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Prevailing Wage Hub

Prevailing wage is a minimum compensation level set by the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) by county for construction activities related to public works. With the enactment of Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), projects receiving incentives through Illinois Shines are now classified as “public works” and therefore subject to the Prevailing Wage Act, with the following exemptions:

The Prevailing Wage Act defines ‘construction’ to include maintenance, repair, assembly, or disassembly work performed on equipment. Other work like fencing and landscaping, if part of the original project design or required for construction, may also require prevailing wage to be paid. Individuals engaged in the construction of applicable projects submitted to Illinois Shines are required to be paid no less than the general prevailing wage rate for the locality where the work is performed. IDOL oversees the implementation and enforcement of the Prevailing Wage Act.

A Group of people wearing hi-visibility vests and hard hats huddled around papers and tools on a solar panel.

Please note that the applicability of prevailing wage requirements does not generally correspond to Illinois Shines program blocks/categories. For projects that do not fall into one of the above exempted categories, construction activities including maintenance and project removal that occur after September 15, 2021, will be subject to prevailing wage requirements.

  • Approved Vendors must certify understanding that prevailing wage requirements may apply to the project with a Prevailing Wage Attestation checkbox at the Part I application.
  • Approved Vendors must ensure that any Designee, contractor, or subcontractor performing work at the project facility has express notice of the prevailing wage applicability to that project, the prevailing wage rate for the relevant county, and understands proper posting and record keeping requirements related to prevailing wage.
  • Contractors or subcontractors must consult the local prevailing wage rate at the Illinois Department of Labor website for each date of construction (consult regularly for rates applicable at time of construction).
  • Each Designee, contractor and subcontractor under contract for construction activities for the project must pay the applicable prevailing wage rate to its employees and submit a Certified Transcript of Payroll (CTP) to the IDOL Certified Transcript of Payroll Portal on a monthly basis throughout construction activities.
    • Construction activities include things like fencing, landscaping and the installation of battery/storage if included in initial project design.
    • Prevailing wage must also be paid on construction of a rebuilt system after a force majeure event, if prevailing wage requirement applied to the original project.
  • Approved Vendors must submit all IDOL CTPs from the relevant project to the Program Administrator via the Part II application.
  • If an Illinois Shines project is later expanded to include another system and is considered an expansion or co-location, CTPs would be required for the construction labor on both systems.
  • If an Illinois Shines project subject to prevailing wage does not pay the applicable wage on the construction, the Approved Vendor will need to demonstrate that backpay was provided to the impacted workers and provide documentation of such backpay to the Program.
  • The Prevailing Wage Exempt form referenced in the Illinois Shines portal is to allow for documentation to be uploaded to demonstrate that the project is exempt from prevailing wage requirements, per the exemptions above.
  • The Program Administrator will verify that the address on the CTP matches the project application.
    • In cases where the project location has not yet been assigned a site specific, locatable address (also known as a ‘911 address’), the Program will now require AVs to include the Illinois Shines Project ID in the “Project Number or Name” field of the CTP when submitting it to IDOL. The nearest intersection should be included in the ‘Project Address’ field of the CTP if a 911 address has not yet been assigned. The Project ID may be included in addition to other details in the same field, such as a project or vendor name.
    • If the project address used for the Illinois Shines application used coordinates as a proxy because a 911 address had not yet been assigned, and the 911 address is available and entered when the CTP is produced, the Program Administrator will ensure the two addresses geolocate to the same property.
    • If the CTP has an incorrect address, the CTP must be corrected in IDOL’s CTP portal and resubmitted to Illinois Shines.
  • The “Public Body” field should be Illinois Power Agency.
  • The IDOL CTP portal does not currently have a labor categorization for solar installers, so contractors should select the classification that most closely fits the work performed.
  • If the project is subject to the Davis-Bacon Act, the AV may submit U.S. Department of Labor CTPs as demonstration of compliance with the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act.
  • While prevailing wage is required to be paid on all maintenance, repair and disassembly work on the project, the Program does not require the submission of CTPs for work done after Part II verification.

Please see the Prevailing Wage Requirements for Illinois Shines resource for additional information, as well as a new Prevailing Wage Walkthrough Video.

IDOL Resources

IDOL Prevailing Wage Home
IDOL Prevailing Wage FAQs
IDOL Prevailing Wage Rates
Certified Transcript of Payroll

IDOL Contact Info

Certified Transcripts of Payroll, or CTPs, are documents that must be completed and submitted to both IDOL and the Illinois Shines program as proof of payment of prevailing wage, if the associated project is subject to prevailing wage requirements.

For specific questions on the CTP database or filling out a CTP
[email protected]
Prevailing Wage Info: (312) 793-3600

Chicago Office
Michael A. Bilandic Building
160 N. LaSalle – 13th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601
312-793-2800
312-793-5257 (fax)

Marion Office
Regional Office Building
2309 W. Main St
Marion, IL 62959
(618) 993-7090
(618) 993-7258 (fax)

Springfield Office
524 S 2nd St, Suite 400
Springfield, IL 62701
217-782-6206
217-782-0596 (fax)