Updated September 4, 2026
FringeTrack vs. full certified payroll compliance suites
Platforms like LCPtracker, eMars, and Elation exist because general contractors and public agencies need to collect, review, and track certified payroll across every subcontractor on a project — often across many projects and many agencies at once. If you're the subcontractor being asked to submit into one of those systems, or asked to email a GC a WH-347 every week, that's a different problem, and it doesn't need a different platform to solve it.
Two different jobs
| Enterprise suites (LCPtracker, eMars, Elation, etc.) | FringeTrack | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | General contractors and public agencies overseeing many subcontractors | The subcontractor filling in and submitting their own weekly report |
| Onboarding | Usually project- or agency-mandated, with an implementation/setup process | Upload a CSV, fill in project details, download a PDF — no setup call |
| Scope | Compliance tracking, document management, subcontractor oversight, often bid/procurement tools | One thing: turn payroll data into a correctly filled, fringe-checked WH-347 |
| Who pays | Typically the GC or agency, sometimes passed down as a required portal for subs to use free | The subcontractor or their bookkeeper, directly, month to month |
If a GC already requires LCPtracker or a similar portal
You may still need to use it — that requirement comes from the GC or awarding agency, not from what software is best for you. What FringeTrack is useful for in that case is getting your own numbers right before they go into that portal: the fringe-per-hour shortfall check catches underpayment before submission, regardless of which system the final report lands in. Some contractors use FringeTrack to generate and sanity-check the federal WH-347 for their own records even when the actual submission goes through a GC-mandated portal.
What FringeTrack doesn't try to be
- Not a document management system for a GC tracking dozens of subs — if you're the one doing that oversight, an enterprise suite is the right tool.
- Not a full accounting or payroll platform — FringeTrack reads payroll data you already have (from Gusto, QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, or your own records), it doesn't run payroll itself.
- Not (yet) a direct filer into every state's electronic certified payroll portal — see the New Jersey Wage Hub and New York pages for where that stands today.
Frequently asked
Can FringeTrack replace LCPtracker for a general contractor?
No — FringeTrack is built for a single contractor's own weekly report, not for managing certified payroll across a whole project's worth of subcontractors. That's a genuinely different product.
Is FringeTrack cheaper than the enterprise suites?
Likely, for a small subcontractor paying out of pocket — but the comparison usually isn't apples to apples, since GC- or agency-mandated portals are often provided to subs at no direct cost, with the GC or agency absorbing the platform fee. FringeTrack is priced for a subcontractor or bookkeeper who needs their own weekly WH-347, not for replacing a portal a GC already requires.