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Certified payroll

California certified payroll: how often, where to file, how long to keep

By the Public Works Desk Team · Last verified · How we check every number · Corrections

Source: California Labor Code § 1771.4 (retrieved 2026-11-13)

On a California public works project, each contractor and subcontractor uploads its certified payroll records

directly to the Labor Commissioner,

electronically through DIR's eCPR system, at least once every 30 days while work is going on and within 30 days after

the last day of work.

Late records can cost $100 a day, up to $5,000 per project, starting 14 days after the deadline.

  • State text quoted word for word
  • Checked November 13, 2026
A subcontractor's office manager hands a stack of weekly payroll sheets across the counter to the prime contractor's compliance coordinator in a rainy field office.

California at a glance

How oftenAt least monthly (every 30 days)
Send toLabor Commissioner (DIR), online
System / formatDIR eCPR (electronic only)
Keep recordsYou keep: Labor Code § 1771.4 sets no period for registered contractors (unregistered on an exempt job: 3 years after completion)
If you don't$100/day, max $5,000 per project

What a late upload can cost (Labor Code § 1771.4)

ItemAmount
Penalty per day late$100.00
Cap per project$5,000.00
Days of penalty that reach the cap50
Penalty cannot be levied before14 days after the missed deadline

The penalty falls only on the contractor or subcontractor that failed to upload, not on the prime for a sub's records.

What the law says

“Each contractor and subcontractor shall furnish the records specified in Section 1776 directly to

the Labor Commissioner,

in the following manner:”

California Labor Code § 1771.4 · retrieved 2026-11-13

“"monthly" means that a submission of records shall be made at least once every 30 days while work

is being performed on the project and within 30 days after the final day of work performed on the

project.”

California Labor Code § 1771.4 · retrieved 2026-11-13

“In an electronic format, in the manner prescribed by the Labor Commissioner,

on the department's internet website.”

California Labor Code § 1771.4 · retrieved 2026-11-13

“a penalty by the Labor Commissioner of one hundred dollars ($100)

per each day in which the party was in violation of subparagraph (A),

not to exceed a total penalty of five thousand dollars ($5,000)

per project.”

California Labor Code § 1771.4 · retrieved 2026-11-13

“The Labor Commissioner shall not levy a penalty pursuant to subparagraph (B)

until a contractor or subcontractor fails to furnish the records pursuant to subparagraph (A)

14 days after the requirement set forth in clause (i) of subparagraph (A).”

California Labor Code § 1771.4 · retrieved 2026-11-13

“Contractors and subcontractors on most public works projects are required to submit certified

payroll records (CPRs)

to the Labor Commissioner using DIR's Public Works Website Services.”

California DIR — Certified Payroll Reporting · retrieved 2026-11-13

Step by step

  1. Register with DIR firstMost California public works contractors must be DIR-registered; unregistered contractors on the small exempt projects keep records for three years instead of uploading.
  2. Upload in eCPR, not by emailEnter the payroll online or upload the XML file in DIR's eCPR. Paper or PDF copies sent to the awarding body do not replace the upload.
  3. Keep a 30-day rhythmMost contractors upload every week or every pay period so no 30-day window is ever missed. The contract can require more often than monthly.
  4. File the last oneA final upload is due within 30 days after your last day of work on the project.
Common mistakes
  • Sending the payroll only to the prime or the awarding body and never uploading to DIR.
  • Treating the 14-day window as extra time: it only delays when the Labor Commissioner may start the penalty; the upload is still late.
  • Forgetting that a federally funded California job needs the federal weekly WH-347 as well.
Federal money on the job? California files At least monthly (every 30 days), sent to Labor Commissioner (DIR), online. California's statute sets no period for your own records. On a job paid with federal money under a Davis-Bacon law, keep payrolls for at least 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)), and file the weekly WH-347 on top of California's filing.
Limits. California's filing and recordkeeping rules here are for state public works, quoted from the statutes cited below. They do not replace the weekly WH-347 or the federal 3-year retention period (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)) on a Davis-Bacon job. Penalty language is quoted, not computed.

Related

Other states

Sources