California - Certified Payroll XML Export

	A Brief History & Overview
	2024 XML File Updates
	Setup the Certified Payroll XML Report
	Generating the XML Files from the AccuBuild Program
	Testing the AB XML Files
	Additional Notes / Hints

Beginning June 4, 2015, the California Department of Industrial Relations (CA DIR) began requiring that all certified payroll reports be submitted online using their eCPR system. The eCPR system allows the payroll information to be submitted by uploading a compatible XML file or by manual entry. Please visit their website for more information on the new eCPR process using the following link: https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Certified-Payroll-Reporting.html.

To meet this reporting need, AccuBuild developed (version 9.3.0.3) a custom report process that allows the certified payroll to be exported to the XML format. This reporting process requires additional fields to be set up on each job, mapping of pays, deductions and benefits for the XML file, and a certified payroll report format that allows for automatic creation of XML files after the report is previewed.

In 2024, the CA DIR rolled out a new eCPR system and contractors were given a six month extension on filing reports due to various bugs when submitting the XML file and when trying to edit data that had been uploaded. AccuBuild is making every effort to stay on top of any DIR changes to the XML file, however, manual entry of the data into the website is encouraged until the DIR website's issues have been corrected.

The XML File Specification for Certified Payroll Reporting has been updated to the California Payroll Records Version 1.3. This specification requires two new fields to be included in the XML file as well as new formatting for the employee name field:

•The projectInfo group has a new section element contractAgencyID which is a placeholder section that does NOT require any values and will be left blank.

•The payrollInfo_employees_payroll_deductionsContribPay group has a new element entitled notes. According to the California DIR Guidelines - https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/CPR/eCPRXMLGuideline.pdf, the notes element can be used to add a free form supplemental descriptive information for each employee's payroll, but it isn't mandatory and can be left blank.

oNOTE: The AccuBuild program now provides a method to include this descriptive information for any employee inside the Employee Notes field as outlined in these release notes.

• The payrollInfo_employees_employee_name element has been changed to a new format for the field ID that only includes the social security number and the employee name in uppercase letters (Note: The employee name has been reformatted for the Last Name, First Name - Middle Initial). Previously this ID field included the employee number, union code, and check number in order to provide a unique ID when the employee had multiple paychecks and/or multiple work classifications (union codes) on the same job for the same week ending date.

•The XML File Header has been updated to reflect the new location of the revised XML Schema CPR.xsd specification file which can be used to verify the XML files before they are uploaded to the California DIR website:

•XML NotePad Update: The California DIR Guidelines document refers to using the XML NotePad 2007 program to validate your XML files, however the link to this program is no longer valid. We have discovered a newer version of the XML Notepad program at the following website address which we were able to use in our testing: https://microsoft.github.io/XmlNotepad/

•IMPORTANT: Please be sure to follow any software requirements before downloading and using this program as this is a third party product that is NOT provided by AccuBuild. Be sure to review the End-User License Agreement provided during the software installation process.

• The Employee Notes field in the Employee List now supports a method to include the employee’s descriptive information for the California XML notes element which is located on the payrollInfo_employees_payroll_deductionsContribPay group. This is an optional field for the XML file, however, if you are required to supply any information on this element, you can enter the descriptive information anywhere in the Employee Notes field enclosed in square brackets [] as shown:

[CAXML_notes:Employee notes for XML export go here between tag and ending bracket].

The location inside the Employee Notes field does NOT matter as long as the descriptive information is formatted with the opening and closing square brackets and includes the CALXML_notes: text following the opening bracket. The XML notes are limited to 250 characters.

The following is a simplified outline of steps required to begin using the XML Reporting features of the AccuBuild Program:

1.Obtain a copy of the AccuBuild XML Report file and save to the Report Folder under the AccuBuild Program Directory.

2.Update the MAR Report Security on the new XML Report so that it is accessible in the report list:

3.Update the Payroll Properties to map the Certified Payroll Accumulators to the designated XML fields required by the eCPR System. Open up the Payroll Properties screen and select the Certified Payroll Tab. Click on the XML Settings Button located on the bottom left side of the screen in the Accumulator Descriptions group box:

4.A new screen will be displayed which will allow you to link the Certified Payroll Accumulators to the corresponding XML Export Field required by the eCPR reporting system. The required XML fields for eCPR are listed on the left side of the screen and you will need to map your Certified Payroll Accumulators to each XML field using the drop down list fields located on the right side of the screen. NOTE: This is a one time setup and will not need to be changed unless you change any of the Certified Payroll Setup fields in the Payroll Properties Screen.

5.On the Job Cost > Update Jobs > Payroll Tab, be sure to the following fields on each job. This information is required for the XML Export:

•Workers Comp Policy Number – This field contains the workers compensation insurance policy number or the self insurance certificate number. Enter NA if you are not required to hold workers' compensation insurance or self insurance certificate.

•Employer’s Fed Payroll I.D. No. – This field contains the employer’s federal payroll tax id number (Federal Employer Identification Number) of the contractor or company that is legally responsible for this payroll. This is the 9 digit number that companies with two or more employees are required to have. If you are a sole proprietor or owner operator without a FEIN, then enter your 9 digit social security number. For example: 234556789.

•Select the XML Fields Button located in the Certified Payroll Info Group Box. A screen will be displayed showing the additional fields that are required for the XML Export. Fill in the field information as required for the specific job.

oPublic Works Contractor Registration Number - This field contains the 10 digit PWCR (Public Works Contractor Registration) number of the contractor or company that is legally reponsible for this payroll. If you have not registered for PWCR, please do so as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Leave this field BLANK if you do NOT have a PWCR number – The XML file will automatically set the field to NA as required by the eCPR specification.

oContractor’s E-Mail Address – Enter the contractor’s email address into this field. NOTE: The email address from the Contractor’s Client Number will be copied to this field automatically if it is set up on the client list. See the Billing Contact Info section on the Billing Tab of the Job List to find the client number of the Contractor.

oLicense Type – Select the License Type from the drop down list of options. CSLB stands for Contractor's State License Board. PL stands for Professional License. If your license type is not one of the two, use the OTHER option.

oLicense Number – This field contains the License Number. If the License Type is OTHER, you will need to include a description of the license type in this field. For example: California Motor Carrier Permit: 0123456. NOTE: The Contractor’s License Number will be copied to this field automatically from the Job List screen if available.

oContract Agency - This field contains the name of the agency or contractor you are in direct contract with. Note: This is the contract With element on the online form.

oProject ID Number – This field contains the DLSE project identification number for a given PWC-100 registered public works project. If you do not have this number, then you will need to update the following fields including the Awarding Body ID Number, Awarding Body Project ID Number, & the Awarding Body Contract ID Number.

oAwarding Body ID Number – This field contains the identification number of the public entity that is the owner of the project. This field is only required if the Project ID Number field is blank.

oAwarding Body Project ID Number – This field contains the project number given by the Awarding Body on a specific project. This field is only required if the Project ID Number field is blank.

oAwarding Body Contract ID Number – This field contains the contract identification number given by the Awarding Body on a specific project. This field is only required if the Project ID Number field is blank.

1.Select the Certified Payroll Reports – XML Format 1 report from the MAR Reports Menu:

2.Fill in the week ending Date on the report dialog under the Cutoff Date and click the Report Button:

3.The certified payroll report dialog screen will be displayed with record information for each job that has a certified payroll report for that period. The dialog screen allows you to preview the report variable field information and make any changes to the data before generating the report for the XML Export Process. Click the CLOSE Button on the dialog screen to preview the certified payroll report on the screen.

NOTE: The last field for each job record is the XMLFileName field which is used to name the exported XML file.

WARNING - If the special XML Report has not been installed on your AccuBuild System, you will be alerted with the following message and you will need to contact AccuBuild Support to help get the report installed.

4.The certified payroll report will be displayed on the screen. Review the report and print a copy for your records if required and then close the report screen.

5.Once the report screen is closed, the XML files will be generated and saved in the user’s folder under the company folder of the AccuBuild Installation directory. Once all of the XML files have been generated, a message will be displayed indicating the list of job numbers that were processed:

Note: Each XML file is saved and named using the following file name format: [Federal ID Number]_[Project ID]_[Week Ending Date].xml. For example: 6789_DIR001_070915.xml where 6789 is last 4 digits of Fed ID Number, DIR001 is the Project ID, and 070915 is the week ending date (07-09-2015).

The following image is a sample of XML file layout produced by the AccuBuild System:

1.Before uploading your XML files to the CA DIR website, you can use the validation tools as provided by the California DIR to verify the XML data is in the correct format and that no fields are missing.

2.Please note: XML NotePad 2024 Update: The California DIR Guidelines document https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/CPR/eCPRXMLGuideline.pdf refers to using the XML NotePad 2007 program to validate your XML files, however the link to this program is no longer valid. We have discovered a newer version of the XML Notepad program at the following website address which we were able to use in our testing: https://microsoft.github.io/XmlNotepad/

3.Copy and paste the XML schema file link https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/CPR/CPR.xsd to your browers and use the 'Save As' option to save the file. Be sure to place the schema file along with the XML file to be tested in the same directory folder.

4.Using the XML Notepad, follow the instructions in the DIR's eCPR XML Guidline document to open the XML file(s) and the XML schema file to check for any errors.

ii.Open the XML File using the File|Open menu – you should see a collapsed tree structure of the file as shown:

iii.Open the State of California Schema file (CPR.xsd) using the View|Schemas… menu option.

iv.Use the File | Add Schemas menu to add the CPR.xsd file (first time only). The schema file should always be there when you close and reopen the XML Notepad program.

v.Check for errors in the Error List section on the bottom half of the screen. If errors are listed, you can double click on the error to find the portion of the XML file that has problems in the upper panel tree view listing of the XML File. If there are no errors in the file, then the data if formatted correctly for the state website.

Once the XML certified payroll is installed, it will be much faster for the users that will be processing these payroll reports to add shortcuts on the AccuBuild Program main menu. These shortcuts will include a Program Link shortcut to the user’s folder where the XML files are stored, a Website Link to the California Public Works website where the XML files are uploaded, and finally a report shortcut to the new XML Certified Payroll report:

Program Link – Add a new program link (right-click menu) and browse to the user folder under your company folder where the AccuBuild program is installed and click OK. This shortcut will allow you to open up directly to your user folder when you need to locate new XML files for uploading to the state website:

Website Link – Add a new website link (right-click menu) and enter the Link Description for the website along with the website address and click the Save button.

Report Link – Add a new report link (right-click menu) for the new XML Certified Report and click the Save Button.