Compatibility with New Jersey Wage Hub CSV Upload

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8/13/2024

We're pleased to announce compatibility with the New Jersey Wage Hub .CSV Upload requirement that go into effect on 8/15/24.

We have been working on writing the code to create this upload since 7/23/24 and had many questions because of what the instructions said to do versus what the .CSV template asked for.  No one from New Jersey DOL would respond to our emails and we were unable to get through by phone.

We were finally able to get through to someone, spoke to 2 different people in 2 different departments and spent 4 hours on the phone before getting these questions answered.

The upload do work as we just finished a remote with a customer going through the entire process.

According to information from the New Jersey Department of Labor, there are 5 ways to submit your weekly certified payroll reports:

• Manually enter your payroll data into their online form (but who would want to do that???)
• Once a payroll has been uploaded, duplicate and edit a previous week's payroll data (too error prone)
• Electronically fill out the MW-562 form in pdf format and upload it (again too error prone)
• Manually fill out the CSV template and upload it (seriously have you looked at that CSV template???)
• Upload a completed CSV file from a 3rd party vendor who already creates your paper certified payroll reports for you (that's us)

So, here's what you need to do to create a complete CSV file that's ready to upload into the New Jersey Wage Hub System:

If you are an existing or a new customer:

NOTE:  Existing customer must download the most current version of CPS (Help menu --> Check for Updates --> download and install the update). 

New customers will have this functionality built into the program.

Everyone needs to follow these instructions:

1. Make sure that you followed all the video setup instructions from 2019 and verify that the MW-562 is accurately filled out with no missing information when printed.
2. Create & select a folder in which to save the CSV files from the System Setup --> System Preferences --> Data Locations tab --> "Browse for Electronic Upload Folder" button.  IMPORTANT Do not save the csv files in the same folder as your saved reports as it creates a huge mess!  Saved Reports and Electronic Uploads should each have their own folders.
3. Make sure you remember where you created the Electronic Uploads folder and where it's located because you'll be accessing it often!
4. If ALL of your jobs require you to upload a CSV file to the Wage Hub, you can set the defaults for ALL NEW JOBS

• • go to the System Setup menu --> Defaults --> Jobs -->
  • on the Standard tab, from the Electronic Upload Type drop-down menu, choose New Jersey DOL csv file 
  • from the Form to Use drop-down menu, choose either the NJ Equal Pay Act Form (MW562) Legal OR NJ Equal Pay Act Form (MW562) Letter
  • THEN click on the Form Options tab, set your SSN (Social Security) Formats for each available form and other types of electronic uploads. 
  • THEN, click the "Set ALL existing jobs to these defaults" button and all existing and new jobs will be setup automatically with these settings with the ability to change forms and/or remove electronic upload types on a job-by-job basis when you are prompted to add/link new jobs.

5.  Update EXISTING jobs that need the MW562 printed form and/or the csv upload on a job-by-job basis from

• • The Linked Data menu --> Jobs -> select and Edit a job --> going to the Form Options tab and choosing the NJ Equal Pay Act Form (MW562) Legal OR NJ Equal Pay Act Form (MW562) Letter from the Form to Use drop menu and from the Electronic Upload Type drop-down menu, choose New Jersey DOL csv file.  Make sure you click the OK button, then Done and when prompted, choose YES, to save the changes. 
  • OR, selecting the same settings on the Form Options tab when initially setting up/linking a new job.

6.  Run your certified payroll reports as usual.  

• • When you print or preview your reports, the csv file will automatically be created in the folder that you created in Step 2 above.
  • There will be a slight delay as the program is automatically creating & saving the CSV file and perhaps the Excel version of the reports as well.

7.  Find and look at the csv file

• • From the View menu --> choose Electronic Uploads
  • Each job will have 2 files:
    • NJ DOL Emps [week ending date] [QuickBooks Job Name].csv (this is the file you will upload for the CSV File Step 2 - Employee Details, Hours Worked, and Deductions) and contains the same information as the actual MW365 printed report.
    • and, NJ DOL Benes [week ending date] [QuickBooks Job Name].csv (this is the file you will upload for the CSV File Step 3 - Fringe Benefits) and contains the same information as the actual printed Fringe Benefit table.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR .CSV FILES FOR ACCURACY

Some items from the printed report have been combined in the .csv upload:

• Medicare and FICA from the printed report have been combined into Column AI - Deductions_FICA
• Union Deductions and Other Withholding from the printed report have been combined into Column  AL - Deductions_Other
• All other amounts should be able to be easily recognized between the printed MW-562 and the .csv file even though they are not in the same order

HOW TO UPLOAD THE .CSV FILE

These instructions came from the New Jersey Wage Hub Guide.

1. Log into your account
2. Go to Projects
3. Find the project you need to upload a report for
4. Click the Add/View Certified Payroll button (this should take you to a Certified Payroll Submission History screen)
5. Click the Add Certified Payroll button (blue button in the upper right)
6. Drag & drop BOTH of the files created by CPS into the window (NJ DOL Emps [week ending date] [QuickBooks Job Name].csv and NJ DOL Benes [week ending date] [QuickBooks Job Name].csv 
7. In the Company Details section (Part 1) of the Wage Hub, you need to manually enter the payroll #, date wages were paid, and the weekending date (these items are NOT part of the CSV file)
8. In the Fringe Benefits section (Part 3) of the Wage Hub, you need to manually check how you pay the fringe benefit portion of the prevailing wage
9. In the Certification section (Part 4) you need to manually enter work week beginning and ending dates, and your name and title.
10. We highly recommend that you download the copy of the certified payroll report that is provided by NJ DOL

NO WORK CERTIFIED PAYROLLS

There were NO INSTRUCTIONS for creating a no work performed csv file, but I saw an option for this when I was remoted in with a customer.  Here is what you need to do:

1. Log into your account
2. Go to Projects
3. Find the project you need to upload a report for
4. Click the Add/View Certified Payroll button (this should take you to a Certified Payroll Submission History screen)
5. Click the Add Certified Payroll button (blue button in the upper right)
6. LOOK for the option to do a manual payroll
7. In the Company Details section (Part 1) of the Wage Hub, you need to manually enter the payroll #, date wages were paid, and the weekending date (these items are NOT part of the CSV file) - PLUS, there are check boxes for a Final report as well as a No Work/Non-Performance.  SEE screenshot below.
8. 
9. Proceed to the certification section.

ERROR REPORTING

If you encounter errors when uploading the .CSV file you MUST provide us with screenshots of the error message and details about when the error happened.

IMPROVEMENTS/ENHANCEMENTS:

• Choose to print on letter or legal sized paper
• When Previewing the MW562 you will also be able to preview the Benefit table

8/27/24 - Updated Information

After approving our alternate 3 page version of the MW-562 back in 2019, New Jersey DOL now insists that you submit their fillable pdf to your General Contractors and/or Public Entities.  

We have no way to complete a fillable pdf with your payroll data at this time, so you'll have to save the report to Excel, open the Excel version and then copy & paste the information into their fillable pdf.

We have contacted Roseanne Negron at NJ DOL and suggested that once the .CSV file is uploaded into their system, that they then take that data and populate their form with the payroll data for you to download and submit to your GC/Public Body as a "verified copy" of the certified payroll report and benefit table.  Because, this is how LCPtracker, Prism, Elation Systems, eMars, California Department of Industrial Relations, Illinois Department of Labor, and many other online compliance agencies all handle it.

She indicated that passed along my suggestion.  Indicating that they are trying to make it less work, but is sure that it will take some time.