the number.
What we refuse to publish
- A number without its source, or a source we could not open ourselves.
- Advice on which wage determination binds a specific contract: the contracting agency decides that.
- Paid placements. If advertising runs on the site, it is labelled and kept away from the answer and the calculators.
- Pages that only change a place name. A page exists when it carries its own rule, data or calculation.
Who writes and checks
Pages are written and checked by the Public Works Desk Team, a small editorial team that works from the official texts.
Scripts download the documents and recompute every figure.
Each page shows the date it was last verified and names its source.
Limits. These standards govern what we publish. They are not a wage determination, a statute or legal advice on a specific contract.
Corrections and updates
When a published page is wrong, we fix it, date the fix, and list it on Corrections with the old and the new text.
Routine updates (a new WD modification) are shown on the page itself with the new modification number and date.