Minimum Wages Checker (India)
Updated November 2026 · Free · No sign-up
Check minimum wages in India — no single national figure: each state notifies schedules by skill level (unskilled/semi/skilled/highly) × zone, revised with VDA (variable DA) every 6 months; the national floor (~₹178) is advisory while the Wage Code’s binding floor awaits enforcement.
Quick answer: Indian minimum wages = state schedule + skill category + zone, revised via VDA each April/October. Sample daily ranges (verify your state’s current notification): Delhi unskilled ~₹710+/day (the highest), Maharashtra zone-wise ~₹450-550, Karnataka scheduled-employment-wise ~₹450-600, Bihar/MP lower bands ~₹350-450. OT below minimum wage is doubly illegal.
How the System Works
| Who sets rates | States (for scheduled employments) + the Centre (central-sphere establishments) under the Minimum Wages Act 1948 |
| Structure | Basic + VDA (variable dearness allowance) — VDA revises each April 1 / October 1 with CPI, so rates move twice yearly |
| Bands | Unskilled / semi-skilled / skilled / highly skilled × zones (metro/urban/rural) × scheduled employment |
| National floor | ~₹178/day advisory; the Code on Wages 2019’s binding national floor wage awaits full enforcement — watch notifications |
| Sample highs | Delhi: ~₹18,456/month unskilled (~₹710/day) after recent VDA rounds — verify current |
Your Compliance Check
Monthly wage ÷ 26 = daily; compare against YOUR state’s notified rate for your skill band and employment schedule (state labour department websites publish the VDA orders). Components counting toward it: basic + DA; HRA generally doesn’t (state case law varies). Below it? The shortfall is recoverable with compensation up to 10x under Section 20.
Worked Example
Paid ₹480/day against a ₹500 band: shortfall ₹20 × 26 × 6 months = ₹3,120 arrears — plus the authority can award up to ten times as compensation. Claims go to the Minimum Wages Authority (labour commissioner offices); the 6-month limitation (condonable) rewards speed.
Context
MGNREGA wages, contract-labour wages, and government-contract work each carry their own enforceable schedules; gig/platform work largely sits outside (the Code’s unorganized-worker provisions pending). Employers: display the notified rates (statutory display duty), keep wage registers, and recheck every April/October VDA order — the twice-yearly drift is the most common accidental non-compliance. OT on minimum-wage work: 2x rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in India?
There’s no single figure — each state notifies rates by skill level, zone, and scheduled employment, revised with VDA every April and October; Delhi’s unskilled rate (~₹710/day) is the benchmark high.
How do I find my exact rate?
Your state labour department’s latest VDA notification, matched to your employment schedule, skill category, and zone — the rates move twice a year.
What counts toward minimum wage?
Basic + DA (VDA) — HRA and most allowances generally don’t; paying a compliant GROSS built on a sub-minimum basic+DA is the standard violation pattern.
What can I recover if underpaid?
The shortfall plus compensation up to ten times it, via Section 20 claims before the Minimum Wages Authority — 6-month limitation, condonable.
What changes under the Code on Wages?
A binding national floor wage and universal coverage (beyond scheduled employments) — enacted in 2019, awaiting full enforcement; verify current status.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: November 3, 2026