Before you pay a single worker on a New York public work job, there’s a number that governs the whole project: the PRC number. Get it wrong—or start work without pulling the right wage schedule tied to it—and every certified payroll you file afterward can be built on the wrong rates. That’s how contractors end up owing back wages, 16% interest, and penalties on work they thought they priced correctly.
Quick answer
A PRC number (Prevailing Rate Case number) is the unique identifier the NYSDOL Bureau of Public Work assigns to each public work project. It ties your project to a specific prevailing wage schedule listing the required wage and supplement (fringe) rates by trade classification. You need it to pull the correct rates, pay workers properly, and file certified payroll that matches the project.
What a PRC number is—and why it exists
Under Article 8 of the New York Labor Law, laborers, workers, and mechanics on public work must be paid the prevailing wage and supplements for their trade in the project’s locality. To administer that, the Bureau of Public Work assigns a Prevailing Rate Case (PRC) number to each project and issues a wage schedule under that number. The schedule sets the rates that apply for the life of the contract and lists the annual increases, because the Commissioner of Labor determines new rates each year effective July 1 through June 30.
The PRC number is how everyone—the contracting agency, the prime, subcontractors, and NYSDOL auditors—refers to the same project and the same rate schedule. If your certified payroll doesn’t map to the right PRC and classifications, it doesn’t matter how carefully you filled out the form.
Who requests it, and how the schedule is obtained
The obligation starts with the public entity, not the contractor. When a public agency puts a project out to bid, it must request a prevailing wage schedule from the Bureau of Public Work, and that request generates the PRC number. Practically:
- The contracting/public agency requests the original schedule from the Bureau of Public Work, which assigns the PRC number.
- The PRC number and wage schedule are attached to the bid documents and become part of the contract.
- If you’re a prime contractor and weren’t given a schedule, you must notify the public agency, who is required to request an original Prevailing Rate Schedule from the Bureau of Public Work. Requests can be made by mail to NYSDOL, Bureau of Public Work, State Office Building Campus, Building 12, Room 130, Albany, NY 12240; by fax to (518) 485-1870; or electronically through the NYSDOL website.
- Look up your schedule on the NYSDOL public work portal using the PRC number to confirm current rates and increases.
Wrong PRC number, rejected filing, and the clock keeps running
New York charges $100 a day once certified payroll records are more than fourteen days late, and a submission stalled on a bad prevailing rate case number is still a late submission. It is a small field that carries a real penalty, and it is not the same thing as the contract or project number the awarding agency gave you.
We handle the accounting behind public work so these do not slip. Call 631-349-1661 or send us the details and we will give you a straight answer.
Using the PRC number to set up certified payroll correctly
- Confirm the PRC number on your contract and pull the matching wage schedule.
- Map every worker’s actual duties to the correct NYSDOL classification on that schedule—this is where most findings originate.
- Record the base hourly prevailing rate plus the supplement (fringe) rate for each classification.
- Build the PRC number into your certified payroll records so every 30-day transcript references the right project and rates.
- Watch the July 1 annual increase—rates step up during multi-year jobs, and your payroll must step up with them.
Worked example
A contractor wins a $1.2M school renovation on Long Island. The bid documents list PRC 2026012345 with a wage schedule for the county. The contractor pulls the schedule, sees the electrician classification requires (for example) a base rate plus a supplement, and sets payroll accordingly. Six months in, on July 1, the schedule’s scheduled increase takes effect. Because the contractor is tracking the PRC schedule, they raise the rates on the next payroll. A competitor on a similar job who filed against last year’s rates—and never re-checked the PRC schedule—now faces an underpayment across dozens of workers, exposure to interest at 16% per year on the shortfall, and potential civil penalties. Same trade, same county; the difference was tracking the project by its PRC number.
Common PRC and public work mistakes
- Starting work before confirming the PRC number and pulling the current schedule.
- Assuming last year’s rates still apply and missing the July 1 annual increase built into the schedule.
- Subcontractors relying on the prime’s word instead of obtaining the schedule themselves—both prime and sub are responsible for correct payment.
- Mapping workers to a convenient classification rather than the one their actual duties require.
- Filing certified payroll that doesn’t reference the correct PRC/project, creating mismatches an auditor will flag.
- Not keeping the schedule and payroll records for the required retention period.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the PRC number for my project?
It’s assigned by the NYSDOL Bureau of Public Work and included in the bid and contract documents by the public agency. If it’s missing, notify the contracting agency, which must request an original prevailing wage schedule from the Bureau.
What does PRC stand for?
PRC stands for Prevailing Rate Case. It’s the case number NYSDOL assigns to a public work project’s prevailing wage determination and schedule.
How long is a prevailing wage schedule valid?
Rates are determined annually and are effective July 1 through June 30 of the following year. The schedule for your PRC lists the current rates and the scheduled increases, so multi-year jobs must apply the updates.
Do subcontractors need the PRC number too?
Yes. Subcontractors on a public work project are responsible for paying the correct prevailing wages and supplements and should obtain and review the schedule under the project’s PRC number rather than relying solely on the prime.
What happens if I pay the wrong rate?
Underpayments can result in orders to pay back wages plus interest at 16% per year, civil penalties, and—for willful or repeated violations—debarment from public work. Using the correct PRC schedule from day one is the cleanest protection.
New Jersey has its own parallel system with no PRC equivalent — see New Jersey certified payroll requirements.
Get your public work payroll right from day one
Precision Accounting & Consulting helps New York contractors set up public work projects correctly, map classifications to the right PRC wage schedule, and file certified payroll that stands up to a Bureau of Public Work review—working with whatever payroll company you already use. If you have a public work job coming up, see our certified payroll and DOL upload services. New to the filing process itself? Start with our step-by-step guide to submitting certified payroll to NYSDOL.
This article is general information for New York contractors and is not legal or accounting advice for your specific situation. Verify current requirements with NYSDOL and consult a qualified professional before acting.
A PRC number tells a contractor which wage schedule governs the job. It cannot tell them whether the job made money — that comes from the cost ledger, and keeping prevailing-wage labor coded to the correct project is core construction bookkeeping work.
Talk to an accountant who works in your industry
Precision Accounting & Consulting works with contractors, law firms, medical practices and property owners across the country. If something on this page raised a question about your own books, send it over and we will give you a straight answer.