WeeklyCertified / State rules / Certified Payroll in Maryland: The State Portal and the 14-Day Clock
Certified Payroll in Maryland: The State Portal and the 14-Day Clock
What are the certified payroll rules in Maryland?
Maryland requires prevailing wages on public works valued at $250,000 or more that carry state funding. Registered contractors submit certified payroll electronically through the state's online portal within 14 days after each payroll period. Late filings cost $10 per day. A federal WH-347 alone does not satisfy the state requirement.
Maryland is a true portal state with an unusually explicit meter running: certified payroll is due electronically within 14 days of each pay period, and the statute prices lateness by the calendar day.
The rules at a glance
| State law | Maryland Prevailing Wage Law, State Finance and Procurement Article, section 17-201 and following |
| Threshold | Public works valued at $250,000 or more with any state funding (25 percent or more state funding for political subdivisions, including school construction) |
| Form / format | Electronic filing through the state system (contractor registration required) |
| Where it goes | Division of Labor and Industry online certified payroll portal (link) |
| How often | Within 14 days after the end of each payroll period |
| Records kept | Commonly cited as 3 years after completion, and some counties, including Baltimore and Montgomery, require 5 years under local law; confirm with the Prevailing Wage Unit |
| Who administers it | Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Labor and Industry, Prevailing Wage Unit |
Does the federal WH-347 work in Maryland?
No. Payroll data must be entered or uploaded through Maryland's electronic system, so a paper WH-347 does not satisfy the state mandate. WH-347 still applies to federally funded projects.
Penalties
Late payroll submissions cost $10 per calendar day, and underpayment brings liquidated damages of $20 per day per underpaid worker.
Federal jobs in Maryland still mean WH-347
State rules govern state-funded work. The moment a project is federally funded or assisted, the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts apply and the weekly WH-347 with its Statement of Compliance is the filing, regardless of what Maryland requires on its own jobs. Many contractors run both systems side by side on different projects, which is exactly why knowing which regime a given contract sits under is week-zero work (see the first-job checklist).
The free WeeklyCertified generator prepares the federal form with your wage determination's rates pulled live and the fringe and overtime math done to the cent.
Questions
Does the federal WH-347 satisfy Maryland requirements?
No. Payroll data must be entered or uploaded through Maryland's electronic system, so a paper WH-347 does not satisfy the state mandate. WH-347 still applies to federally funded projects.
How often is certified payroll due in Maryland?
Within 14 days after the end of each payroll period. Records: Commonly cited as 3 years after completion, and some counties, including Baltimore and Montgomery, require 5 years under local law; confirm with the Prevailing Wage Unit.
Who enforces prevailing wage in Maryland?
Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Labor and Industry, Prevailing Wage Unit. Late payroll submissions cost $10 per calendar day, and underpayment brings liquidated damages of $20 per day per underpaid worker.