What will the Ohio certified payroll include?
What is Ohio certified payroll?
Ohio contractors file certified payroll with the contracting public authority's prevailing wage coordinator under ORC 4115.071. The first report is due within two weeks after the initial pay date, then supplemental reports follow monthly, or weekly on contracts expected to last four months or less. The coordinator reports late filings to the public authority and to the Ohio Department of Commerce. The table below is the short version, checked October 19, 2026.
Sources: ORC 4115.071, Prevailing wage coordinator, checked October 19, 2026; ORC 4115.07, Full payment of wages, records, checked October 19, 2026; OAC 4101:9-4-12, Prevailing wage coordinator, checked October 19, 2026; OAC 4101:9-4-13, Duties of contractors, checked October 19, 2026; Instructions for Preparing Certified Payroll Reports and Certified Payroll Report form, checked October 19, 2026; Prevailing Wage Threshold Levels, Important Notice (Commerce's file is named 2024 PW Threshold Quick Ref; the notice gives road thresholds as of January 1, 2026), checked October 19, 2026.| Item | Ohio |
|---|---|
| What it's called | Certified copy of payroll (certified payroll report). Commerce publishes an optional Certified Payroll Report form. |
| Filed with | The prevailing wage coordinator of the contracting public authority |
| Who files | Each contractor and subcontractor on a covered public improvement |
| At the start | A schedule of your pay dates for the contract |
| How often | Within two weeks after the initial pay date, then monthly. Weekly after the first report if the contract is expected to last four months or less. |
| Checked against | The prevailing wage schedule Commerce determines for the project, attached to the specifications |
| Signature | Certification by the contractor, subcontractor or appointed agent that the payroll is correct and complete and the rates are not less than the contract requires |
| At the end | An affidavit of compliance filed before final payment, sworn to and notarized |
| Record retention | Payroll records stay in Ohio and can't be destroyed for one year after the project is completed |
| Not filing | A second-degree misdemeanor for a first offense, first-degree after that. An intentional failure to submit reports can lead to debarment. |
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Who gets the Ohio certified payroll?
The prevailing wage coordinator. ORC 4115.071(A) requires the contracting public authority to appoint one of its own employees as coordinator no later than ten days before the first wages are payable on the contract. The coordinator keeps the payroll reports and affidavits on file for public inspection and reports late filings to the public authority's chief officer and the director of commerce. OAC 4101:9-4-12 sets that delinquency report at two weeks after the filing was due.
At the start of the job, ORC 4115.071(C) has each contractor and subcontractor give the coordinator a schedule of its pay dates for the contract. Commerce's contractor page adds a list of all subcontractors with names, addresses and phone numbers.
When is each Ohio report due?
| Report | When | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-date schedule | When you begin work on the contract | ORC 4115.071(C) |
| Initial certified payroll | Within two weeks after the initial pay date | ORC 4115.071(C) |
| Supplemental reports | Each month after that | ORC 4115.071(C) |
| Supplemental reports, short contracts | Each week after the initial report, if the contract is expected to last no more than four months | ORC 4115.071(C) |
| Affidavit of compliance | At completion, before final payment | ORC 4115.07; OAC 4101:9-4-12(B) |
OAC 4101:9-4-13(A)(2) says your pay-date schedule can't be longer than the reporting periods in the rule.
What does the Ohio certified payroll ask for?
ORC 4115.071(C) lists what each report shows for every employee paid wages:
- Name and current address
- Last four digits of the Social Security number
- Hours worked each day of the pay period and the total for each week
- Hourly rate of pay
- Job classification
- Fringe payments
- Deductions from wages
OAC 4101:9-4-13(B) adds an accurate description of the nature of each deduction. Commerce's optional Certified Payroll Report form (revision marked 11/14) has numbered columns for these, plus straight-time (ST) and overtime (OT) rows, project gross, the fringe rate paid per hour by type (health and welfare, pension, vacation, holiday, other), and total hours and gross on all jobs. Its instructions say apprentices are listed with their year or level, and workers in two classifications get a separate line for each.
Which rates is the Ohio report checked against?
The prevailing wage schedule the Ohio Department of Commerce determines for the project. Under ORC 4115.04(A), the public authority has Commerce determine the rates before advertising for bids, and the schedule is attached to the specifications and printed on the bidding blanks. Commerce posts its commercial construction rates on its rate site, which needs an OHID sign-in.
Under ORC 4115.05, when Commerce finds a rate has changed in the locality during the project, the public authority notifies affected contractors within seven working days. On the first pay date, contractors give each employee not covered by a collective bargaining agreement written notice of their classification, rate and fringe split, and the coordinator's identity. ORC 4115.07 requires the wage schedule to be posted on the site or online where employees can reach it.
ORC 4115.04(B) says the state law doesn't apply to public improvements funded in part by federal loans or grants when the federal government prescribes minimum wages, or to school district and educational service center projects.
What do the certification and final affidavit say?
ORC 4115.071(C) requires the certification of each payroll to be signed by the contractor, subcontractor or an appointed agent, and to state that the payroll is correct and complete and that the wage rates shown are not less than the contract requires.
The certification on Commerce's optional form states that the signer pays or supervises the payment of the employees, all project hours were paid at the prevailing rate for the class of work, fringes were paid as shown, no rebates or deductions were made other than those Chapter 4115 permits, and apprentices are registered.
At the end of the job, Commerce's Affidavit of Compliance (LAW1003, dated 3/2019) certifies that wages for all hours on the project complied with Chapter 4115. The form says it's signed by the officer or agent who supervises paying employees, in front of a notary, and filed before the surety is released or final payment is made.
How long do you keep Ohio payroll records?
ORC 4115.07 says payroll records can't be destroyed or removed from Ohio for one year after the public improvement is completed. They stay open to inspection by the public authority, the coordinator and the director of commerce.
What are the penalties in Ohio?
| Violation | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Violating the reporting duties in ORC 4115.071(C) | Second-degree misdemeanor for a first offense, first-degree for each later offense | ORC 4115.99(B) |
| Falsifying information in required reports | A violation of ORC 4115.071 and a criminal violation under ORC 2921.13 | OAC 4101:9-4-13(C) |
| Intentional failure to submit reports, or knowingly false reports | Counts as an intentional violation | ORC 4115.13(H) |
| Intentional violation found | No public improvement contracts or work for one year, three years for another within five years | ORC 4115.133 |
| Underpaying the prevailing rate | The difference plus 25% to the employee, and a penalty of 75% of the difference to the director | ORC 4115.10(A) |
Under ORC 4115.13(C), an underpayment from a misreading of the statute or an error preparing payroll documents can be settled with restitution. An underpayment of less than $1,000 to an employee that is fully repaid ends further proceedings for it.
Common questions about Ohio certified payroll
Do Ohio contractors file certified payroll with the Department of Commerce?
Not as a rule. ORC 4115.071 has contractors deliver certified payroll to the public authority's prevailing wage coordinator, who keeps the files open for public inspection and reports late filings to the public authority and to the director of commerce.
Do I have to use the Commerce certified payroll form?
No. Commerce's instructions say the form meets ORC Chapter 4115 reporting requirements but isn't mandatory, and employers may submit their own forms if all the required information is included.
When does Ohio prevailing wage apply?
When a public improvement's total estimated cost is more than $250,000 for new building construction or more than $75,000 for reconstruction, repair, remodeling or painting. For roads, streets, sewers, ditches and related work, Commerce lists $101,201 for new construction and $30,320 for reconstruction as of January 1, 2026.
Does Ohio prevailing wage apply to school projects?
No. ORC 4115.04(B)(3) says sections 4115.03 to 4115.16 don't apply to public improvements by or for a school district board of education or an educational service center governing board.
What if the public authority never appoints a coordinator?
OAC 4101:9-4-12(D) says Commerce may appoint one, and contractors are not relieved of preparing certified payrolls. If a coordinator is appointed later, the contractor submits the required information at that time.