Home / Certified payroll review / New public-works award
For contractors just awarded a California public-works job
You won the job. Here is what happens to certified payroll in week one, and who does what.
Certified payroll and prevailing wage start with the first day your crew is on site. This page covers what Aeternus takes on from the first week, what stays with you, how the DIR filing actually works, and the first-30-days rules with the Labor Code section behind each one.
What we take on in week one
We work from the payroll your payroll company already produces. We do not replace it, and we do not run payroll. What we add is the part that sits between a paycheck and a clean certified payroll: the determination, the classifications, the checks, and the paperwork calendar.
- Pin the wage determinations that govern the job.The determination in effect for the bid call is the one that governs the contract. We pull it and map each of your crafts and classifications to it, so every later check runs against the right rates.
- Check the apprenticeship paperwork is on file and on time.Contract-award information to the apprenticeship committees (DAS 140) and any apprentice dispatch requests (DAS 142) are tracked from the start, because their deadlines run from contract execution, not from your first payroll.
- Review the first certified payroll before it goes anywhere.Base and fringe by craft against the determination, classification against the work actually performed, overtime, and the apprentice-to-journeyman ratio. Every finding comes back with the Labor Code section it comes from and a dollar figure, and a person reads every finding before you see it.
- Get it ready for DIR.Once you have reviewed the findings and e-signed, the week is prepared for DIR's electronic certified payroll (eCPR) system, and the filing calendar for the rest of the job is set.
- Start the records file.Certified payroll records have to be produced within 10 days of a written request. The file is kept current week by week, so a request is a folder you already have.
Who does what
What we take on, and what stays with you
We take on
- The weekly pre-flight review of your certified payroll against the governing determination: rates, fringe, classification, overtime, apprentice ratio
- Tracking DAS 140 and DAS 142 status and dates
- The monthly apprenticeship training-fund (CAC-2) contribution computation and filing package
- Fringe-benefit statement review, travel and subsistence, and keeping the determination current through the job
- An eCPR-ready submission each period, and the records file
Stays with you
- You are the employer of record, and your payroll company keeps running payroll
- Paying the wages, fringe, and training-fund contributions
- The certification on each certified payroll: it is a sworn statement about your own records, so only you sign it
- Each subcontractor files its own certified payroll
- Any DLSE proceeding or penalty assessment: that is attorney work, and we refer it rather than take it
How filing works. DIR's eCPR system takes your own PWCR login, so you make that submission: we prepare it and walk you through it. Where an awarding body's own portal accepts an authorized submitter, we file it on your written authorization. Either way you certify, and nothing goes out without your sign-off.
The first 30 days
What the rules require after an award, and when
The checklist we work from on a new California public-works award. Each row links to the text it comes from.
| What | When the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DIR public-works registration, for the prime and every subcontractor on the job | Required to bid, to be listed in a bid, and to perform the work | LC §1725.5, §1771.1 |
| The awarding body notifies DIR of the award (PWC-100) | Within 30 days of the award, and no later than the first day workers are employed on the job. It is the awarding body's filing; worth confirming in week one that it exists | LC §1773.3 |
| Contract-award information to the apprenticeship committees (DAS 140) | Within 10 days of executing the prime contract or subcontract, and no later than the first day workers are employed | 8 CCR §230(a) |
| Request for apprentice dispatch, when the ratio is not already met (DAS 142) | In writing, at least 72 hours before the apprentices are needed, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays | 8 CCR §230.1 |
| Apprentice-to-journeyman ratio | Not less than one hour of apprentice work for every five hours of journeyman work. Does not apply to contracts under $30,000 | LC §1777.5(g), (o) |
| Apprenticeship training-fund contributions | At the training-contribution rate DIR sets for the craft and area, with credit for payments to an approved program | LC §1777.5(m) |
| The wage determination posted at the job site | Posted at each job site; the determination in effect for the bid call governs the contract | LC §1773.2, 8 CCR §16204 |
| The compliance-monitoring notice posted at the job site | Posted for as long as the site is open, on jobs subject to DIR compliance monitoring | LC §1771.4(a)(2), 8 CCR §16451(d) |
| Certified payroll records for every worker | Certified copies furnished within 10 days of a written request; after that, $100 per worker per calendar day until they are | LC §1776 |
| Electronic certified payroll (eCPR) to the Labor Commissioner | At least monthly while work is performed, and within 30 days after the final day of work | LC §1771.4(a)(3) |
For scale: underpaying the prevailing wage carries a penalty of up to $200 per worker per calendar day (Labor Code §1775), and an overtime violation $25 per worker per calendar day (§1813). Each row above was read against the statute or regulation text on September 28, 2026. This is a planning summary, not legal advice; Aeternus Dynamics is not a law firm.
How to start
Three steps, and nothing signed until you have the scope in writing
- Reply to my email, or write to andrew@aeternusdynamics.com.The project name is enough to begin.
- A short call about the job.Which crafts are on it, who runs your payroll today, when work starts, and whether any subcontractors report through you.
- Scope and price in writing before any work.Certified payroll review is priced per active project and published on the pricing table. To see what a reviewed week looks like first, here is a fictional sample.
Who you would be working with
Andrew Avina, founder. I spent the last few years managing this work on the contractor's side, and started Aeternus to do it for other firms. The person accountable for your filing is the person you email.
- Active SAM.gov registration: UEI JWJNA5J8ZDU6 · CAGE 24U68
- CA DGS Small Business & SB-PW, cert. 2054828
- Minority-owned (Hispanic American), self-identified
One-page capability statement · PDF · Aeternus Dynamics LLC, 2108 N St Ste N, Sacramento, CA 95816