Certified Payroll Requirements by State (2026)
Certified payroll is the weekly payroll report a contractor signs under penalty of perjury on prevailing-wage construction. Federal jobs use form WH-347. On state and local public works, 29 jurisdictions have their own prevailing wage law and 18 require certified payrolls to be submitted.
- Submission required by state law: California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington.
- No state prevailing wage law: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin — federal Davis-Bacon only.
- Federal projects everywhere: weekly WH-347 (or equivalent) plus the signed Statement of Compliance.
How to read this table
State prevailing wage law covers state- and locally funded public works ("little Davis-Bacon"). Certified payroll says whether the state requires payrolls to be submitted and how often; "records on request" means the contractor keeps payroll records open to inspection instead. Dollar thresholds vary and are in the cited statute.
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Cite this page
FormsByState, "Certified Payroll Requirements by State (2026): Prevailing Wage Laws, Filing Frequency and Forms," https://formsbystate.com/guides/certified-payroll-requirements-by-state/ (reviewed September 2026). Free to link and quote with attribution.
Questions
What is form WH-347?
WH-347 is the U.S. Department of Labor's optional weekly certified payroll form for federally funded or assisted construction under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The form itself is optional, but the information and the signed Statement of Compliance on page 2 are mandatory, every week, for every contractor and subcontractor.
Can I use WH-347 for a state public works job?
Often yes — many states accept any format with the same information. Some require their own form or an online portal (for example California's eCPR); the table lists the state form where there is one.
How long must certified payrolls be kept?
Federal rules require three years after all work on the prime contract is completed (29 C.F.R. § 5.5(a)(3)(i)). States can require longer.
My state has no prevailing wage law. Do I still file certified payroll?
Only on projects with federal money. 21 states have no state prevailing wage law, but Davis-Bacon still applies to federally funded or assisted construction over $2,000 anywhere in the country.
This page is general information about state statutes, not legal advice, and FormsByState is not a law firm. Statutes change; verify the cited section for your situation.