Points North vs WellStanding for California Certified Payroll
Points North is an established compliance software company whose Certified Payroll Reporting product covers state-specific electronic filing, including a California Master Electronic Filing capability for the DIR eCPR, and they appear as a certified payroll partner in major payroll marketplaces, including the ADP and Paychex marketplaces. They sell both software and managed service tiers, and their own marketing makes the case for the pain being real: their materials describe teams spending almost an hour per project just on managing certified payroll reports.
Facts verified 2026-07-02
Where Points North is genuinely strong
- Broad multi-state coverage, useful if you work public jobs beyond California
- Produces California's electronic filing format
- Marketplace presence alongside major payroll platforms
- Managed service tiers exist for contractors who want work taken off their desk
Where the model differs from ours
- Pricing is not published: the path to a number runs through a demo and a quote
- Software tiers still mean you drive the tool and own the output
- Built as a multi-state compliance platform first; California public works is one lane of many
Side by side
| Points North | WellStanding | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Multi-state compliance software + managed tiers | Done-for-you filing service |
| Pricing | Not published (demo and quote) | $995 one time setup, then $249 per month flat for crews up to 25 workers ($449 for 26 to 50), published |
| Federal WH-347 | Yes | Yes, with the Statement of Compliance, staged for your signature |
| California DIR eCPR XML | Yes | Yes, validated before it reaches you |
| Your work each week | You drive the software (service tiers vary) | Send one payroll export, then about two minutes to review and sign |
| Payroll migration required | Integrates with payroll platforms | None. Works from QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, Gusto, or Sage exports |
| Who checks the filings | Varies by tier | A person reviews every filing |
Who Points North is right for
A contractor working prevailing wage jobs across several states who wants one vendor for all of them, and does not mind a sales process to learn the price.
Where we fit instead
We do one thing in one state: California public works certified payroll, done for you, at a price printed on the page. No demo call to learn a number, no per-state modules, and a person reviews every filing before it reaches you. If your work is California subs' work, depth beats breadth.