Minimum Wages in Punjab
Minimum wage rates for shops and establishments in Punjab, by skill category, with the effective date and the next revision due.
Punjab minimum wage rates: shops and establishments
Punjab applies a single rate across the state, with no zone classification.
| Skill category | Per day | Total per month |
|---|---|---|
| Unskilled | ₹518.69 | ₹13,486 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹553.19 | ₹14,383 |
| Skilled | ₹592.84 | ₹15,414 |
| Highly skilled | ₹638.50 | ₹16,601 |
| Staff category D (class IV, matriculate) | ₹554.07 | ₹14,406 |
| Staff category C (matriculate with certificate) | ₹607.15 | ₹15,786 |
| Staff category B (graduate or diploma) | ₹673.46 | ₹17,510 |
| Staff category A (postgraduate, MBA, CS) | ₹747.34 | ₹19,431 |
Punjab notifies a single consolidated figure per category rather than a separate basic and dearness allowance, so the table shows the total only.
Rates cover shops and establishments only. Other employments notified in Punjab carry their own notified rates, which are usually higher. Verify against the state notification before running payroll.
How Punjab sets minimum wages
Governing law
Code on Wages, 2019, in force from 21 November 2025. The rates below come from the Labour Commissioner's notification of 1 May 2026, effective the same day.
Employment covered
Shops and establishments
Revision cycle
Dearness allowance revised twice a year on the Consumer Price Index
Punjab publishes one figure per category with the dearness allowance already folded in, and states it per month, per day and per hour. Alongside the four skill categories it grades office staff by qualification: category A for postgraduates, MBAs and company secretaries, B for graduates and diploma holders, C for matriculates with a certificate, and D for class IV and matriculate staff. A clerk's floor therefore depends on the qualification held, not the job title, and a graduate clerk is owed ₹17,510 even if the role is described as skilled. The May 2026 revision moved the effective date away from the state's usual March and September cycle, so the next revision date is an estimate. Punjab also levies a professional tax of ₹200 a month on salaried employees, which is deducted after the minimum wage test is met.
Frequently asked questions: Punjab minimum wages
What is the minimum wage in Punjab?
What are staff categories A to D in the Punjab minimum wage?
Does Punjab have minimum wage zones?
Does the Punjab minimum wage include dearness allowance?
Does Punjab deduct professional tax from the minimum wage?
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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