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Reading a California prevailing wage determination
A prevailing wage determination is part of a project’s wage instructions. Reading it means checking the relevant work, location and project timing, then keeping the supporting provisions with the rate information used in payroll.
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General information, not legal or tax advice.
Begin with the appropriate determination menu
DIR’s determination page separates general journeyworker and apprentice menus and provides superseded determinations. The index organizes statewide, regional and county material, with shift provisions and important notices. Keep the selected documents together instead of saving only a screenshot of a rate.
Sources: DIR, Prevailing Wage Determinations main page; DIR, 2026-2 General Prevailing Wage Determinations index
Connect the document to project timing
DIR issues general determinations on February 22 and August 22, with effective dates ten days after issue. Record the project’s bid advertisement information and ask the awarding body to confirm the applicable determination. The newest document on the website should not be selected simply because it is newest.
Sources: DIR Office of the Director-Research, Prevailing Wage FAQ; DIR, 2026-2 General Prevailing Wage Determinations index
Read the asterisks by the expiration date
DIR explains that a single-asterisk determination in effect at bid advertisement remains in effect for the project’s life. Double asterisks signal predetermined changes, including wage, overtime, holiday and employer-payment amounts. If work extends beyond the specified date, those new rates must be paid.
Sources: DIR Office of the Director-Research, Prevailing Wage FAQ
Keep supporting provisions with the rates
The DIR index includes scopes of work, holidays, travel and subsistence, shift provisions and important notices. Use those documents when reviewing the job instructions rather than treating the rate table as the entire determination. Flag an unresolved classification or shift question before payroll approval.
Sources: DIR, 2026-2 General Prevailing Wage Determinations index
Keep training contributions identifiable
The Labor Commissioner’s manual describes training contributions as part of the total hourly rate that goes to CAC or an approved apprenticeship program, rather than the worker. Retain contribution evidence beside the payroll support. This guide supplies no fictional rate calculation that could be mistaken for the project’s required wage.
Sources: California Labor Commissioner, Public Works Manual (October 2023 edition)
Sources: determination lookup and interpretation
Keep wage instructions connected to payroll
Tidwell prepares certified payroll from the classifications and wage information you provide and identifies missing support for review.