New York State Department of Labor Public Work

• Home
• Public Work
• Article 8 (Construction)

Record Keeping Requirements

• Q: What payroll records are required to be maintained by contractors?
• Q: What is a "certified payroll"?
• Q: Are contractors and subcontractors required to submit payroll records to the public owner?
• Q: How long are certified payroll records required to be kept by the contractor?

Q: What payroll records are required to be maintained by contractors?

A: The contractor and every subcontractor shall keep original payrolls or transcripts thereof showing the hours and days worked by each worker, the occupation at which he/she worked, the hourly wages paid and the supplements paid or provided. [Section 220, subd. 3-a (a)] This includes all books and records pertaining to the rate of wages paid and supplements provided.

|top|

Q: What is a "certified payroll"?

A: Certified payrolls are original payrolls or transcripts thereof, subscribed and affirmed as true under the penalty of perjury.

|top|

Q: Are contractors and subcontractors required to submit payroll records to the public owner?

A: "Every contractor, and subcontractor, shall submit to the department of jurisdiction within thirty days after issuance of its first payroll, and every thirty days thereafter, a transcript of the original payroll records, as provided by this Article, subscribed and affirmed as true..." (Section 220, subd 3-a)

|top|

Q: How long are certified payroll records required to be kept by the contractor?

A: The original payrolls or transcripts are required to be preserved for six years from the date of completion of the work on the awarded contract. (Article 6, Section 195.1)

|top|