Client Stories: How Contractors Running ADP Workforce Now® Connect Payroll, Job Costing, and Compliance with Dapt
Dapt is an ADP Marketplace Platinum partner. The stories below come from project-based businesses that run payroll on ADP and use Dapt to connect everything around it: field time tracking, prevailing wage and certified payroll, job costing, and accounting. Each one lists the systems involved so you can find the setup closest to yours.
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Custom cabinetry and remodeling: two time-tracking systems, one workflow
Tree removal and disaster cleanup: up to 60 pay rates and certified payroll
Municipal utilities: JobTread, prevailing wage, and QuickBooks Online
Custom homebuilder: department-level labor costing
Residential builder: Buildertrend, multi-state payroll, and QuickBooks Desktop
Specialized construction: union payroll across 26 unions
Custom Cabinetry and Remodeling Contractor: Two Time-Tracking Systems, One Payroll and Job Costing Workflow
Industry: Residential and Commercial Design / Custom Cabinetry, Kitchen, and Bath Remodeling
Payroll Platform: ADP
Time Tracking: Two separate time-tracking systems
Accounting System: QuickBooks Desktop
Focus: Time consolidation, payroll automation, job costing, automated journal entries
This design and custom cabinetry business has been transforming homes for decades, delivering custom kitchens, baths, and remodeling projects. As the company grew, its back office needed to keep pace with its project teams. Dapt now connects time tracking, payroll, job costing, and accounting in one automated workflow.
The Challenge
Payroll and accounting depended on several systems that didn't communicate with each other:
- Two separate time-tracking systems fed payroll
- Time had to be consolidated manually before every payroll run
- Job costing data had to be tied back to the customer and project level in QuickBooks Desktop
- Journal entries had to be built by hand after every payroll
These manual steps slowed the team down and increased the chance of errors.
The Solution
Dapt connected every step of the process:
- Both time-tracking systems integrated with Dapt
- Consolidated time sent automatically to ADP for payroll processing
- Payroll data mapped back to the customer and project level in QuickBooks Desktop
- Job costing entries created automatically, replacing manual journal entries
The Result
- One connected workflow from field time tracking to payroll to accounting.
- A more efficient payroll process with no manual time consolidation.
- More accurate project financials at the customer and project level.
- A back office ready for growth instead of moving data between systems.
Tree Removal and Disaster Cleanup Contractor: Up to 60 Pay Rates per Employee and Certified Payroll, Automated
Industry: Tree Removal, Disaster Cleanup, Landscaping, Site Development, and Maintenance
Location: New York
Payroll Platform: ADP
Payroll Complexity: Up to 60 pay rates per employee, multiple classifications, prevailing wage
Compliance: Certified payroll reporting
This tree removal and disaster cleanup business delivers landscaping, site development, and maintenance services across New York. As it grew, so did the complexity of paying a diverse workforce across different types of work and projects. Dapt turned one of its most complex processes into an automated workflow.
The Challenge
Payroll involved an unusual amount of complexity:
- Employees could be paid under up to 60 different rates depending on the work performed
- Every pay period required extensive manual calculations
- Tracking rates, classifications, and prevailing wage requirements was time-consuming
- Certified payroll reporting added another layer of administrative work
Managing all of this by hand increased the risk of errors and consumed valuable time.
The Solution
Dapt automated the full calculation and reporting process:
- Up to 60 pay rates per employee managed automatically
- Correct rates calculated and applied during payroll processing
- Classifications, prevailing wages, and labor rates tracked in one place
- Certified payroll reports generated quickly and accurately with minimal effort
The Result
- Complex payroll, automated. One of the most labor-intensive parts of the business now runs as a repeatable process.
- Confidence in accuracy even for the most complex multi-rate scenarios.
- Less time on payroll, more time for growing the business.
Municipal Utility Contractor: JobTread, Prevailing Wage, Certified Payroll, and QuickBooks Online in One Flow
Industry: Municipal Utility and Infrastructure Contracting (lift stations, underground utilities)
Payroll Platform: ADP
Time Tracking: JobTread
Accounting System: QuickBooks Online
Compliance: Prevailing wage; certified payroll in LCPtracker, WH-347, and other formats
This municipal utility contractor takes on complex infrastructure projects, from lift stations to underground utilities, where precision, compliance, and coordination are critical. As its operations expanded, the administrative work behind each project grew with them. Dapt automated the workflow from JobTread time entry through certified payroll and job costing.
The Challenge
The team was handling a high volume of manual work across systems:
- Time tracked in JobTread had to be entered manually into payroll
- Complex prevailing wage calculations slowed payroll processing
- Multiple certified payroll formats were required, including LCPtracker and WH-347
- Job costing entries were made manually in QuickBooks Online
- Significant administrative time went into reconciling data across systems
All of this pulled focus away from running projects.
The Solution
Dapt removed the manual steps between systems:
- JobTread time sent directly to ADP
- Prevailing wage calculations built into payroll automatically
- Certified payroll produced in multiple formats, including LCPtracker and WH-347
- Job costing entries flowing automatically into QuickBooks Online
- No re-keying of data between systems
The Result
- A connected system where data moves between JobTread, ADP, and QuickBooks Online without manual entry.
- Simpler compliance across multiple certified payroll formats.
- More time for projects, less time managing spreadsheets.
Boutique Custom Homebuilder: Department-Level Labor Costing from ADP Workforce Now Data
Industry: Custom Home Building
Payroll Platform: ADP Workforce Now
Focus: Department-level job costing, salary allocation, custom reporting
This boutique custom homebuilder is known for high-end craftsmanship. Its field work was strong, but it lacked the financial visibility needed to match its growth. Dapt unlocked detailed labor data in its job costing and reporting, so leadership can see where the business stands at every stage of a project.
The Challenge
The team needed deeper insight into labor and profitability:
- Job costing lacked detail at the department level
- Labor costs weren't clearly broken out across teams
- Salaried employees were difficult to allocate accurately across jobs
- Visibility into how labor tied to revenue was limited
Without this detail, it was hard to see which projects were most profitable.
The Solution
Dapt restructured how labor data flows into job costing and reporting:
- Labor costs broken out by department within each job
- Clear visibility into true labor spend across the organization
- Salaried employee costs allocated by percentage of revenue
- Fully customized reporting built around how the business operates
The Result
- Every labor dollar accounted for and tied back to project performance.
- Department-level visibility into labor on every job.
- A clearer financial picture to support growth decisions.
High-End Residential Builder: Buildertrend, Multi-State Payroll, and QuickBooks Desktop Without Changing Field Workflows
Industry: High-End Residential Construction
Operating Model: Multi-state
Payroll Platform: ADP
Time Tracking: Buildertrend
Accounting System: QuickBooks Desktop
Payroll Complexity: Multi-state and local tax jurisdictions
This high-end residential builder's field execution was excellent, but its internal systems had become a bottleneck. The team wanted to keep flexibility in the field while making the back office more efficient. Dapt connected the systems without changing how crews work day to day.
The Challenge
Field operations and accounting had drifted apart:
- Time tracking lived in Buildertrend, separate from payroll
- Time data was moved into ADP manually for each payroll
- Multi-state and local tax requirements added complexity
- Job costing in QuickBooks Desktop offered limited visibility
As the company grew, these gaps created friction between the field and the office.
The Solution
Dapt connected the stack around the tools the team already used:
- Buildertrend kept for time tracking, with no disruption in the field
- Time data sent automatically to ADP for payroll
- Multi-state and local tax requirements handled accurately in payroll
- Clean, reliable job costing data posted to QuickBooks Desktop
The Result
- Field and back office aligned on the same data.
- No change for crews, who kept using Buildertrend.
- Reliable job costing in QuickBooks Desktop.
Specialized Construction Company: Union Payroll Across 26 Unions, Automated from ADP to QuickBooks Online
Industry: Specialized Construction / Union Trades
Operating Model: Union workforce across 26 unions
Payroll Platform: ADP
Accounting System: QuickBooks Online
Payroll Complexity: 26 unions, each with its own wage scales, fringe benefits, overtime rules, and reporting requirements
This specialized construction company delivers projects that require a highly skilled union workforce. With 26 different unions involved, each with its own rules, payroll had become one of the most complex parts of the operation. Dapt turned it into an automated process, from union calculations through ADP payroll to accounting in QuickBooks Online.
The Challenge
Union payroll meant applying hundreds of unique rules correctly every payroll cycle:
- 26 different unions, each with its own wage rates and fringe benefits
- Different overtime calculations and union agreement requirements
- Complex payroll logic that had to be tracked and calculated manually
- Job costing and accounting entries that needed to flow into QuickBooks Online
- Union reconciliation and reporting that took significant administrative time
The manual effort made payroll time-consuming and difficult to scale.
The Solution
Dapt automated the union logic before payroll and the accounting after it:
- Union wage rates, fringe benefits, and overtime rules applied automatically across all 26 unions
- Payroll batches prepared and sent to ADP with union calculations already applied
- Accounting entries posted automatically to QuickBooks Online
- Automated union reconciliation entries showing exactly what is owed to each union
- Streamlined union reporting to simplify ongoing compliance
The Result
- Manual payroll calculations removed. Union rules are applied automatically every cycle.
- Confidence in accuracy. Every union agreement is applied the same way each time.
- No manual accounting entries. Payroll results post directly to QuickBooks Online.
- Simpler reconciliation and compliance across all 26 union agreements.
- A payroll process that scales as the business grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Payroll keeps running in ADP Workforce Now. Dapt sends time into ADP before payroll, then pulls labor costs back out afterward for job costing, compliance reporting, and accounting.
Wages, employer taxes, benefits, workers' compensation, and fringes, allocated by job, phase, cost code, or class according to your rules.
Supported sources include QuickBooks Time, Buildertrend, ServiceTitan, JobTread, Makeshift, eBillity, and Procore, as well as ADP's own timesheets.
QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Yes. Dapt generates WH-347 and state prevailing wage reports, plus LCPtracker-ready output, from ADP payroll data.
Dapt is available on ADP Marketplace, with listings for ADP Workforce Now®, ADP Workforce Now® Next Generation, and certified payroll and prevailing wage processing.