DOT CEM-2503 at a glance
What it is: DOT CEM-2503 (REV 12/2025) is the STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE of the STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
Who signs: Print the NAME (PLEASE PRINT) and the TITLE, then SIGN and enter the DATE.
You certify under penalty of perjury: (1) That you pay or supervise payment to employees of the contractor referenced on this form on the contract referenced on this form.
This statement of compliance meets needs of the state and federal payroll requirements to pay fringe benefits in addition to payment of the minimum rates.
A filled-in DOT CEM-2503 example: a state wage job with fringes paid to plans

How to fill out DOT CEM-2503, box by box
Contractor or subcontractor, contract number, numbers and pay period
Paragraph 2: wage rates, 2(a) or 2(b)

A contractor required to pay Federal Wage Rates must check paragraph 2(a) to indicate that the wage rates for laborers or mechanics contained in the payroll are not less than the applicable wage rates specified in the applicable wage determination incorporated into the contract.
A contractor required to pay the State Prevailing Wage Rates as determined by the Director of Industrial Relations must check paragraph 2(b) to indicate that the wage rates for laborers or mechanics contained in the payroll are not less than the applicable wage rates determined by the Director of Industrial Relations for the county or counties in which the work is performed.
Paragraph 4: fringe benefits, 4(a) or 4(b)

A contractor who pays fringe benefits to approved plans, funds, or programs in amounts not less than were determined in the applicable wage decisions must check paragraph 4(a) to indicate that he or she is also paying approved plans, funds, or programs within the times required for the receipt of those sums, not less than the amount predetermined as fringe benefits for each craft. Any exception must be noted in Section 4(c).
(4)(a) Fringe benefits as listed in the contract have been or will be paid to the approved plan(s), fund(s), or program(s) for the benefit of listed employee(s), except as noted in the following table.
(4)(b) Fringe benefits as listed in the contract have been paid directly to the listed employee(s), except as noted in the following table.
A contractor who does not pay fringe benefits to an approved plan must pay a like amount to the employee, and must check paragraph 4(b) to indicate that he or she is paying fringe benefits directly to his or her employees. Any exceptions must be noted in Section 4(c).
Section 4(c): Exception and Explanation

Any exceptions to Section 4(a) and 4(b), whichever the contractor may check, must be entered in Section 4(c).
(4)(c) See exceptions noted in the following table.
In Section 4(c), Exceptions: any contractor who is making payment to approved plans, funds, or programs in amounts less than the wage determination required is obligated to pay the deficiency directly to the employees as wages instead of fringes.
Enter in the Exception column the craft, and enter in the Explanation column the hourly amount paid the employees as wages instead of fringes, and the hourly amount paid to plans, funds, or programs as fringes (see United States Code, Title 18, Section 1001 and Title 31, Section 3729).
Name (please print), title, sign and date

Print the NAME (PLEASE PRINT) and the TITLE, then SIGN and enter the DATE.
By providing your electronic signature for this form, you agree to conduct business transactions by electronic means and that your electronic signature is the legal binding equivalent to your handwritten signature.
Your electronic signature represents your execution or authentication of this form, and your intent to be bound by it.
More rules for DOT CEM-2503
You certify that any payrolls otherwise under your control required to be submitted for the period referenced on this form are correct and complete.
You certify that the classification set forth for each laborer or mechanic conforms with the work he or she performed.
You certify that any apprentices employed in the period referenced on this form are duly registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program registered with a State apprenticeship agency.
The contractor's obligation to pay fringe benefits may be met by payment of the fringes to the various preapproved plans, funds, or programs or by making these payments directly to the employees as part of their weekly wage payments.
The contractor must show on the face of his or her payroll all monies paid to the employees whether as basic rates or total hourly wage amount instead of fringes.
The contractor must report in the statement of compliance that he or she is paying to others fringes required by the contract and not paid directly to the employees instead of fringes.
On federally-funded projects, permissible deductions are defined in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Part 3.
Common questions about DOT CEM-2503
Is there a penalty?
The willful falsification of any of the above statements may subject the contractor or subcontractor to civil or criminal prosecution (see United States Code, Title 18, Section 1001 and Title 31, Section 3729).
What am I certifying when I sign?
You certify that all persons employed on said project for the time period referenced on this form have been paid their full weekly wages earned, that no rebates have been or will be made either directly or indirectly to or on behalf of said contractor from the full weekly wages earned by any person and that no deductions have been made either directly or indirectly from the full wages earned by any person other than permissible deductions.
Sources
[1] DOT CEM-2503 (REV 12/2025), Statement of Compliance, California Department of Transportation (the Official source link on this page).

