New York certified payroll: how to submit it electronically under the 2025 mandate
This page draws on the NYS Department of Labor's electronic payroll page, e-payroll FAQ and March 2026 overview, each read on November 4, 2026. nysenate.gov blocked automated reading, so Labor Law wording was read on public.law copies that cite nysenate.gov; check the official text.
Last reviewed against the sources it cites
The short answer
Since December 31, 2025, New York Article 8 contractors and subcontractors submit certified payroll in the DOL portal at least every 30 days, including weeks with no work. DOL routes NYC public work to a city database, the School Construction Authority uses its own LCMS system, and DASNY and NYSDOT contracts add requirements. DOL's electronic payroll page and FAQ disagree on starting without a PRC number, so get one from the letting agency or covered private owner first.
- Except on NYC public work and roadway excavation on NYC permits, every contractor and subcontractor on Article 8 work submits through the DOL portal at least every 30 days, even when the general contractor does not collect payroll, per DOL's e-payroll FAQ.
- DOL's pages disagree on whether you can start without a PRC number: the electronic payroll page says you are no longer blocked, while the FAQ says a PRC number is required, so get one from the letting agency or covered private owner first.
- Labor Law 220-j(3) sets a $100 a day penalty for payroll not furnished, levied only after 14 days, but DOL's FAQ says it is not issuing late fines at this time and will announce before that changes; the FAQ answer is undated, so recheck before relying on it.
- One XML upload covers one project and one payroll week, holds up to 500 employee records, and needs the employee address state spelled out in full (DOL bulk upload guide).
- Weeks with no work still get reported, using the No Work Week box (DOL contractor user guide).
- DOL's FAQ routes NYC public work and roadway excavation on NYC permits to NYC's own database, but Labor Law 220-j(5) lets DOL's database take over city projects if the city database is missing or noncompliant.
Who submits, and to which system
Except on NYC public work (below), every contractor and subcontractor on an Article 8 project submits certified payroll through DOL's portal, per the electronic payroll page. The FAQ says covered projects include, but are not limited to, public work, privately owned projects under prevailing wage requirements (section 224-a) and certain renewable energy projects (224-d). DOL's registry page lists 224-e (broadband) and 224-f (climate risk-related and energy transition projects, and roadway excavations), and dates the requirement to December 31, 2025. The FAQ says work before January 1, 2026 need not be entered.
- Subcontractors submit, and so do out-of-state contractors (FAQ).
- Article 9 building service work does not require electronic submission (FAQ).
- Federal projects where state prevailing wage law does not apply are outside this system (FAQ); see our WH-347 guide for the federal form.
| Who owns the job | Where payroll goes | Note |
|---|---|---|
| State, county, town, school district and other non-NYC owners | The DOL portal | Per the FAQ. |
| NYC public work, and roadway excavation on NYC permits | NYC's online certified payroll database | DOL's FAQ and electronic payroll page route this work to the city database, and the NYC Comptroller enforces on city contracts (Article 8 FAQ). Under Labor Law 220-j(5), DOL's database covers city projects, after notice, if the city had not built its database by December 1, 2025 or the Comptroller finds it noncompliant. When read on November 4, 2026, NYC's Community Hiring home page showed a Coming Soon notice for the database and the page DOL cites returned no readable text. Confirm with the city agency. |
| NYC School Construction Authority | LCMS, with a Daily Signature Log per payroll | The SCA page has a payroll section headed with Labor Law 220-j. It says contractors and subcontractors must submit payroll records through the SCA's own system, LCMS, at least once every 30 days starting December 31, 2025, and it links an SCA-hosted public certified payroll database. It lists DOL's electronic payroll page only under further information and does not say whether the DOL portal is also required; ask the SCA. |
| DASNY | The DOL portal, and DASNY with payment applications | Per the DASNY page. |
| NYSDOT contracts that use the NYSDOT Standard Specifications | Weekly payrolls to the Engineer under the contract clause, and the DOL portal per the FAQ if the contract is Article 8 prevailing wage eligible | Section 102-10(C) of the September 1, 2026 edition requires weekly certified payrolls to the Engineer for work by prevailing wage eligible workers, on Form HC-231-1, allows another format that carries the required data and certifications, and requires a Statement of Compliance signed by the Contractor. Section 102-10(A) has the Department identify in the proposal whether DOL found the work prevailing wage eligible. The clause does not mention the DOL portal; for how the portal's 30-day cycle fits a weekly clause, see the 30-day cycle section below. The FAQ says a submission to the department of jurisdiction does not replace the DOL submission and names a separate system only for some NYC projects. Contracts incorporate the specifications by reference, so check the edition date in yours. This page did not read the HC-231-1 form. |
| Locally administered federal-aid projects that do not use the NYSDOT Standard Specifications | Weekly payrolls to the Engineer, and the DOL portal per the FAQ if the work is Article 8 prevailing wage eligible | Appendix 12-2, revised December 2023, sets the payroll clause for these projects. It asks for Form WH-347 or HC-231 on federal-aid contracts and HC-231 on non-federal-aid contracts, with a Statement of Compliance signed by the Contractor. Like the specifications, it applies the clause to prevailing wage eligible workers and has the Department identify eligibility in the proposal. It does not mention the DOL portal. |
Submitting to an owner does not replace the portal, and owners may add requirements (FAQ). DOL does not require LCPtracker or eMars; the letting agency sets those (FAQ). The undated Article 8 FAQ quotes Labor Law 220(3-a) and still says to send payroll to the department of jurisdiction every thirty days; it does not mention the portal. For other states, see the state-by-state table or our New Jersey page.
What to have ready before the first payroll
You need a NY.gov account to reach the portal (electronic payroll page). The contractor user guide says project setup needs:
- Your registry certificate number. Registration under Labor Law 220-i is required before you bid or start new covered work. DOL's overview says it costs $200 for two years.
- Your FEIN.
- The PRC number, the prevailing rate case number, from the letting agency or, on a covered private project, the owner or developer (FAQ).
- A payment bond copy, on public improvement projects.
To submit payroll reports you also need documentation of each fund, plan or program where a supplement is paid (Labor Law 220-j(2)(c)). The user guide says to upload supplemental benefits documentation if you offer them.
DOL's pages disagree on a missing PRC number. The electronic payroll page says you are no longer blocked without one; the FAQ says a project cannot be entered without one. Ask the letting agency or covered private owner, then the Bureau, and cite both pages.
On public work contracts with advertised specifications of $250,000 or more (the March 2026 overview says over $250,000), DOL's undated provisions page says OSHA 10 proof goes with the first payroll and any later payroll where a new worker first appears. The provisions page applies this only to workers who must receive the prevailing wage. The portal guides describe no such step, so ask the Bureau at (518) 457-5589, including if your contract is at exactly $250,000.
The 30-day cycle
- Due dates. The portal sets them from the project start and payroll end dates, and payroll is due every 30 days from the project start date (FAQ). A cycle is 30 days and holds up to five weekly payrolls, and you can submit before the due date (user guide).
- Contracts that ask for more. Labor Law 220-j(2)(a) requires records monthly unless the covered project contract requires more frequent reporting. DOL's FAQ and user guide state only the 30-day interval and do not say how that exception works in the portal, so on a contract that calls for weekly payrolls, meet the contract's schedule and ask the Bureau how the portal treats it.
- Edits. The user guide allows edits up to 14 days past the due date. The electronic payroll page says the edit cut-off moved from 30 to 44 days from the project start date. For the first cycle the two agree (30 plus 14 is 44). DOL does not explain the project-start wording for later cycles; ask the Bureau.
- Weeks with no work. Report them (FAQ), using the guide's No Work Week box or work pause setting.
Late payroll, fines and the grace period
| Failure | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Payroll more than 14 days late | $100 for each day in violation, with no penalty levied until 14 days after the requirement (Labor Law 220-j(3)(a) and (b)). The FAQ and user guide say $100 a day after 14 days late. |
| Willful failure to file | A class E felony, plus a civil penalty up to $1,000 per day for willfully filing late (Labor Law 220(3-a)(a)(iii)). DOL words the offence two ways: the FAQ says willfully failing to provide accurate payroll records, with a penalty up to $1,000 and no daily rate; the March 2026 overview says willfully failing to file within thirty days of the first payroll. DOL does not say how this fits with the $100 a day fine. |
| Submitting a false certified payroll to a public entity | A class E felony (March 2026 overview, which names offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree). Under Labor Law 220-c, verifying under oath an Article 8 statement you know to be false is perjury, punishable under the Penal Law. |
| Underpayment found | After a hearing, interest at the Banking Law rate, which is 16% a year, and a civil penalty of up to 25% of the total amount found to be due (Labor Law 220-b(2)(c) and (d); Banking Law 14-A(1)). The March 2026 overview says interest up to 16%. |
| Debarment | The Article 8 FAQ gives two five-year triggers: two final determinations of willful underpayment within six years, or one for falsified payrolls or kickbacks (Labor Law 220-b(3)(b)(1)). The overview names more, including felony convictions and some one-year bans, and 220-b(3)(b)(2) bars contractors convicted of public work felonies, including offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. |
Filing also bears on payment: Labor Law 220(3)(d)(iv) requires every public work contract to make filing payrolls a condition precedent to payment of sums due for the work.
Are fines being issued? The FAQ says the law allows no grace beyond 14 days, but DOL is using discretion not to issue late fines at this time, and will announce first. The answer is undated, and the Bureau page showed no announcement on November 4, 2026, so recheck. If a system error or missing PRC number made you late, tell the Bureau, which can waive or reduce a fine (FAQ).
XML upload: limits and errors DOL lists
The undated bulk upload guide says currently only XML is supported and no API is available at this time. It calls field length, minimum and maximum values and date formats the most common failures, so check the XSD. It also lists:
| Rule | Error you may see |
|---|---|
| One project and one week per file; PRC number and week ending date must match. | PRC Number does not match existing project; Week ending date does not match existing project rollup |
| Up to 500 employee records per file. | Exceeds the maximum number of records |
| The employee address state spelled out, not abbreviated. | State is invalid |
| A work category from DOL's classification list. | Work Category is invalid |
The electronic payroll page and the user guide describe an Employee Bank for reusing workers; the FAQ says entries are per project but may be copied.
Is there a New York certified payroll form?
Not for portal submissions, where you enter or upload payroll (user guide). DOL's forms page lists PW 18.1, Payroll Certification, for certifying payrolls when no standard form is used; DOL limits it to business with the Bureau. PW 102 is not a payroll form: the Agreement Confirming the Payment of Prevailing Wages (edition 01/24, citing Labor Law 224-f(2)) is an affirmation under penalty of perjury, signed for a utility company, that its contract with a contractor requires prevailing wages on a covered roadway excavation. It is filed with the department that issues the permit.
After you submit
- Public view. Payrolls appear on data.ny.gov without worker names (FAQ).
- Review and records. The Bureau investigates when submitted payrolls suggest underpayment (FAQ). In an investigation it requests certified payrolls, daily time records and cancelled checks, and you must keep weekly certified payroll records at least six years (Article 8 FAQ, citing Article 6, section 195.4).
- Who attests. The portal's Acknowledge and Declaration step shows a disclosure and checkboxes to attest to its statements (user guide). The guide's access section names payroll managers and authorized users but does not say who ticks the boxes, and the declaration text could not be read. By statute the contractor and every subcontractor keep payrolls subscribed and sworn to or affirmed as true under penalty of perjury (Labor Law 220(3-a)(a)(iii)), and the Article 8 FAQ defines a certified payroll as affirmed under penalty of perjury.
We prepare certified payroll for public works contractors. Tell us about your project.
Questions
Do I submit if my general contractor does not collect payroll?
Can I upload a spreadsheet or use an API?
Are late fines being issued now?
Who do I call with a portal problem?
Sources
Every figure on this page links to its source where it first appears. The full list, in order:
- electronic payroll page dol.ny.gov
- e-payroll FAQ dol.ny.gov
- March 2026 overview dol.ny.gov
- School Construction Authority nycsca.org
- DASNY dasny.org
- NYSDOT dot.ny.gov
- Labor Law 220-j(3) newyork.public.law
- DOL bulk upload guide dol.ny.gov
- DOL contractor user guide dol.ny.gov
- registry page dol.ny.gov
- NYC's online certified payroll database nyc-oti.ecomply.us
- Article 8 FAQ dol.ny.gov
- Community Hiring home page nyc.gov
- page DOL cites nyc.gov
- Appendix 12-2, revised December 2023 dot.ny.gov
- Bureau dol.ny.gov
- provisions page dol.ny.gov
- Labor Law 220(3-a)(a)(iii) newyork.public.law
- Labor Law 220-c newyork.public.law
- Labor Law 220-b(2)(c) and (d) newyork.public.law
- Banking Law 14-A(1) newyork.public.law
- Bureau page dol.ny.gov
- classification list dol.ny.gov
- forms page dol.ny.gov
- Agreement Confirming the Payment of Prevailing Wages dol.ny.gov
- data.ny.gov