California pay data report from payroll data
Build California's CRD pay data report from payroll and contractor data. We automate employee groups, hourly rates, and file checks. A person reviews job mapping and uploads, and an employer official certifies.
| Job Category | Pay Band | Mean / Median |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Craft | 6 | 29.40 / 29.10 |
| 3 Professionals | 8 | 49.10 / 48.50 |
| 2 First/mid mgr | 8 | 51.25 / 51.00 |
| 9 Laborers | 5 | 23.80 / 23.50 |
Codes from CRD Handbook Appendix C, RY2025. Recheck each year.
| Record | Issue | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Title X | No job category | HR maps it |
| Example Temp Co | No FEIN yet | Ask contractor |
| Row 18 hours | 1214.34 | Whole number |
| Example Yard, Inc | Comma in name | Remove for CSV |
How it runs.
A payroll export is not the CRD file. Job categories, W-2 pay bands, hours, and labor contractor data sit in different places, and CRD issues its documents by reporting year.
Payroll and HR data
Snapshot pay period, W-2 Box 5, hours, job titles, and demographics.
Your dataGroup and calculate
Employee groups, pay bands, mean and median hourly rates by establishment.
AutomatedA person uploads
HR clears exceptions, uploads to CRD's portal. An employer official certifies.
A personFiling kit saved
Upload file, exceptions list, and job mapping kept by reporting year.
Automated
CRD pay data portal / CSV or XLSX upload / Payroll and HRIS / W-2 Box 5 / Labor contractor data
The rules and limits.
- Who files
- Private employers with 100 or more payroll employees, at least one in California. A separate report for 100 or more labor contractor employees.
- The file
- Upload .csv or .xlsx, 20 MB maximum, header row required. No commas in CSV fields. Hours must be whole numbers.
- Pay and hours
- The snapshot is one pay period from October 1 to December 31. Bands use W-2 Box 5. Hourly rate is annual earnings divided by hours worked.
- Deadline
- Second Wednesday of May. Reporting Year 2025 was due May 13, 2026. That year added exemption status, employment type, and weeks worked.
- Failure to file
- On CRD's request, a court imposes a penalty of up to $100 per employee, and up to $200 per employee for a later failure.
What a person does.
- HR confirms each job title's category and the contractor data.
- A person uploads the file to the CRD portal.
- An official employed by the employer certifies. A preparer cannot.
- Demographic data stays separate from personnel records, as CRD requires.
Where we stand: we have not shipped this. It uses the same pattern as our data sync and reporting work.
Common questions.
Does this make us compliant?+
No. It prepares a file to CRD's published layout. The employer stays responsible for compliance, and an official employed by the employer reviews and certifies the report.
Can a third party file it for us?+
A third party such as an accountant or PEO may prepare it. Only an official employed by the employer may certify it, and reports count only when submitted and certified through the portal.
Do employees outside California count?+
They count toward the 100-employee threshold. Report pay data only for California employees, including people working remotely in California.
Sources
- CRD California Pay Data Reporting
- CRD Handbook, Reporting Year 2025
- CRD FAQ, Reporting Year 2025
- CRD CSV examples
General information, not legal, tax, or compliance advice. Rules change; confirm against the current source and your own advisers.
Bring us your version of this.
Intro calls are 30 minutes, free, and useful even if we never work together. We'll be honest about whether this is the right fit for your operations team.