Your pay data report, accepted on the first upload.
The state portal bounces files for a ZIP code that lost its zero, a comma in a company name, a lowercase "exempt" or totals that don't add up. PayDataCheck reads the CSV or Excel you built from the official template, fixes those, and lists what's left for you to decide. Right in your browser.
- Nothing uploaded, ever
- No install, no account
- For employers with 100+ employees in CA or IL
| Establishment | ZIP | Race/Sex | Exempt |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAcme Water, Inc | 2110 | C20 | exempt |
| AAcme Water, Inc | 2110 | B80 | Exempt |
| AAcme Water, Inc | 2110 | C60 | full time |
| BAcme Water - Station 2 | 95663 | D10 | Non-exempt |
- Establishment
- Acme Water, IncAcme Water - Inc
- ZIP Code
- 211002110
- Exemption
- exemptExempt
- Race/Sex
- B80flagged, row 3
- Totals
- groups 75 = total 75
California pay data reports due. $100 per employee if you don't file, $200 for a repeat.
California guideIllinois rejects any EPRC CSV that still says "prefers not to identify".
Illinois guideof your payroll data sent to any server. The check runs on this page.
How it worksonce per reporting year, every establishment, no subscription.
PricingThe problem
You exported from payroll. The portal still said no.
The state template is strict in ways a spreadsheet isn't. Excel helps by "fixing" your data, and the upload fails for reasons the error message never explains.
Excel ate your ZIP codes
02110 becomes 2110, NAICS 221310 becomes 221310.0, and the bottom of the sheet grows blank rows of commas. Each one is a rejection.
Every code has one spelling
"Exempt", not "exempt". "Full-time", not "full time". Race/Ethnicity/Sex is one of 24 codes, Pay Band is 1 to 12. The portal matches exactly or not at all.
Totals get cross-checked
Employee groups must add up to the establishment headcount, and remote splits must equal each group. The portal compares what you typed with what you uploaded.
How it works
Three steps. About two minutes of your time.
Build the report on this year's template
Download the current template from the state (California's Payroll Employee Report or Illinois' EPRC employee CSV) and fill it from payroll, or export it from your HR system. California guide · Illinois guide
Drop the file here
CSV or Excel. Every cell is checked against the template's own rules, the safe problems are fixed, and the ones that need a human are listed with their row numbers.
Upload the fixed file
Download the corrected CSV and upload it in the state portal. Formatting errors gone; cross-check errors caught before the state sees them.
Check
Check your pay data file
Everything runs on this page. Salaries and headcounts never leave your computer.
Best on a computer. PayDataCheck checks formatting and consistency against the published templates; it can't know whether your numbers are true. Not legal advice. Not affiliated with any state agency.
Checked the way the portal checks
The same rules the state template enforces.
No guesswork. Every check comes from the data validations inside California's 2025 Excel template, CRD's FAQ on upload errors, and the Illinois EPRC template and FAQ.
Race/Ethnicity/Sex ∈ A10…A30, B10…B70, C10…C70, D10…D70
24 codes. Letters are ethnicity and sex, numbers are race.ZIP Code = 5 digits · NAICS = 6 digits · Pay Band = 1…12
Leading zeros restored, decimals and separators stripped.Σ group counts = establishment total · onsite + remote CA + remote out = group
Cross-totals checked per establishment and per row.Illinois: Gender ∈ {Female, Male, Non-Binary} · SSN = last 4
"Prefers not to identify" flagged; full SSNs cut on your computer.
Severity Row Column Message error 4 Race/Ethnicity/Sex* B80 is not one of the 24 CRD codes error 2 Total Number of CA Payroll Employees* groups add up to 70, establishment says 75 fixed 2 ZIP Code* 2110 → 02110 (leading zero restored) fixed 2 Establishment Name* "Acme Water, Inc" → "Acme Water - Inc" fixed 3 Employment Type full time → Full-time check 6 Total Annual Weeks Worked 676 weeks for 13 employees
Establishment Name*,Address Line 1*,…,Job Category*,Race/Ethnicity/Sex*,Pay Band*,Exemption Status,…
Acme Water - Inc - Station 1000,1234 Main Avenue,…,1,C20,11,Exempt,Full-time,1,2000,50,115.00,…
Acme Water - Inc - Station 1000,1234 Main Avenue,…,2,C50,10,Exempt,Full-time,5,9000,225,92.50,…What you get back
A file the portal takes, and a record of what changed.
"Fixed" means it was rewritten for you. "Flagged" means you decide, with the row number.
Fixed CSV, template order
Columns in the exact order and spelling of the current template, values normalized, blank rows removed, ready to upload.
Issue report
Every error, fix and warning with row, column, old value and new value. Keep it with the filing in case the state asks.
Totals cross-checked
Groups vs establishment headcount, remote splits vs group count, one headquarters only, no duplicate groups.
Prior-year template caught
The old 22-column layout is recognized before you upload. The portal only accepts this year's template.
Illinois wording, exactly
"White" → "White alone", "Craft Workers" → the full IDOL classification, "Cook County" → "Cook", Excel date serials → MM/DD/YYYY.
Private by design
There is no upload step, because there is nowhere for your file to go. It is read and rewritten in this tab only.
Compared
The portal is free. Rejections aren't.
| PayDataCheck | Pay-equity software or a consultant | By hand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to check · $49 once per year to download | $1,500 to $10,000+ per year | Hours, every rejection |
| Your employee data | Stays in your browser | Uploaded to their servers | Stays with you |
| Rules checked | Every column, code list and cross-total in the template | Theirs, plus analytics you may not need | Whatever you remember |
| Illinois and Colorado | Same tool | Usually a separate module | Separate spreadsheet |
| Who files | You, in the state portal | Sometimes they do | You |
Pricing
Check for free. Download for $49.
Every error is shown for free, every time. Pay once when you want the fixed file for a report bigger than 25 rows.
Free
Check any file, see every issue.
Check my file- Unlimited checks, every error shown
- Fixed file download up to 25 rows
- California and Illinois
- No account
PayDataCheck Pro
one-time · this reporting year · every establishment
Unlock everything, $49- Fixed CSV for any size of report
- Issue report CSV for your records
- Rule updates when CRD posts the 2027 template
- Email support within one business day
Firm
Unlimited client files.
Get Firm- Everything in Pro, for every client
- Invoice with your firm's details
- A heads-up when a template changes
Secure checkout by Stripe. Pro stays on the browser you buy it from; email support to move it. 14-day refund if a file we marked clean is rejected for a formatting reason we should have caught.
FAQ
Questions employers actually ask
Can't find yours? Email support, answered within one business day.
Does my employee data get uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read by JavaScript running on this page. There is no upload endpoint for files; you can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it still works. The only network request is the Stripe checkout if you buy Pro, which sends a payment ID, never a file.
Which California template does it check against?
The Reporting Year 2025 Payroll Employee Report template that the Civil Rights Department (CRD) posted on February 2, 2026: 25 columns, Job Category codes 1–10, the 24 Race/Ethnicity/Sex codes (A10 to D70), Pay Bands 1–12 based on W-2 Box 5, plus Exemption Status, Employment Type and Weeks Worked. When CRD posts the Reporting Year 2026 template in February 2027, we update the rules the same week.
What does the CRD portal actually reject?
Per CRD's FAQ: files built on a prior year's template, CSV data that contains commas, missing required fields, invalid codes, and totals that don't match between the portal entries and the uploaded file. Those are exactly the checks here, plus consistency checks across rows of the same establishment.
Do you handle the Labor Contractor Employee Report?
Not yet. The Payroll Employee Report is covered today. The Labor Contractor report uses a near-identical column set; email us if you need it and we'll prioritize it.
Illinois: what changed for 2027?
The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) revised its Equal Pay Registration Certificate (EPRC) employee CSV template in 2026 and removed "prefers not to identify" for sex and race. As of January 1, 2027, submissions that still use it are rejected. The checker flags every such cell and matches your race, gender, classification and county wording to IDOL's exact strings.
Colorado?
HB 26-1207 requires employers with 100 or more employees to include EEO-1 demographic data in their periodic report to the Secretary of State starting July 1, 2027. The state hasn't published a file format yet. Pro customers get the Colorado check as soon as there's a spec. Details.
Does it work on my phone?
It works in mobile browsers for small files, but reviewing a few hundred rows of issues is much easier on a laptop or desktop.
Is this legal or compliance advice?
No. It's a formatting and consistency check against published templates. Whether an employee belongs in a given job category or pay band is your determination. Cedano Labs LLC is not affiliated with CRD, IDOL or any state agency.
Get the file right before May 12.
Checking is free and takes a minute. — days until California reports are due; Illinois rejects the old CSV in — days.