Payroll for Electrical Contractors in IL & WI | Payroll Freedom

Payroll for Electrical Contractors

Certified payroll is a monthly burden most providers ignore. We don’t.

Prevailing wage reporting, correct W-2 classification, and a crew that moves between service calls and bid jobs — electrical contractor payroll has compliance demands most generic providers aren’t built for. 20+ years serving businesses in Illinois and Wisconsin.

In one sentence: Payroll Freedom provides payroll for electrical contractors in Illinois and Wisconsin — including certified payroll reporting support, hours and wage rates tracked separately for service calls and prevailing wage jobs, and pay-as-you-go workers’ comp — for a base fee of $45 to $95 per payroll run plus $3.35 to $9.70 per employee.

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What we handle for electrical contractors

Certified payroll reporting support

Correct W-2 crew setup

Electronic new hire onboarding

Pay-as-you-go workers’ comp

Payroll tax filings

Retirement plan contributions through payroll

Direct deposit & pay stubs

See how it works

Watch: How We Handle Electrical Contractor Payroll in Under 2 Minutes

In this video (1:44): certified payroll reporting support, hours and wage rates tracked separately for service calls and prevailing wage jobs, pay-as-you-go workers’ comp, retirement contributions through payroll, and fast electronic onboarding.

The electrical contractor payroll problem

Generic payroll doesn’t know what certified payroll is.

Most national payroll providers can run a standard biweekly check fine. The moment you win a prevailing wage job on Illinois public works, you need monthly certified payroll reporting — and most generic platforms won’t even flag that you’re now required to do it. Federally funded jobs bring federal requirements of their own.

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Certified payroll reporting falls through the cracks

If you win your first prevailing wage or public works job and your payroll provider has never set up certified payroll reporting, you’re at risk of missing the filing. In Illinois, failing to file a certified payroll is a violation of the Prevailing Wage Act, and underpayments carry penalties that start at 20% of the amount underpaid.

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Crews paid as 1099s create real audit exposure

If you set the schedule, supply tools or materials, and direct the work, that may point to an employee relationship — and the stakes are higher on prevailing wage jobs, where misclassification compounds with wage compliance violations.

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Mixed crews on mixed projects are hard to track

An electrician working a service call Monday and a prevailing wage job Tuesday needs hours and wage rates tracked correctly for each — something most generic payroll software has no concept of.

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Workers’ comp audits create year-end surprises

Annual audits based on estimated payroll mean either overpaying all year or facing a large true-up bill. Pay-as-you-go lines premiums up with your payroll cycle — no lump-sum payments and no year-end audit surprises.

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No retirement plan means losing licensed electricians

Your journeymen and licensed electricians have options — including the union hall. A retirement plan is a real retention tool and a meaningful tax benefit for you as the owner.

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Your payroll company doesn’t know your name

You’ve got a certified payroll question before a filing deadline. Your national provider has a hold queue. We have a person — in Mundelein or Grafton — and you know who they are.

How we solve it

Electrical contractor payroll, set up correctly — prevailing wage included.

We bring the platform and the people to handle payroll the way an electrical contracting business actually needs it done. On iSolved. With a real local team behind it.

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Certified Payroll Reporting Support

We help structure your payroll workflow so certified payroll reporting on prevailing wage and public works jobs is accurate and submitted on time — every time, not just when someone remembers.

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Correct W-2 Crew Setup

We help you set crews up correctly as W-2 employees from the start, so you’re not carrying classification risk that compounds on every payroll run — and especially not on prevailing wage jobs. Pairs directly with worker classification review through our sister company, Accounting Freedom.

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Mixed Project & Wage Rate Tracking

iSolved tracks hours and wage rates separately across project types, so an electrician working both prevailing wage and standard jobs in the same pay period is paid and reported correctly for each.

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Electronic Employee Onboarding

New crew members complete I-9s, W-4s, direct deposit authorizations, and state withholding on their phone before day one. No paper holding up a start date on a time-sensitive job.

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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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Retirement Contributions Through Payroll

Contributions to your retirement plan run directly through payroll — SIMPLE IRA, 401(k), and other plans. Helps you retain licensed electricians who have options, including the union hall.

Not sure if your current crew is classified correctly, or how certified payroll fits into your tax planning? Our sister company Accounting Freedom reviews worker classification and job costing for electrical contractors. One call, both sides covered. Learn more about Illinois payroll tax requirements and Wisconsin payroll tax requirements for small businesses.

Electrical is one of the trades we serve. See all contractor payroll services, or jump to Plumbing, HVAC, Landscaping, or Roofing.

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.

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Ready to get payroll right?

Certified payroll, classification, compliance. All handled, every month.

Let’s walk through your current crew setup and show you what correct classification, certified payroll reporting, and fast electronic onboarding could look like on iSolved — no commitment, no pressure.

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