29 C.F.R. § 3.4

§ 3.4 Submission of certified payroll and the preservation and inspection of weekly payroll records. (29 CFR Part 3)

In Force
Verified 8/21/2026 · Next check 9/20/2026
effective 8/21/2026FederalAffordable Housing Programs

Operative Text

29 C.F.R. § 3.4
(a) Certified payroll. Each certified payroll required under § 3.3 must be delivered by the contractor or subcontractor, within 7 days after the regular payment date of the payroll period, to a representative at the site of the building or work of the agency contracting for or financing the work, or, if there is no representative of the agency at the site of the building or work, the statement must be delivered by mail or by any other means normally assuring delivery by the contractor or subcontractor, within that 7 day time period, to the agency contracting for or financing the building or work. After the certified payrolls have been reviewed in accordance with the contracting or sponsoring agency's procedures, such certified payrolls must be preserved by the agency for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed and must be produced for inspection, copying, and transcription by the Department of Labor upon request. The certified payrolls must also be transmitted together with a report of any violation, in accordance with applicable procedures prescribed by the United States Department of Labor.

(b) Recordkeeping. Each contractor or subcontractor must preserve the regular payroll records for a period of 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed. The regular payroll records must set out accurately and completely the name; Social Security number; last known address, telephone number, and email address of each laborer and mechanic; each worker's correct classification(s) of work actually performed; hourly rates of wages paid (including rates of contributions or costs anticipated for bona fide fringe benefits or cash equivalents thereof); daily and weekly number of hours actually worked in total and on each covered contract; deductions made; and actual wages paid. The contractor or subcontractor must make such regular payroll records, as well as copies of the certified payrolls provided to the contracting or sponsoring agency, available at all times for inspection, copying, and transcription by the contracting officer or their authorized representative, and by authorized representatives of the Department of Labor.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under 29 CFR Part 3 § 3.4, contractors and subcontractors on covered federal or federally financed construction projects must submit certified payroll records to the contracting agency within seven days of each pay period's regular payment date. Both the agency and the contractor are then required to retain those records for three years after the prime contract work is fully complete. Throughout that retention period, the records must be made available to the Department of Labor and other authorized representatives for review and copying.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 4, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Although 29 CFR Part 3 § 3.4 is directed at contractors rather than property owners in the traditional landlord sense, property owners who act as contracting or sponsoring parties on federally financed construction should be aware that compliant operators ensure certified payrolls are received from contractors on time, reviewed according to agency procedures, and stored for the full three-year post-completion period. Operators generally maintain organized records systems that allow prompt production of payroll documents upon a Department of Labor request. Keeping copies of any reported violations alongside the certified payrolls is also part of standard recordkeeping practice under this provision.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Workers employed on covered federal construction projects have a direct interest in the protections established by 29 CFR Part 3 § 3.4, which requires that payroll records accurately reflect each laborer's name, Social Security number, contact information, job classification, hours worked, wage rates, deductions, and actual wages paid. These records must be preserved for three years and are subject to inspection by the Department of Labor, which provides a formal channel for workers who believe their payroll information has been recorded inaccurately or incompletely. Workers who have concerns about recordkeeping compliance may contact the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division or reach out to a worker-rights organization for general information about available options.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated September 4, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Aug 21, 2026
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Related Rules

§ 1437
Declaration of policy and public housing agency organization
§ 5.100
§ 5.100 Definitions.
§ 5.107
§ 5.107 Audit requirements for non-profit organizations.

Source Information

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