Start a Certified Payroll and Prevailing Wage Compliance Service
People search: “certified payroll service” (1K+ per month)
File weekly certified payroll (federal WH-347 and state equivalents) for small construction subcontractors on public jobs, charging recurring weekly fees per project.
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Difficulty
Intermediate
Startup cost
$500 to $2,000
Time to first $
30 to 90 days
Revenue potential
Medium
Profit margin
60 to 80 percent
Viability
7.2 / 10
Search demand
Low (1K+ per month)
Where it runs
Online
Best for: Bookkeepers and payroll people who like rules and repeatable weekly work
The ideaWhat this actually is
This is a specialized back-office service that handles prevailing wage payroll reporting for small construction subcontractors working on public projects. Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage laws require contractors on covered public construction to pay published prevailing wages and submit weekly certified payroll reports (federal form WH-347, plus state equivalents), and small subs widely struggle with this paperwork and hire help. You take their weekly hours, map workers to the right classifications and wage determinations, prepare and submit the certified reports, and keep the records straight. Fees recur weekly per active project, which turns every construction season into a stack of small subscriptions.
The opportunityWhy this idea works
The obligation is legally required, weekly, and unforgiving: errors can mean withheld payments and penalties, so subs cannot skip it and dread doing it. Generic payroll services often handle certified payroll poorly or not at all, and a small sub cannot justify a compliance hire, which leaves a specialist filling the gap at a fraction of an employee's cost. Public construction funding keeps a steady stream of covered projects flowing, and every new project a client wins automatically becomes new weekly revenue for you. The work is repeatable and template-driven once the setup is right, so margins stay strong as you add clients.
The openingWhy this idea is overlooked
Certified payroll is invisible unless you have worked inside construction, and it sounds like the most boring possible niche, which is precisely why it is underserved. Bookkeepers who could do this work rarely know the demand exists, and the construction owners who need it do not know specialists exist. That mutual invisibility keeps a recurring-revenue niche wide open in most regions.
The buildWhat you need to build this
| You need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Working command of Davis-Bacon and your state's rules | Wage determinations, classifications, and fringe rules are the product; a wrong classification costs your client real money and you the account. |
| A bookkeeping or payroll foundation | This is payroll-adjacent work; comfort with wages, deductions, and reports is the base layer the compliance knowledge sits on. |
| A weekly intake and filing workflow | The business scales on process; a clean weekly handoff and checklist lets one person serve many projects without misses. |
| Errors and omissions insurance | Mistakes in certified filings have financial consequences for clients; coverage is the professional floor. |
| A few construction relationships | The first clients come from subs, general contractors, and construction CPAs who already trust you; the niche runs on referrals. |
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Questions
What people ask about this idea
What exactly is certified payroll?
On public construction projects covered by Davis-Bacon or state prevailing wage laws, contractors must pay published prevailing wages and submit weekly payroll reports with a signed statement of compliance; the federal form is WH-347. Small subs widely struggle with it, which is the business.
Do I need to be a CPA?
No. You need solid payroll and bookkeeping fundamentals plus genuine command of prevailing wage rules. Many providers in this niche come from construction office and payroll backgrounds rather than accounting firms.
What should I charge?
A weekly fee per active project scaled by crew size, plus a setup fee per new project. Anchor to what the work saves the contractor: hours every week plus the penalties and payment holds an error can trigger.
Is the demand steady?
It follows public construction activity, which is broad and ongoing, though individual projects end. A healthy client base of active subs keeps a rolling portfolio of projects, and busy construction seasons are your high season.