What will the New York certified payroll include?
What is New York certified payroll?
New York certified payroll is the payroll record Labor Law Section 220-j requires every contractor and subcontractor on an Article 8 project to submit electronically to the NYS Department of Labor. DOL's Bureau of Public Work and Prevailing Wage Enforcement runs the Certified Payroll portal, and reporting there started January 1, 2026. The contracting agency still reviews payrolls for facial validity and may add its own contract requirements. The table below is the short version, checked October 19, 2026.
Sources: Electronic Payroll Submission, checked October 19, 2026; Electronic Certified Payroll Submission System FAQ, checked October 19, 2026; Certified Payroll: Contractor User Guide, checked October 19, 2026; Bureau of Public Work: A Guide for Contracting Agencies (P899, 2026 update), checked October 19, 2026; New York Labor Law Section 220-j, Payroll reporting requirements, checked October 19, 2026; New York Labor Law Section 220, checked October 19, 2026; The New York State Department of Labor Announces New Electronic Certified Payroll Submission Requirements Beginning January 1, checked October 19, 2026; Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry, checked October 19, 2026.| Item | New York |
|---|---|
| What it's called | Certified payroll, submitted through NYS DOL's Certified Payroll portal (sign-in through NY.gov) |
| Law | Labor Law Article 8, Section 220 and Section 220-j |
| Who files | Every contractor and subcontractor on an Article 8 project, even if the general contractor doesn't ask for certified payroll |
| How often | Every week of the job, reported at least every 30 days from the project start date. Each 30-day cycle holds up to 5 weekly payrolls. |
| Weeks with no work | Still reported, with the portal's No Work Week checkbox |
| Where it goes | NYS DOL's portal. New York City public work and NYC roadway excavation permits go to the city's online certified payroll database instead. |
| To set up a project | FEIN, NYS contractor registration number, the project's PRC number, and the payment bond on public improvement projects |
| Checked against | The project's Prevailing Rate Schedule, which updates to the new annual rates every July 1 |
| Signature | Original payrolls sworn to or affirmed as true under penalty of perjury. In the portal you check the Acknowledge and Declaration statements before you submit. |
| Record retention | Contractor keeps original certified payrolls at least 6 years (Labor Law Section 195(4), per DOL's P899). The contracting agency keeps them 5 years. |
| Late payrolls | $100 a day once a payroll is more than 14 days late (Section 220-j) |
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Who has to file New York certified payroll?
Every contractor and subcontractor on a project covered by Article 8 of the Labor Law files it. DOL's FAQ says that includes public work projects, privately owned projects covered by prevailing wage requirements under Section 224-a, and certain renewable energy system projects under Section 224-d. It also says a subcontractor files even when the general contractor doesn't ask for certified payroll, and out-of-state contractors doing Article 8 work in New York register and file too.
Two kinds of work stay out of the portal. DOL's FAQ says Article 9 building service work isn't covered by electronic submission, and federal projects where state prevailing wage laws don't apply don't submit through this system.
When did electronic filing start, and how often is it due?
Reporting started January 1, 2026. DOL announced the change on December 26, 2025, and its contractor guide says payrolls must be submitted at least every 30 days for the length of the covered project. DOL's FAQ says payrolls from before January 1, 2026 aren't required on existing projects.
The portal works in 30-day cycles counted from the project start date, and each cycle holds up to 5 weekly payrolls. Your dashboard shows the next due date, and you can submit early. Labor Law Section 220-j also asks for a filing within thirty days after work on the project ends, and the guide says you check the Final Work Week box on the last one.
What goes into a New York certified payroll?
DOL's P899 guide says that at a minimum, payrolls show each worker's:
- Name
- Social Security number (last four digits)
- Classification or classifications worked
- Hourly wage rate or rates paid
- Supplements paid or provided
- Daily and weekly hours worked in each classification
The contractor guide adds the worker's address and, when a worker has no Social Security number, a date of birth instead. If you provide supplemental benefits, you upload the documentation with the payroll. You can key payroll in by hand, copy a prior week, or upload an XML file built to DOL's bulk upload format.
What do you need before you can submit?
To set up a project in the Certified Payroll portal, DOL's guide lists your FEIN, your NYS contractor registration number, the project's PRC number, and a copy of the payment bond on public improvement projects. The PRC number comes with the Prevailing Rate Schedule. DOL's P899 guide says the contracting agency requests that schedule from the Bureau of Public Work with form PW-39, and the schedule is part of the public work contract.
Registration comes first. DOL's registry page says contractors and subcontractors register under Labor Law Section 220-i before submitting new bids or starting new work on a covered project, and contractors verify that their subcontractors are registered.
What is a New York payroll checked against?
The Prevailing Rate Schedule assigned to the project. DOL's P899 guide says the Commissioner of Labor makes an annual determination that runs from July 1 through June 30, and every assigned schedule updates to the new annual rates on July 1. Primes give each subcontractor a copy of the schedule and get an affidavit that it was received. The rates and classifications always come from that schedule, not from this page.
What does the contractor certify?
Labor Law Section 220 says the contractor and every subcontractor keep original payrolls or transcripts, sworn to or affirmed as true under the penalties of perjury. In the portal, DOL's guide says an Acknowledge and Declaration popup appears before each submission, and you read the disclosure and use the checkboxes to attest to the statements. Once submitted, a payroll report can't be amended.
How long do you keep New York payroll records?
DOL's P899 guide says the employer keeps original certified payroll records for not less than six years, citing Labor Law Section 195(4). Section 220 separately has the department of jurisdiction preserve payrolls for five years.
What happens if a New York payroll is late?
Labor Law Section 220-j lets the fiscal officer impose a penalty of $100 for each day once a contractor fails to furnish the electronic records fourteen days after the deadline. DOL's FAQ says the department is not issuing fines for late payrolls while contractors adjust and will email registered contractors before fines begin. DOL's P899 guide also says filing payrolls is a condition of payment.
What about New York City jobs?
They use a different system. DOL's Electronic Payroll page says certified payroll records for public work projects performed by or on behalf of New York City, and for roadway excavation projects with permits issued by NYC, are submitted electronically through NYC's online database for certified payroll. Other covered projects use DOL's portal.
Common questions about New York certified payroll
How often is New York certified payroll due?
At least every 30 days. Labor Law Section 220-j defines monthly as at least once every thirty days while work is being performed, and within thirty days after work ends. DOL's portal runs 30-day cycles from the project start date, and you can submit up to 5 weekly payrolls in each cycle.
Do subcontractors file their own certified payroll in New York?
Yes. DOL's FAQ says the law requires payroll submission from all contractors and subcontractors performing Article 8 work, even if the general contractor does not require certified payrolls.
Do I still send certified payroll to the agency that awarded the job?
Possibly. DOL's FAQ says the electronic submission to DOL satisfies the state law requirement for the department of jurisdiction to collect payrolls, but departments of jurisdiction may impose other local or contractual submission requirements. DOL's P899 guide says the contracting agency is still responsible for reviewing payrolls for facial validity.
Does a Davis-Bacon job go into the New York portal?
DOL's FAQ says federal projects where state prevailing wage laws do not apply don't need to submit payrolls through this system. The federal form is covered on our WH-347 page.
Can I fix a New York payroll after I submit it?
DOL's contractor guide says you can edit an employee's entry up to the payroll reporting due date, but once you submit a payroll report you can't amend or change it.