What will the Illinois certified payroll include?
What is the Illinois Certified Transcript of Payroll?
The Certified Transcript of Payroll is the certified payroll that 820 ILCS 130/5 requires on Illinois public works. Each contractor and subcontractor files it no later than the 15th of each month for the month before, only for months when construction happened on the project. It goes into the Illinois Department of Labor's electronic database, except on projects for State agencies that opt to receive certified payrolls directly. The table below is the short version, checked October 19, 2026.
Sources: 820 ILCS 130/5, Certified payroll, checked October 19, 2026; 820 ILCS 130/5.1, Electronic database, checked October 19, 2026; Certified Transcript of Payroll, checked October 19, 2026; Certified Transcript of Payroll FAQ, checked October 19, 2026; Prevailing Wage Act Certified Transcript of Payroll Training (June 24, 2025), checked October 19, 2026.| Item | Illinois |
|---|---|
| What it's called | Certified Transcript of Payroll (CTP) |
| Where it's filed | IDOL's Certified Transcript of Payroll Portal, signed in with an Illinois Public ID account. State agencies may opt to receive certified payrolls directly. |
| Who files | Any contractor and each subcontractor on a public works project (820 ILCS 130/5(a)). IDOL recommends every contractor file its own. |
| How often | Monthly, no later than the 15th, for the month before. Only months with construction on the project. |
| One filing covers | One project. IDOL's FAQ says multiple projects can't go in one upload. |
| Checked against | IDOL's prevailing wage rates for the county and classification, including overtime and holiday rates |
| Signature | A statement signed by the contractor or an officer, employee or agent. In the portal you certify by typing your first and last name. |
| Record retention | 5 years from the last payment on the contract (payments on or after January 1, 2014) |
| Not filing | Civil penalty up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for a later one within 5 years. Each month is a separate offense. |
| False payroll | Willfully filing a false certified payroll, or willfully not filing, is a Class A misdemeanor |
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What does the Illinois certified payroll ask for?
The certified payroll is a complete copy of the records 820 ILCS 130/5(a)(1) requires, except that it may leave out each day's start and end times. Those times still have to be kept in your own records. For each worker, the Act lists:
| Item | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Worker | Name, address, telephone number when available, last 4 digits of the Social Security number |
| Demographics | Gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status |
| Work | Classification or classifications, and skill level, such as apprentice or journeyman |
| Time | Hours worked each day (and start and end times in your own records) |
| Pay | Gross and net wages each pay period, hourly wage rate, hourly overtime rate |
| Fringes | Hourly fringe benefit rates, and the name and address of each fringe fund, with the plan sponsor and plan administrator where they apply |
IDOL's form instructions say to record all hours worked in the week, both prevailing wage ("PW") and non-prevailing wage ("N"). IDOL's FAQ explains that non-prevailing hours, including hours on other public jobs, let the department check rates and overtime. A worker who works in two classifications goes on the payroll once for each classification.
For fringes paid to a fund jointly administered by employers and a union under the federal Labor Management Relations Act, the instructions say to put an "F" behind the hourly rate. For other plans, the fund's name and address, plan sponsor and plan administrator go on the form. Contributions not made per hour worked are converted to an annualized hourly rate, per instruction 5.
Under 820 ILCS 130/5.1, IDOL posts each worker's classification, skill level, gross wages, daily hours, start and end times, wage rate, overtime rate and fringe rate on its website by the 16th of the month after the work. Addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, race, ethnicity and gender are kept out of the public record under Section 5.
How do you file in the IDOL portal?
IDOL's June 24, 2025 training slides lay out the steps:
- Create an Illinois Public ID account, then sign in to the Certified Transcript of Payroll Portal as a "Public Account." Each company needs its own login.
- Enter the pay period: start and end dates, your FEIN or contractor license number, the project number and address, county, the agency (or "Not a State Agency"), and whether it's a State capital fund or Rebuild Illinois project.
- Enter the contractor and public body information. PDF copies of the filed payroll go to the contractor emails you list.
- Add each worker by hand or upload the template file IDOL posts. IDOL's page lists a new import template for use starting July 1, 2025. The template asks for the rate sheet's geographic division, class type (such as BLD or HWY) and class code.
- Upload the fringe benefit document the portal asks for, unless it's a No Work Report.
- On the review page, check the certification box, type your first and last name, and click certify. Save the CTP number the portal gives you.
IDOL's FAQ says payroll periods that don't run Monday to Sunday are entered in the same order, starting on the first day of your period. For two-week pay periods, gross pay is split by week and net pay is reported on the second week.
Which rates is the Illinois report checked against?
Illinois uses IDOL's own prevailing wage rates, not a federal wage determination. Under 820 ILCS 130/9, IDOL ascertains the prevailing rate for each county in June and publishes the schedule on its website by July 15. IDOL's training slides say the rates are updated throughout the year, and Section 4(l) says a revised rate applies to the contract. A public body gives notice of revisions by stating in the contract that revised rates are on IDOL's website.
IDOL's rate sheets list base and foreman rates, the overtime rule for each classification, and fringe amounts for health and welfare, pension, vacation and training. IDOL's tutorial says Illinois prevailing wage overtime is calculated daily rather than weekly and can vary by classification, so the overtime rule comes from the rate sheet. Section 4(n) requires the contractor to post the rates on the job site or at a business location workers regularly visit, or give each worker written notice of them.
What does the signed statement say?
Section 5(a)(2) requires each certified payroll to come with a statement signed by the contractor or subcontractor, or an officer, employee or agent, that says:
- They have examined the certified payroll records and the records are true and accurate.
- The hourly rate paid to each worker is not less than the general prevailing rate the Act requires.
- They are aware that filing a certified payroll they know to be false is a Class A misdemeanor.
In the portal, you certify by typing your name on the review page. Section 5 also lets a general contractor rely on a lower-tier subcontractor's certification, as long as it doesn't knowingly rely on a false one.
How long do you keep Illinois payroll records?
Five years from the last payment on the contract, for payments made on or after January 1, 2014, under Section 5(a)(1). IDOL's form instructions say to keep the original prevailing wage and non-prevailing wage time and payroll records behind each filing for five years. Records can be kept on paper or electronically.
On 7 business days' notice, Section 5(b) requires you to make the records available for inspection and copying at a location in Illinois. That covers the public body, IDOL, and federal, State or local law enforcement and prosecutors.
What are the penalties for late or false certified payroll in Illinois?
These are the penalties the Act and IDOL publish:
| Violation | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Not filing a certified payroll | Civil penalty up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $2,000 for a later offense within 5 years. Each month is a separate offense. | 820 ILCS 130/5(d); IDOL 2025 advisory |
| Willfully not filing, or willfully filing a false payroll | Class A misdemeanor | 820 ILCS 130/5(a)(2) |
| Conviction under Section 5 | Automatic debarment from public works for 4 years, with no right to a hearing | 820 ILCS 130/11a |
| Violations on 2 occasions within 5 years | Placement on IDOL's list; no contracts for 4 years | 820 ILCS 130/11a |
| Underpaying workers | The difference to the worker, plus 20% of the underpayment to IDOL and 2% a month to the worker while it stays unpaid. A second action raises these to 50% and 5%. | 820 ILCS 130/11 |
A contractor can request a hearing on a failure-to-file finding within 10 business days of the notice. Section 5(d) says technical problems with a timely attempt are considered, and not knowing the requirements is not.
Common questions about Illinois certified payroll
Is Illinois certified payroll due weekly or monthly?
Monthly. 820 ILCS 130/5 sets the deadline at no later than the 15th of each calendar month, for the month before, and only for months when construction on the project took place. The portal still asks for hours by day and by pay period.
Can a subcontractor keep sending certified payroll through the general contractor?
820 ILCS 130/5(a) puts the filing duty on any contractor and each subcontractor on the job. IDOL's FAQ says a subcontractor may continue sending it through the general contractor, but the department recommends that every contractor file its own certified payroll, and liability falls on the individual contractor.
Do I file with IDOL on a Davis-Bacon job?
IDOL's FAQ says that if your contract says it is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, you submit certified payroll to IDOL, and if it mentions Davis-Bacon, you don't submit to the department. Section 11 of the Act excludes federal projects that require a federal wage determination, except as described in Section 2. The federal form is covered on our WH-347 page.
What if there was no work on the project that month?
The Act requires a certified payroll only for months when construction on the project occurred, and IDOL's FAQ says no submission is needed for a week with no work. The portal has a No Work Report checkbox, which IDOL's training slides say the Act doesn't require.
Can I correct a certified payroll after I submit it?
Yes, within limits. IDOL's FAQ says payrolls for the month currently due can be withdrawn from your profile with a reason, and IDOL reviews the request. After the 15th, the prior month's payrolls can't be withdrawn.