Certified payroll deadlines in California

Search this topic and you get payroll tax due dates. This page is the other calendar, the one that decides whether your progress payment moves: every certified payroll and public works clock, with the rule behind each one.

Last reviewed October 16, 2026 against the sources it cites

The short answer

California's eCPR is due to DIR at least once every 30 days while work is performed, plus once more within 30 days after the final day of work (Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(A)). The federal WH-347 is weekly on federally funded work, and contracts can require weekly too, so file weekly if yours is silent.

The eCPR is due to DIR at least once every 30 days while work is performed, and within 30 days after the final day of work, under Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(A).
The federal WH-347 is the form for certified weekly payrolls under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, and it is filed weekly on federally funded or assisted work (dol.gov).
A contract or a labor compliance program can require weekly submission on a state-only job, so check your contract first and default to weekly if it is silent or if any federal money is involved.
The $100 per day eCPR penalty, capped at $5,000 per project, is not levied until 14 days after the records were due, under Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(B) and (C).
A written records request must be answered within 10 days of receipt, after which the penalty is $100 per worker per calendar day, under Labor Code 1776(d) and (h). From January 1, 2027, SB 909 raises this to $140. See what SB 909 changes.

The calendar

Clock	Deadline	Rule
Federal WH-347	Weekly, on federally funded or assisted work	The Department of Labor's WH-347 is the form for certified weekly payrolls under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (dol.gov)
California eCPR to DIR	At least once every 30 days while work is performed, and within 30 days after the final day of work, or more often if the contract says so	Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(A)
eCPR penalty grace	The $100 per day penalty, capped at $5,000 per project, is not levied until 14 days after the records were due	Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(B) and (C)
Records request	10 days after receipt of a written request; then $100 per worker per calendar day ($140 from January 1, 2027)	Labor Code 1776(d) and (h)
Records location change	Notice to the awarding body within five working days	Labor Code 1776(g)
PWC-100 by the awarding body	Within 30 days of the contract award, and no later than the first day a contractor has workers on the job; no eCPR can be filed until it exists	Labor Code 1773.3(a)(1)
Training fund contributions	Due and payable by the 15th of the month after the month the work was performed, with a CAC-2	Division of Apprenticeship Standards
DAS 140 and DAS 142	Contract award information (the DAS 140) goes to the applicable apprenticeship committee within ten days of the date of execution of the prime contract or subcontract, and in no event later than the first day the contractor has workers employed on the public work (Title 8, section 230(a)); a DAS 142 dispatch request must give the program at least 72 hours notice of the date apprentices are to report (section 230.1)	8 CCR 230, 8 CCR 230.1
Contractor registration	Fiscal years run July 1 to June 30; renew before June 30. Late renewal between July 1 and September 30 carries a penalty; after September 30 the penalty is $2,000	DIR contractor registration

How often do you need to submit certified payroll in California?

The state statute sets a floor, not a fixed date. Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(A) requires certified payroll records at least once every 30 days while work is being performed on a public works project, plus one more submission within 30 days after the final day of work. That is the minimum for the state eCPR filed with DIR. It is not the minimum for every job. If federal money touches the contract, Davis-Bacon requires the federal WH-347 every week, no exceptions. A contract or a labor compliance program can also require weekly on a state-only job, and a large share of general contractor and awarding body contracts do exactly that, because a missed submission is grounds to hold a progress payment.

So the honest answer to "how often" is: check your contract first, then default to weekly if it is silent or if any federal money is involved. Weekly is also the only rhythm that keeps the WH-347 and the eCPR filed on the same schedule, which is why we run every client weekly regardless of what the contract's floor allows. See how to submit certified payroll to DIR for the current eCPR steps.

Weekly versus monthly, resolved

The confusion comes from two governments. The federal WH-347 is weekly. California's statute says at least monthly, with monthly defined as every 30 days while work continues and one more submission within 30 days after the last day, and it lets the awarding body's contract demand more. Many contracts demand weekly. The safe operating rhythm is weekly for everything, which is also the only rhythm that produces a WH-347 on time. That is how we run it.

The clocks people forget

The last day of work starts a clock. The final eCPR is due within 30 days of the final day on the project, even when the crew has moved on.
No work weeks still get filed. A week with nobody on site is a statement of non performance, not a skipped week.
The registration lapse is invisible until it is expensive. Registration expires June 30. A contractor who bids, is awarded, or works on a public works project after expiry pays $400 for an accidental lapse and $2,000 for a lapse that was not accidental during the July to September window, and $2,000 after that (DIR contractor registration). See DIR contractor registration, fees and renewal for the full fee schedule.
The 14 day grace is not a 14 day extension. It is the point at which the eCPR penalty starts accruing; the duty was due earlier.
The DAS 140 clock starts at contract signing, not at mobilization. It is due within 10 days of the subcontract's execution date and no later than the first day a worker is on site, whichever comes first. See DAS 140 and DAS 142, explained.
The training fund contribution has its own date. It is due by the 15th of the month after the work was performed, separate from the eCPR submission window. See CAC training fund contributions.

Build the calendar once

For each project: the awarding body's contract frequency, the federal weekly duty if federal money is involved, the DAS forms if the trade is apprenticeable and the contract is over the statutory threshold, the training fund date on the 15th, and the registration renewal in June. Missing any one of these clocks does not just risk a penalty under certified payroll penalties; it can also trigger a written records request with its own 10 day deadline. We build that calendar at setup and send a weekly reminder before each one is due. The first weekly filing is free.

Questions

Our contract does not say how often. Is monthly enough?

For the state filing, the statute's minimum is every 30 days while work is performed plus one within 30 days after the final day. If any federal money is in the project, the WH-347 is weekly regardless. Filing weekly satisfies both and keeps the WH-347 and the eCPR in step.

How often do I need to submit certified payroll in California?

At least once every 30 days while work continues, plus a final submission within 30 days after the last day of work, under Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(A). That is the statutory floor for the state eCPR. Your contract or a labor compliance program can require more often, and a federally funded job requires the WH-347 weekly no matter what the state statute allows.

Is certified payroll due weekly or monthly in California?

Both rules exist at once. The state eCPR has a monthly floor under Labor Code 1771.4. A federally funded project's WH-347 is weekly under Davis-Bacon. Most general contractor contracts and labor compliance programs also require weekly on state-only jobs. Read the contract before assuming monthly is enough; if it is silent, file weekly.

What happens on day 15?

Nothing automatic. Labor Code 1771.4 lets the Labor Commissioner levy $100 per day, up to $5,000 per project, once the records are 14 days past due. Separately, a written records request under section 1776 has its own 10 day window and a per worker forfeit with no cap.

Do I still need to file if a week had no work on the project?

Yes. A week with no workers on site still needs a submission showing no work was performed. Skipping it looks the same as a missed filing to an awarding body checking the record, and it can trigger the same records request.

When exactly is the eCPR due each month?

There is no single calendar date. The clock runs from work performed on the project, not from a fixed day of the month: records are due at least once every 30 days while work continues, and once more within 30 days of the final day worked. See how to submit certified payroll to DIR for the filing steps.

What is the deadline for the DAS 140?

Within 10 days of the date the prime contract or subcontract was executed, and in no event later than the first day the contractor has workers on the public work, whichever comes first, under 8 CCR 230(a). See DAS 140 and DAS 142, explained for the full form and the DAS 142 dispatch notice that follows it.

Sources

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

Labor Code 1771.4(a)(3)(A) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
dol.gov
Labor Code 1776(d) and (h) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
SB 909 leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Labor Code 1773.3(a)(1) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Division of Apprenticeship Standards dir.ca.gov
8 CCR 230 dir.ca.gov
8 CCR 230.1 dir.ca.gov
DIR contractor registration dir.ca.gov