Minimum Wages in Karnataka
Minimum wage rates for shops and commercial establishments in Karnataka, by skill category and wage zone, with the effective date and the next revision due.
This notification is under legal challenge
The 22 May 2026 notification raised Karnataka's minimum wages steeply, by close to sixty percent in some employments, and covers 65 existing scheduled employments plus 18 new ones. It is being challenged in the Karnataka High Court in WP 22771/2025. Petitioners argue it was issued under provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 that stood repealed from 21 November 2025 when the Code on Wages, 2019 took effect, and that it was notified despite an interim order of 28 July 2025 restraining implementation. The state treats the notification as in force and the matter remains pending, so employers should apply these rates while taking their own legal advice on exposure if the notification is set aside.
Karnataka minimum wage rates: shops and commercial establishments
Zone 1
Areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
| Skill category | Basic | VDA | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unskilled | ₹23,376.43 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹24,407.23 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹25,714.07 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹26,744.87 |
| Skilled | ₹28,285.47 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹29,316.27 |
| Highly skilled | ₹31,114.02 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹32,144.82 |
Zone 2
Other municipal corporations in the state, and all district headquarters.
| Skill category | Basic | VDA | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unskilled | ₹21,251.30 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹22,282.10 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹23,376.43 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹24,407.23 |
| Skilled | ₹25,714.07 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹26,744.87 |
| Highly skilled | ₹28,285.47 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹29,316.27 |
Zone 3
All areas outside Zone 1 and Zone 2.
| Skill category | Basic | VDA | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unskilled | ₹19,319.36 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹20,350.16 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹21,251.30 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹22,282.10 |
| Skilled | ₹23,376.43 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹24,407.23 |
| Highly skilled | ₹25,714.07 | ₹1,030.80 | ₹26,744.87 |
Rates cover shops and commercial establishments only. Other employments notified in Karnataka carry their own notified rates, which are usually higher. Verify against the state notification before running payroll.
How Karnataka sets minimum wages
Governing law
Code on Wages, 2019, in force from 21 November 2025. The rates below come from the Labour Department notification dated 22 May 2026, which was issued under the repealed Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and is under challenge on that ground.
Employment covered
Shops and commercial establishments
Revision cycle
Annual revision of the variable dearness allowance
Karnataka now has the highest minimum wages of any large Indian state. Unskilled work in Bengaluru is set at ₹24,407 a month, roughly seventy percent above the equivalent Zone I rate in Maharashtra. The dearness allowance component of ₹1,030.80 is uniform across every zone and skill category. The zone structure steps down by one grade as you move outward: the Zone 2 semi-skilled rate is identical to Zone 1 unskilled, and Zone 3 semi-skilled matches Zone 2 unskilled.
Frequently asked questions: Karnataka minimum wages
What is the minimum wage in Karnataka?
Why is the Karnataka minimum wage notification being challenged?
Should employers pay the revised Karnataka rates?
What are the wage zones in Karnataka?
Minimum wages in other states
Keep minimum wages current without tracking notifications
Engage HRMS applies the right minimum wage by work location and skill category, and flags employees who fall below the floor when a state issues its next revision.
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