---
title: Caltrans Training Fund and CAC-2 Proof | WellStanding
url: https://wellstanding.com/guides/caltrans-training-fund-cac-2/
description: How the training fund and CAC-2 work on a Caltrans contract: the apprenticeable-craft rule, the 15th deadline, the fringe statement line, and proof to keep.
updated: 2026-11-04
type: guide
publisher: WellStanding Certified Payroll
---
# Training funds and the CAC-2 on a Caltrans contract

What changes on a Caltrans job, from the [Caltrans Labor Compliance Manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11), the pre-job checklists (the [state LCPtracker checklist, revised January 2026](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf), is linked here; all four are linked in the table below), and the [2025 Standard Specifications](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/design/documents/2025_stdspecs.pdf). General rules: our [CAC training fund guide](https://wellstanding.com/guides/cac-training-fund-contributions/).

Last reviewed November 4, 2026 against the sources it cites

The short answer

For an apprenticeable craft on a Caltrans contract, pay the wage determination's training amount to an approved apprenticeship program or the [California Apprenticeship Council](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11), not the worker. Council payments are due on the 15th for the prior month's work, by check with a CAC-2 or the information [8 CCR 230.2(c)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/230_2.html) lists; search [DIR's page](https://dir.ca.gov/CAC/TrainingFund/TFSearch.html) afterward; old CAC-2s may not post. Caltrans requires the fees on your [fringe benefit statement](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf), which [labor compliance staff](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-15) check on construction-administered contracts.

- Caltrans's [Labor Compliance Manual, section 11-8](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11), says contributions to the California Apprenticeship Council are due on the 15th day of the month for work performed during the preceding month, paid by check with a completed CAC-2, and [8 CCR 230.2(c)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/230_2.html) lets the check come with a nine-item list of information instead of the form.
- The state LCPtracker [pre-job checklist](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf) (revised 1/2026) says that for classifications DIR has identified as an apprenticeable craft, training fees must be sent to a state-approved apprenticeship program or the council and identified on the fringe benefit statement submitted through LCPtracker.
- The [CEM-2501 fringe benefit statement](https://forms.dot.ca.gov/v2Forms/servlet/FormRenderer?frmid=DOTCEM2501) (rev. 01/2026) has an Apprentice or Training Fees amount among its hourly fringe columns, beside the name and address of the plan, fund, or program.
- The [DAS public works FAQ](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksFAQ.html) (dated September 2024) says a payment to an approved apprenticeship program will not show on DIR's website, and that whoever checks it must ask the contractor for proof of payment to the program's trust fund.
- Section 11-2 of the [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11) says a contractor on a general contract under $30,000, or a sole proprietor who does all the work unassisted, must still pay the training fund fee and submit proof of the monthly payments, and it does not name a payee.
- Section 7-1.02K(4) of the [2025 Standard Specifications](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/design/documents/2025_stdspecs.pdf) requires compliance with the training contribution requirements of Labor Code 1777.5(m)(1); check the edition named in your contract.

## What Caltrans requires for training funds

In the [2025 Standard Specifications](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/design/documents/2025_stdspecs.pdf), section 7-1.02K(4) tells you to comply with the training contribution requirements of [Labor Code 1777.5](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1777.5)(m)(1), and the Department deducts from progress payments the civil penalties that the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards assesses for violating section 1777.5. Check the edition named in your contract.

The [Labor Compliance Manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11) repeats the duty in section 11-1: pay the amount on the wage determination to an approved training program or to the California Apprenticeship Council (CAC). Section 11-4 narrows it to apprenticeable crafts. The manual's web chapters and the LCPtracker help pages carry no date; each was read on November 4, 2026. The DAS public works FAQ is dated September 2024.

### Is your craft apprenticeable?

Section 11-4 of the manual marks an apprenticeable craft with a # before its name on the DIR wage determination. With no # or a double ##, the craft is not apprenticeable, and training contributions can be paid to the employee or an approved training program. The [DAS public works FAQ](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksFAQ.html) (dated September 2024) agrees: training funds cannot be paid to workers unless the craft is not apprenticeable.

## When the council payment is due

Section 11-8 of the manual says contributions to the council are due on the 15th day of the month for work performed during the preceding month, paid by check with a completed Form CAC-2. Work performed in March is due April 15. [8 CCR 230.2](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/230_2.html)(b) states the same deadline. Under subdivision (c), the check shall come with a completed CAC-2 or nine listed items of information; the [general guide](https://wellstanding.com/guides/cac-training-fund-contributions/) has the full list.

DIR's [Training Fund Search](https://dir.ca.gov/CAC/TrainingFund/TFSearch.html) page lists two reasons a recent contribution may not appear: a wrong remit address, or an old CAC-2 form. It says payments made with the current [web CAC-2 form](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/tf/cac2.asp) appear within 48 hours of receipt, except where the license number is missing, the system fails or a holiday intervenes. Subdivision (c) still allows the information list in place of the form, but the search page does not say whether a payment sent that way posts automatically. Search for your payment after sending it, and keep your check record either way.

## What proof the sources describe

Section 11-3 of the manual tells Caltrans staff, if apprentices are employed, to verify that training fund contributions went to an approved apprenticeship program or the CAC. No Caltrans document read for this page names a specific proof for a training payment to a program. Section 15-3 of the [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-15) lists trust fund statements, canceled payroll checks and bank statements among the records staff use to verify certified payroll entries in general.

| How you pay | How it is confirmed | What to keep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Check to the council with a CAC-2 | Manual 11-8-1: check the council's [Training Fund Search](https://dir.ca.gov/CAC/TrainingFund/TFSearch.html), which does not always show a payment (see above) | CAC-2 (or 230.2(c) information) and check record |
| Payment to an approved program | Not on DIR's website. [DAS FAQ](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksFAQ.html) (DIR guidance): ask the contractor for proof of payment to the program's trust fund | Your record of that payment, such as a trust fund statement, bank statement or canceled check |
| General contractor under $30,000 | Manual 11-2: proof of the monthly payments. Payee: 11-2 names none; the [DAS FAQ](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksFAQ.html) says the employee, while the general statements in manual [8-4-4](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-8) name the program or the council (see below) | Monthly payment records and Caltrans's written answer on the payee |
| Sole proprietor who does all the work unassisted | Manual 11-2: proof of the monthly payments. No source read for this page names a payee | Monthly payment records and Caltrans's written answer on the payee |

On construction-administered contracts, section 15-2-1 of the [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-15) tells labor compliance staff to check certified payrolls submitted, within 30 days of receipt, for a list of items that includes, for an apprenticeable craft, that the training payment went to an approved program or the council and was captured on the fringe benefit statement.

## How the training amount shows on the fringe benefit statement

All four checklists carry the same training rule, under the lead-in that limits it to apprenticeable crafts. Which one applies depends on your contract and track; see [File Transfer versus LCPtracker](https://wellstanding.com/guides/caltrans-file-transfer-vs-lcptracker/).

| Checklist | Revised | For apprenticeable crafts, training fees must be |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [State contract, LCPtracker](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf) | 1/2026 | Sent to a state-approved program or the council and identified on the fringe benefit statement submitted through LCPtracker |
| [Federal-aid, LCPtracker](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/federal-aid-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf) | 1/2026 | Same, without "through LCPtracker" |
| [State contract, File Transfer](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-contract-form.pdf) | 7/2025 | Same, without "through LCPtracker" |
| [Federal-aid, File Transfer](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/federal-aid-contract_a11y.pdf) | 1/2026 | Same, without "through LCPtracker" |

The statement is Caltrans form [CEM-2501](https://forms.dot.ca.gov/v2Forms/servlet/FormRenderer?frmid=DOTCEM2501) (rev. 01/2026). All four checklists say it goes in with the first payroll and again when fringe benefits change. The form has an hourly amount for apprentice or training fees and the plan, fund, or program's name and address. The manual tells reviewers to check that it shows to whom and where benefits were paid, so name the program or the council. Our [CEM-2501 guide](https://wellstanding.com/guides/cem-2501-fringe-benefit-statement/) covers the whole form.

## How the training amount appears in LCPtracker

LCPtracker's [free Excel template guide](https://kb.lcptracker.com/support/solutions/articles/154000234947-lcptracker-free-excel-template-video-guide) describes a Training column for the total employer payment (hourly amount times hours worked). It says training is "almost always required" and almost never allowed to be paid to the employee, and that "in rare cases the value may be zero." For crafts DIR identifies as apprenticeable, chapter 10 of Caltrans's 2023 [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/lc-manual/2023-lc-manual-a11y.pdf) says the contractor cannot meet the obligation by paying the amount directly to the worker.

LCPtracker's [validation settings page](https://kb.lcptracker.com/support/solutions/articles/154000203862-administrator-validation-settings) describes check VAL_4, which compares the Training amount with the published training rate. For California state-funded projects it recommends Notice and Enforce, under which the contractor cannot certify while the message stands. If you see it, compare your figure with your determination's training line. Other failures: [upload errors](https://wellstanding.com/guides/lcptracker-upload-template-errors/).

## Under $30,000 or a sole proprietor: the manual still expects a payment

Section 11-2 of the manual lists four examples of contractors exempt from the apprentice requirements. For two, a general contractor's contract under $30,000 and a contractor with a sole proprietor license who does all the work unassisted, the manual adds that the contractor must still pay the training fund fee and submit proof of the monthly payments. The other two carry no such line.

[Labor Code 1777.5](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1777.5)(o) reads: "This section does not apply to contracts of general contractors or to contracts of specialty contractors not bidding for work through a general or prime contractor when the contracts of general contractors or those specialty contractors involve less than thirty thousand dollars ($30,000)." For a subcontractor, the manual reads the $30,000 as the value of the entire contract, not the subcontract.

The statute's text and the manual differ here. Subdivision (m)(1), the council contribution duty, is part of section 1777.5, and (o) says "This section does not apply" to those contracts. Section 8-4-4 of the manual says instead that (o) does not apply to contracts under $30,000 and that the section's other requirements about apprentices on public works projects still apply. No source read for this page reconciles the two.

### Where the sources disagree

On a contract under $30,000, the sources read for this page differ on whether and to whom the training amount is paid. Only section 11-2 of the manual and the DAS FAQ speak to exempt contracts, and 11-2 names no payee.

Section 8-4-4 of [chapter 8](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-8), a checklist point for the pre-job meeting, says the contractor must contribute training funds to the Joint Apprenticeship Committee or to the California Apprenticeship Council. Chapter 20 of the 2023 [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/lc-manual/2023-lc-manual-a11y.pdf), in its audit guidance on deductions, says training funds are not paid to the worker but to the local training trust fund of an approved apprenticeship program or to the council on Form CAC 2. Both are general statements, not written about exempt contracts; this page applies them to exempt contracts by inference. Section 11-2 asks for proof of the monthly payments but does not say to whom.

The [DAS public works FAQ](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksFAQ.html) (dated September 2024) says you are still obligated on a prime contract under $30,000, because training funds are part of the prevailing wage package, but that on an exempt project the training fund is paid to the employee. Its own exemption list says section 1777.5 does not apply to general contractors whose contract is under $30,000, so it rests the continuing duty on the prevailing wage package, not on section 1777.5. The manual and the FAQ both treat the amount as not waived, and on the payee they may point different ways. To resolve it, ask the resident engineer or district labor compliance officer, in writing, which payee and proof your contract expects, and keep the answer.

## Federal-aid contracts have a second training item

The federal-aid checklists also have a separate item for the required number of trainees or apprentices. If your contract sets a trainee or apprentice goal, section 8-4-4(a) of the 2023 [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/lc-manual/2023-lc-manual-a11y.pdf) says to submit a training plan to the resident engineer before work starts. That is the contract's training program, not the hourly fee.

## If Caltrans questions your training payment

1. **Check the rate.** Compare your determination's training line with your CEM-2501 and payroll.
2. **Check a council payment.** Search your license number in the [Training Fund Search](https://dir.ca.gov/CAC/TrainingFund/TFSearch.html), which shows the previous 48 months.
3. **Collect program proof.** Gather your record of payment to the program's trust fund.
4. **Ask what proof Caltrans wants.** Ask the resident engineer. If the question arrives in a delinquent payroll notice, start with our [delinquent payroll notice page](https://wellstanding.com/guides/caltrans-delinquent-payroll-notice/).

## Help with the payroll documents

WellStanding prepares your Caltrans payroll documents from the payroll export you already run, and a person reviews them. You review and sign; the certification is always yours and we never sign for you.

## Questions

**Does Caltrans want a copy of my CAC-2?**

None of the four pre-job checklists asks for one. Keep your CAC-2 (or the information 8 CCR 230.2(c) lists) and your check record in case the resident engineer asks. If you are a general contractor on a contract under $30,000, or a sole proprietor who does all the work unassisted, section 11-2 of the [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11) asks you to submit proof of the monthly payments. Ask the resident engineer what form of proof.

**Is the training fund due with the weekly payroll?**

No. The [checklists](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf) require certified payrolls weekly and set their own cutoff: payrolls and other documents not previously submitted are due on or before the 15th of the month for the previous month's work, and section 7-1.02K(3) of the [Standard Specifications](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/design/documents/2025_stdspecs.pdf) ties withholding for inadequate records to the month's 15th day. Council payments are due on the 15th for the preceding month's work under [8 CCR 230.2](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/230_2.html)(b), a separate date for a separate payment.

**I am a subcontractor on a small subcontract. Do I get the $30,000 exemption?**

Not on a subcontract under a prime: the manual says the $30,000 is the value of the entire contract. For a direct contract under $30,000, ask the resident engineer how Caltrans reads subdivision (o).

**Is the federal-aid training plan the same as the training fund?**

No. The checklists list the plan separately from the training fees. The plan goes to the resident engineer before work starts if your contract sets a trainee or apprentice goal.

## Sources

Every figure on this page links to its source where it first appears. The full list, in order:

1. [Caltrans Labor Compliance Manual](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-11) dot.ca.gov
2. [state LCPtracker checklist, revised January 2026](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf) dot.ca.gov
3. [2025 Standard Specifications](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/design/documents/2025_stdspecs.pdf) dot.ca.gov
4. [8 CCR 230.2(c)](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/230_2.html) dir.ca.gov
5. [DIR's page](https://dir.ca.gov/CAC/TrainingFund/TFSearch.html) dir.ca.gov
6. [labor compliance staff](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-15) dot.ca.gov
7. [CEM-2501 fringe benefit statement](https://forms.dot.ca.gov/v2Forms/servlet/FormRenderer?frmid=DOTCEM2501) forms.dot.ca.gov
8. [DAS public works FAQ](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/PublicWorksFAQ.html) dir.ca.gov
9. [Labor Code 1777.5](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1777.5) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
10. [web CAC-2 form](https://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/tf/cac2.asp) dir.ca.gov
11. [8-4-4](https://dot.ca.gov/programs/construction/labor-compliance/labor-compliance-manual/chapter-8) dot.ca.gov
12. [Federal-aid, LCPtracker](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/federal-aid-lcptracker-contract_a11y.pdf) dot.ca.gov
13. [State contract, File Transfer](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/state-contract-form.pdf) dot.ca.gov
14. [Federal-aid, File Transfer](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/prejob-checklists/federal-aid-contract_a11y.pdf) dot.ca.gov
15. [free Excel template guide](https://kb.lcptracker.com/support/solutions/articles/154000234947-lcptracker-free-excel-template-video-guide) kb.lcptracker.com
16. [manual](https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/construction/documents/labor-compliance/lc-manual/2023-lc-manual-a11y.pdf) dot.ca.gov
17. [validation settings page](https://kb.lcptracker.com/support/solutions/articles/154000203862-administrator-validation-settings) kb.lcptracker.com

## Related

- [CAC training fund contributions](https://wellstanding.com/guides/cac-training-fund-contributions/)
- [CEM-2501 fringe benefit statement](https://wellstanding.com/guides/cem-2501-fringe-benefit-statement/)
- [DAS 140 and 142 on Caltrans jobs](https://wellstanding.com/guides/caltrans-das-140-142-apprenticeship/)
- [Caltrans LCPtracker pre-job checklist](https://wellstanding.com/guides/caltrans-lcptracker-setup/)
- [LCPtracker upload errors](https://wellstanding.com/guides/lcptracker-upload-template-errors/)