§5.25. Rate of contribution or cost for fringe benefits. — Inbound Citations

(6) All laborers and mechanics working on a qualified facility must be paid in the time and manner consistent with the regular payroll practices of the taxpayer, contractor, or subcontractor, as applicable. The payment of wages must be made without subsequent deduction or rebate on any account (except such payroll deductions as are required by the law or permitted by regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor), and must consist of the full amount of wages (including bona fide fringe benefits or cash equivalents thereof) due at the time of payment computed at rates not less than those contained in the applicable wage determination of the Secretary of Labor. A taxpayer may discharge its wage obligations for the payment of wages by paying the full amount in cash, by making payments to a bona fide fringe benefit provider or incurring costs for bona fide fringe benefits, or by a combination thereof. The taxpayer is solely responsible for ensuring that laborers and mechanics are paid wages not less than the prevailing rate whether employed directly by the taxpayer, a contractor, or a subcontractor in the construction, alteration, or repair of the qualified facility for purposes of claiming the increased credit amount under section 45(b)(6)(B)(iii). The rules set forth in 29 CFR 5.25 through 5.33, and any subsequent guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Labor apply with respect to costs for bona fide fringe benefits that may be credited for purposes of the payment of wages.

(4) In applying the annualization principle to compute the allowable fringe benefit credit pursuant to § 5.25, the total number of working hours of employees to which the cost of an apprenticeship program is attributable is limited to the total number of hours worked by laborers and mechanics in the apprentice's classification. For example, if a contractor enrolls an employee in an apprenticeship program for carpenters, the permissible hourly Davis-Bacon credit is determined by dividing the cost of the program by the total number of hours worked by the contractor's carpenters and carpenters' apprentices on covered and non-covered projects during the time period to which the cost is attributable, and such credit may only be applied against the contractor's prevailing wage obligations for all carpenters and carpenters' apprentices for each hour worked on the covered project.