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Certified payroll

Massachusetts 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: Massachusetts General Laws c. 149, § 27B (retrieved 2026-11-13)

In Massachusetts, each contractor and subcontractor on a covered public works project sends certified payroll records

weekly, directly to the awarding authority,

by first-class mail or email.

Weeks with an apprentice include a copy of the apprentice's ID card.

Records are kept for three years after the contract is completed,

and a signed statement of compliance is due within 15 days after your part of the work ends.

  • State text quoted word for word
  • Checked November 13, 2026
A subcontractor's project coordinator checks a weekly payroll sheet against the daily sign-in log in a city site office, with brick row houses and a small crane outside the window.

Massachusetts at a glance

How oftenWeekly
Send toAwarding authority, by mail or email
System / formatMail or email to the awarding authority
Keep recordsYou keep: 3 years from completion of the contract
If you don'tEnforced by the Attorney General

What the law says

“shall submit weekly to the awarding authority by mail, first class postage prepaid,

or by electronic mail, certified payroll records”

Massachusetts General Laws c. 149, § 27B · retrieved 2026-11-13

“a photocopy of the apprentice's apprentice identification card,

issued pursuant to section 11W of chapter 23, shall be attached to the records submitted under this

section.”

Massachusetts General Laws c. 149, § 27B · retrieved 2026-11-13

“Each such contractor, subcontractor or public body shall preserve its payroll records for a period

of three years from the date of completion of the contract.”

Massachusetts General Laws c. 149, § 27B · retrieved 2026-11-13

“shall furnish to the awarding authority directly within fifteen days after completion of its

portion of the work a statement”

Massachusetts General Laws c. 149, § 27B · retrieved 2026-11-13

Step by step

  1. Keep the record the law listsName, address and occupational classification of each worker, with hours worked and wages paid.
  2. Send it every week, directlySubcontractors send their own records directly to the awarding authority; going through the prime is not enough.
  3. Attach apprentice ID cardsAny week with an apprentice on the job, attach a copy of the apprentice's Massachusetts ID card.
  4. Close out with the statement of complianceWithin 15 days after your portion of the work is complete.
Common mistakes
  • Batching payrolls monthly.
  • Forgetting the apprentice ID card copies.
  • Missing the 15-day statement of compliance at the end.
Federal money on the job? Massachusetts files Weekly, sent to Awarding authority, by mail or email. Massachusetts's 3 years and the federal floor look alike but start on different dates. On a federally funded job, keep payrolls for at least 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed (29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)), and keep whichever runs later. The weekly WH-347 goes in too.
Limits. Massachusetts'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