New York certified payroll XML bulk upload: the 2026 guide
Who must file electronically
Since January 1, 2026, contractors and subcontractors on projects covered by Article 8 of the New York State Labor Law must submit certified payroll electronically through the New York State Department of Labor's Certified Payroll portal, at least every 30 days (NYSDOL announcement). Public work for New York City, and certain NYC roadway excavation projects, use NYC's own online certified payroll system instead (NYSDOL).
NYSDOL has announced penalties of up to $100 per day for late payroll after a 14-day grace period. Its FAQ says it is not currently issuing fines for late payrolls and will email registered contractors before fines begin (NYSDOL FAQ).
What you need before you start
- A NY.gov account to sign in to the portal.
- Your employer FEIN and your New York contractor registration number.
- The project's prevailing rate case (PRC) number.
- For public improvement projects, a copy of the payment bond.
For every worker, the payroll must show personal details, days and hours worked, occupation or classification, hourly wage rates, and supplements (benefits).
The bulk upload rules
You can type payroll into the portal by hand, or bulk upload a file. The bulk upload accepts XML only, in the structure defined by NYSDOL's published schema (XSD). CSV files, spreadsheets, and APIs are not accepted (NYSDOL Bulk Upload Formatting Guide). The key rules:
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| One project per file | The file's PRC number must match the project you are uploading to. |
| One week per file | Every record must belong to the same week ending date. |
| 500 employees maximum | Larger payrolls must be split into several files. |
| No duplicate employees | One employee appears once, but can have several work categories. |
| Date of birth or last 4 of SSN | Provide one identifier per employee, not both. |
| "Other" benefits need an explanation | An explanation is required only for the "Other" supplement type. |
| Days inside the week | Each day worked must fall within the work week. |
| File extension .xml | Some editors silently save as .txt, which fails. |
Common upload errors
NYSDOL says most failures are formatting problems: field lengths, minimum and maximum values, and date formats. The errors it lists include a PRC number mismatch, a week ending date mismatch, duplicate employees, sending both a date of birth and SSN digits, a missing explanation for "Other" benefits, and days outside the week.
Creating the XML from your payroll
NYSDOL tells contractors to work with their payroll vendor to set up a formatted export. Many small-business payroll systems don't offer one. The free PrevailReady NY XML converter builds the file from a simple spreadsheet and validates it against the official schema in your browser, so your payroll data never leaves your computer.
This guide summarizes public NYSDOL materials as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. Always check the current NYSDOL guidance.