Prevailing wage on Washington public works: what gets filed, and when
Short answer
Three filings bracket a Washington public works job. An Intent to Pay Prevailing Wage goes in at the start. Certified payroll records are filed with L&I during the work. An Affidavit of Wages Paid goes in at the end.
The Affidavit is the one that stops payment. Retainage and final payment are tied to approved Affidavits, so an unfiled Affidavit from months ago is a common reason money is still sitting with the awarding agency.
Intent, before the work
The Intent identifies the awarding agency, the project, the contract, and the trades and rates you expect to pay. It is filed with Labor and Industries and has to be approved. Every subcontractor at every tier files its own.
Certified payroll, during the work
Certified payroll records report each worker, their classification, hours, and rate paid, and are filed with L&I on the required cycle for the contract. Records also have to be retained for a set period after completion.
Federally funded work adds its own requirement on top of the state one. Do not assume a single submission satisfies both systems.
Affidavit, after the work
The Affidavit certifies what was actually paid. It is filed at completion of your scope, has to be approved, and is what the awarding agency looks for before releasing retainage.
Where money and penalties are actually lost
- Misclassification. The rate follows the work performed, not the job title or the pay grade. Work spanning classifications has to be tracked by hour.
- Apprentices. Paying an apprentice rate requires active registration in an approved program, and utilization is often reported separately.
- Fringe benefits. The prevailing rate includes the fringe component. How it is satisfied has to be documented, not assumed.
- Unfiled Affidavits. The most common reason retainage is still outstanding on a job everyone considers finished.
Rates change
Prevailing wage rates are published and updated on a schedule, and the rate that applies is generally tied to a date fixed by the contract rather than the date the work happens. Confirm which rate set governs before the first payroll, because correcting it later means back wages.
Common questions
What has to be filed for prevailing wage on a Washington public works project?
An Intent to Pay Prevailing Wage before work begins, certified payroll records filed with Labor and Industries on the cycle required for the contract, and an Affidavit of Wages Paid at completion. Each contractor and subcontractor at every tier files its own.
Why is my retainage being held on a finished public works job?
Most often because an Affidavit of Wages Paid has not been filed and approved for every contractor and subcontractor on the project. Release of retainage and final payment are tied to approved Affidavits.
What is the most common prevailing wage mistake?
Misclassification. The required rate follows the work actually performed rather than a worker's job title, so hours spanning multiple classifications have to be tracked and paid by classification.
This is part of Compliance and prequalification. If you would rather not run it yourself, that is the scope it falls under.
This is not legal advice. Deadlines, filing requirements, and policy wording turn on the governing contract and on current agency guidance, and both change. Confirm anything here against the contract documents and the issuing agency, or with counsel, before relying on it.
Send one package and see what it costs.
Fixed price, quoted before anything starts. Nothing ongoing.