Certified Payroll
Certified payroll requirements by state
Prevailing wage and certified payroll rules differ by jurisdiction: different thresholds, different forms, different portals, different penalties. These guides cover the ones where the wage data is complete.
Certified payroll requirements vary by state. Federal Davis-Bacon work uses Form WH-347 and a $2,000 threshold, while states set their own rules: California requires electronic filing on public works over $1,000, and Oregon requires the WH-38 form on projects over $50,000. Each state has its own form, portal, deadline, and penalty schedule.
- Federal (Davis-Bacon Act, 40 U.S.C. 3142)
- WH-347, contracts over $2,000
- California (Labor Code 1771, 1776)
- DIR eCPR, public works over $1,000
- Oregon (ORS 279C.800)
- BOLI WH-38, projects over $50,000
- Jurisdictions covered today
- California, Oregon, federal
Why the state matters as much as the rate
Certified payroll is a state-by-state patchwork. The report that satisfies a federal Davis-Bacon job will not satisfy California, which requires electronic filing through its own portal, and California rules will not satisfy Oregon, which uses a different form on a different schedule. A contractor working across state lines is complying with several regimes at once.
What changes between jurisdictions is concrete: the dollar threshold that triggers coverage, the form and portal you file through, how often you file, how often the wage rates update, and the penalty if you get it wrong. Each guide below lays out those specifics for one jurisdiction, cited to the governing statute and agency.
Jurisdiction guides
Choose a jurisdiction
Coming soon
More states in progress
These three guides cover the jurisdictions where the prevailing wage data is complete enough to publish something genuinely useful rather than a boilerplate summary. We would rather ship three accurate guides than fifty thin ones.
Additional states are in progress and will be added as the wage data and the rules are verified to the same standard. If you need a state that is not here yet, the federal Davis-Bacon guide covers any federally funded project in any state.
Frequently asked questions
Which states require certified payroll?
Every state requires certified payroll on federally funded work under Davis-Bacon. Most states also require it on their own public works under state prevailing wage laws, though thresholds, forms, and portals differ. A handful of states have no separate state prevailing wage law and rely on the federal rules.
Do all states use the WH-347 form?
No. About a dozen states accept the federal WH-347 for state work, roughly the same number require their own form, and several mandate electronic filing through a state portal such as California DIR eCPR. Always file on the form the specific jurisdiction requires.
What is the lowest certified payroll threshold?
It varies by state and is often well below the $2,000 federal Davis-Bacon threshold. California triggers prevailing wage and certified payroll on public works over $1,000, one of the lowest thresholds in the country.
If a project has both state and federal funding, which rules apply?
Both. A project funded by state and federal money is subject to both prevailing wage regimes, and the worker is owed the higher rate for their classification. You may also have to file certified payroll in both the federal and the state format.
Why do you only cover three jurisdictions?
Because those are the jurisdictions where we have verified the wage data and rules to a standard worth publishing. Thin, duplicated state pages are demoted by search engines and, more importantly, are not useful. More states are in progress.
Where do I find the certified payroll rules for my state?
Start with the state labor agency, such as California DIR or Oregon BOLI, which publish the prevailing wage rates and the certified payroll form and deadline. For federal work, the U.S. Department of Labor and SAM.gov are the primary sources.
One audit engine for every jurisdiction
Buildalytic checks certified payroll against the right wage determination for the state and project type, whether that is federal Davis-Bacon, California DIR, or Oregon BOLI, and flags errors before you file.