Payroll for Contractors & Construction Companies in IL & WI | Payroll Freedom

Payroll for Contractors & Trades

Construction payroll is a compliance minefield. We know the way through.

Prevailing wage, certified payroll, multi-state crews, job costing, and seasonal workforce swings — construction payroll has more compliance requirements than almost any other industry. We’ve handled it for 20+ years.

In one sentence: Payroll Freedom provides payroll for contractors and construction companies in Illinois and Wisconsin — including certified payroll support, prevailing wage setup, multi-state tax filings, and labor tracked by job — for a base fee of $45 to $95 per payroll run plus $3.35 to $9.70 per employee.

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20+ yearsTwo local officesA dedicated payroll rep

What we handle for contractors

Prevailing wage compliance

Certified payroll reporting

Multi-state tax filings

Job costing & cost allocation

Union & non-union payroll

Seasonal workforce management

Pay-as-you-go workers’ comp option

See how it works

Watch: How We Handle Contractor Payroll in Under 2 Minutes

In this video (1:44): certified payroll reports, prevailing wage setup, multi-state tax filings, labor tracked by job, and fast onboarding for seasonal crews.

The contractor payroll problem

Generic payroll software wasn’t built for construction.

Most payroll providers can handle a straightforward salary or hourly employee. Construction payroll is in a different league entirely.

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Certified payroll is a full-time job

Government contracts require certified payroll reports — forms like the WH-347, fringe benefit documentation, and prevailing wage verification. Miss a deadline or file it wrong and the project is at risk.

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Multi-state crews mean multi-state headaches

When your crews cross state lines, you’re dealing with multiple state tax registrations, different withholding rules, and workers’ comp requirements in each state. Getting this wrong means penalties.

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Job costing requires payroll data your system can’t provide

Your accountant needs labor costs allocated by job and cost code. If your payroll system can’t export that data cleanly, you’re manually reconciling every month.

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Prevailing wage rates vary by job, location, and trade

Illinois has its own prevailing wage rules, and federal Davis-Bacon rates apply on federally funded projects in both Illinois and Wisconsin. Rates vary by trade and location and change over time. Using the wrong rate on a public project isn’t just an error — it’s a violation with real consequences.

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Seasonal swings are hard to manage

Adding 20 workers in spring and reducing to 5 in winter creates constant onboarding and offboarding churn. A system that makes this fast and clean saves hours of admin time every season.

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Union payroll has rules your provider doesn’t know

Union rates, fringes, dues deductions, and benefit fund remittances — if your payroll provider isn’t fluent in union payroll, errors pile up fast and union audits are unpleasant.

How we solve it

Contractor payroll done right — every job, every crew, every state.

We bring the compliance knowledge and the platform to handle construction payroll the way it actually needs to be done.

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Certified payroll support

We help you produce and file certified payroll reports accurately and on time — keeping you compliant on government and public works projects.

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Prevailing wage configuration

We configure your payroll with the correct prevailing wage rates by trade and jurisdiction — and update them when new schedules are published.

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Multi-state tax filing

We handle payroll tax registrations and filings in every state your crews work in — Illinois, Wisconsin, and beyond. One state is included, and each additional state is an add-on at $10 per state per payroll.

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Job costing & cost allocation

iSolved tracks labor by job, department, or cost code — giving your accountant the clean data they need for job costing without manual reconciliation.

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Seasonal workforce tools

Fast electronic onboarding for spring hiring and streamlined offboarding in the fall — plus rehire workflows so returning employees are set up in minutes.

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Union payroll support

We configure union rates, fringe benefit deductions, dues remittances, and benefit fund payments correctly, every payroll.

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Pay-as-you-go workers’ comp

Premiums line up with your payroll cycle, so there are no lump-sum payments and no year-end audit surprises. Available as an add-on at $10 per payroll.

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A dedicated rep who knows your crews

A named person who picks up the phone and knows your business. Not a call center, not a ticket queue.

Working across state lines? Read our Illinois Payroll Tax Guide → and Wisconsin Payroll Tax Guide →

Find your trade

Payroll built around your trade.

Every trade has its own payroll quirks. Pick yours to see how we handle it.

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What it costs

Transparent pricing, with every fee disclosed upfront.

Every payroll run has a base fee that depends on how often you pay: $45 weekly, $64 bi-weekly or semi-monthly, or $95 monthly. On top of that, you pay a per-employee rate: $3.35 on Core, $5.30 on Core+, or $9.70 on Core Pro.

Additional states are $10 per state per payroll, pay-as-you-go workers’ comp is $10 per payroll, and there’s a one-time $300 implementation fee. For example, a 10-person crew on a bi-weekly Core plan pays $97.50 per payroll.

See Your Exact Price View Our Pricing

Ready to simplify construction payroll?

Let’s talk about the complexity of your payroll — and how we handle it.

Construction payroll is what separates payroll providers who know what they’re doing from those who don’t. We do.

Request a Meeting See Your Price First

Illinois: 847-566-0902 | Wisconsin: 262-375-2440

Need accounting and tax for your construction company? Our sister firm, Accounting Freedom, specializes in contractors.