Certified payroll — weekly cadence

On a California public works job, every contractor and subcontractor must file a Certified Payroll Report (CPR) for every week any covered work is performed. The submission goes through DIR's eCPR system or the awarding body's portal (often LCPtracker).

The cadence

• The reporting week is your payroll week, not the calendar week. STrOp uses Monday–Sunday by default; adjust under Settings → Payroll → Workweek.
• CPRs are due to DIR within 10 calendar days of the end of the reporting week (Labor Code §1776). Many awarding agencies require sooner — Caltrans wants them within 7 days.
• File a "No Work" CPR for any week where the project was active but you performed no covered work. Skipping the week is not the same as filing a No Work — auditors treat a missing week as non-compliance.

What counts as "work performed"

Hours on the project site, including:

• Direct labor at the project address
• On-site material handling, layout, demolition, cleanup
• On-site supervision (foreman, lead) if they're touching tools or directing crew

Excluded:

• Shop fabrication off-site (unless the awarding body's special conditions sweep it in — check your contract's prevailing-wage rider)
• Office/admin time
• Travel to and from the shop

STrOp's export

Field → Timecards → Export CPR for week of [date] produces:

1. The DIR XML for direct eCPR upload, OR
2. A LCPtracker-compatible CSV (if the project is tagged for LCPtracker under Setup → Compliance)

Both formats include the worker classification, hours by day, fringe rates pulled from your active CBA, and the cumulative project-to-date totals required on the cover sheet.

Common errors

• Apprentice ratio violation. Submitting CPRs with too-few journey workers for the apprentice hours logged. STrOp flags this at timecard approval.
• Wrong classification. Filing as Inside Wireman when the work is Sound & Communications. The classification picker on the timecard line uses your CBA's job-class list.
• Missing fringes. If the fringe rate column is blank, DIR rejects the CPR. The fringe rate must come from a labor agreement linked to the project.

See also

• DIR registration & renewal
• Prevailing wage rates lookup