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eBacon Review
Cloud payroll, certified-payroll and fringe-compliance software for construction contractors on prevailing-wage work
Quick verdict
Who eBacon suits: Construction contractors and subcontractors on Davis-Bacon or state prevailing-wage jobs who need certified payroll, fringe handling and payroll tax filing in one system. Pricing: Quote-based; eBacon publishes no prices on its website and offers a demo instead of a public rate card. No published pricing or free trial, a short list of named accounting integrations, and value concentrated in prevailing-wage work. For contractors who do that work, it covers certified payroll, fringe and tax filing in one system.
About eBacon
eBacon is cloud payroll and HR software built for construction contractors, with its focus on certified payroll and prevailing-wage compliance. The company says it was founded in 2003 by Jack Biltis and Ron Bleich after conversations with California construction firms about the Davis-Bacon Act, and it is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
The core is payroll for public and prevailing-wage jobs. eBacon says it calculates paychecks and taxes, files federal and state payroll tax returns, pre-fills federal and state WH-347 certified payroll reports from project data, and assigns worker classifications and pay rates from what it describes as more than 187,000 pre-loaded wage determinations. It supports union payroll, multi-state work, job costing with general ledger export, garnishments and back-wage restitution, plus a mobile time app for iOS and Android with GPS clock-in.
Fringe handling is a distinct piece. eBacon administers a bona fide fringe trust that turns prevailing-wage fringe obligations into pre-tax contributions such as 401(k), HRA or FSA accounts, and workers can choose a weekly cash payout or keep the money in the trust. It also offers HR tools (onboarding, certification and training tracking), 401(k) administration and workers' comp tracking.
The trade-off: eBacon publishes no prices, so cost is only known after a demo and quote, and its value is concentrated in prevailing-wage and government-funded work. A contractor that never bids those jobs gets little from the certified-payroll and fringe features and can use a general payroll tool; one that does should compare it with other construction payroll providers such as Payroll4Construction and Miter.
How it works
You set up employees, jobs, wage determinations and fringe rules in eBacon. Crews clock time on the mobile app or it is entered against jobs, and eBacon applies the prevailing-wage rates and fringe, calculates pay and taxes, pays by direct deposit or pay card, files federal and state payroll tax returns and pre-fills WH-347 certified payroll reports. Labor costs export to your general ledger (eBacon names QuickBooks Desktop and Sage 100 among its options). Pricing is quoted after a demo.
Pros & cons
What works
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Built for certified payroll
eBacon pre-fills federal and state WH-347 reports from project data and says it assigns classifications and rates from more than 187,000 pre-loaded wage determinations, the work general payroll tools leave to you.
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Fringe trust administration
Its bona fide fringe trust converts prevailing-wage fringe into pre-tax contributions (401(k), HRA, FSA and others), with workers choosing weekly cash or keeping the money in the trust.
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Union and multi-state payroll
eBacon lists union payroll and multi-state compliance, which matter for crews that cross state lines or work under union agreements.
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Tax filing and flexible pay runs
eBacon says it files federal and state payroll tax returns, supports unlimited payroll runs, and pays by same-day or next-day deposit or pay card.
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Field time and HR in one place
A mobile time app with GPS clock-in, job costing, onboarding, certification tracking and workers' comp tracking sit alongside payroll.
What doesn't
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No published pricing
eBacon lists no prices on its website, so you need a demo and quote before you can compare cost.
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Value tied to prevailing-wage work
eBacon's focus is certified payroll and fringe handling; a contractor without government-funded or prevailing-wage jobs pays for features it will not use.
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Limited named integrations
Its integration page names only QuickBooks Desktop and Sage 100 as general ledger examples and asks you to contact its team for the full list, so confirm your accounting system first.
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No free trial advertised
eBacon offers demos rather than a self-serve trial, so you cannot test it with your own payroll before talking to sales.
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Setup takes real data work
Jobs, wage determinations, classifications and fringe rules all need to be set up correctly, which is more onboarding than a simple small-business payroll app.
Pricing
Quote-based; eBacon publishes no prices on its website and offers a demo instead of a public rate card.
Affiliate disclosure: The link to eBacon on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
Integrations
Reviews and complaints at the source
We do not copy third-party review scores onto this page: they change often and we could not verify them. Read eBacon's current reviews at the source.
Frequently asked
What is eBacon for?
eBacon is cloud payroll and HR software for construction contractors. It calculates pay and taxes, files federal and state payroll tax returns, pre-fills WH-347 certified payroll reports, and handles prevailing-wage rates, union payroll and fringe benefits for public and prevailing-wage jobs.
How much does eBacon cost?
eBacon does not publish prices on its website. You book a demo and get a quote, and no free trial is advertised.
Do I need eBacon if I don't do government work?
Probably not. Its certified payroll, wage-determination and fringe-trust features are built for Davis-Bacon and state prevailing-wage jobs. If you never bid those jobs, a general small-business payroll provider will cover what you need.
eBacon vs Payroll4Construction?
Both handle construction payroll with certified and union reporting. eBacon is cloud software with a bona fide fringe trust and exports to your general ledger; Payroll4Construction is a payroll service from Foundation Software that ties into FOUNDATION accounting and other systems. Compare them on your accounting setup and how much of the work you want the provider to do.
Other payroll services
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Patriot Payroll
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Square Payroll
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