Minimum Wages in Delhi 2026: The Rate in Force and the Fake Order to Ignore

The minimum wage in Delhi, as of 5 October 2026, is ₹18,456 a month for an unskilled worker, ₹20,371 for semi-skilled and ₹22,411 for skilled. Those rates come from the Delhi government's order dated 15 April 2025, which took effect on 1 April 2025, and no later order has been published.

That surprises most people, because a higher set of Delhi figures has been circulating for a year: ₹19,846, ₹21,813 and ₹23,905, presented as rates from 1 October 2025. The Delhi Labour Department has said in writing that it never issued them. This article gives the real rates, the evidence on the fake order, and what to do when the next genuine order arrives.

Delhi minimum wages in force in October 2026

Clerical and supervisory staff are paid by education. A non-matriculate is paid at the semi-skilled rate, ₹20,371 a month, and a matriculate who is not a graduate at the skilled rate, ₹22,411. There is a separate, higher rate for graduates and above; we have not printed it because the published copies we read disagree, and the official order is a scanned document we could not extract text from.

Delhi has one set of rates for every scheduled employment, with no zones. A shop in Chandni Chowk and a warehouse in Narela pay the same floor.

Where these rates come from

The Delhi Labour Department's minimum wage page lists every order the department has issued. On 5 October 2026 the newest entry is the order dated 15 April 2025, File No.(142)/02/MW/VII/Part file/211-241, effective 1 April 2025. There is nothing on the list for October 2025, April 2026 or October 2026.

The rates above are as reported by several publishers whose figures agree, including the PTI report of the April 2025 revision and WageIndicator. The order itself is a scanned image on the department's site.

The ₹19,846 order is fake

In October 2025 an order started circulating that appeared to raise Delhi's rates from 1 October 2025, to ₹19,846, ₹21,813 and ₹23,905 a month. Several payroll and compliance sites still print those figures as current.

On 14 October 2025 the Delhi Labour Department issued a circular warning about a fraudulent dearness allowance order. As reproduced by Ascent HR, the circular says the government "has not yet released any order" revising the dearness allowance from 1 October 2025. The fake carried the file number F.No.(143)/02/MW/VII/Partfile/212-261 and a date of 13 October 2025. It does not appear on the department's list of orders.

One check protects you from the next one: is the order on the department's own list? If a "new Delhi minimum wage" is not on the official page, treat it as unconfirmed. Paying more than the minimum is always allowed; what you should not do is plan your costs, or set anyone's pay, on the strength of an order the department has not published.

How Delhi's rates have moved

The April 2025 change added ₹390 a month at the unskilled level.

Delhi revises the dearness allowance part of its minimum wage twice a year, from 1 April and 1 October. In practice the orders arrive late and sometimes far late: the department's own list shows the orders for 1 April 2024 and 1 October 2024 both dated 26 September 2024. Two revision dates, October 2025 and April 2026, have now passed with no order at all.

What a late order means for your payroll

When the next genuine Delhi order is published, it will almost certainly take effect from the start of its period, not from the day it is issued. If it says 1 October 2026 and arrives in December, every worker is owed the difference for October and November as arrears.

To be ready for that:

• Keep each person's pay for each month on record, broken into its parts, not as one total.
• Keep day-level attendance for every month, so that arrears for a daily-rated worker can be worked out for the days they actually worked.
• When the order lands, change the rate on the affected staff once, and pay the arrears in the next pay run.

Our article on why 1 October is probably not your date explains why a late state order is the more dangerous kind, and the state minimum wages table gives the latest rate for other states.

Where Shiftelio fits

Shiftelio does not look up or update Delhi's minimum wage. You set each employee's pay, a monthly salary, a rate per day or per shift, or an hourly rate, and the pay run works from the days and hours attendance shows. When the Delhi order changes, you change the rate on the affected staff once and every later pay run uses it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Delhi in 2026?

₹18,456 a month for unskilled, ₹20,371 for semi-skilled and ₹22,411 for skilled workers, from the order effective 1 April 2025. No newer order had been published as of 5 October 2026.

Is ₹19,846 the Delhi minimum wage?

No. That figure comes from an order the Delhi Labour Department described as fraudulent in a circular of 14 October 2025. It is not on the department's list of orders.

What is the daily minimum wage in Delhi?

₹710 a day for unskilled, ₹784 for semi-skilled and ₹862 for skilled work.

When will Delhi revise its minimum wage next?

Delhi's cycle is 1 April and 1 October, but the October 2025 and April 2026 revisions did not happen. When the next order comes, expect it to be backdated to the start of its period.

Do Delhi's rates differ by area or industry?

No. Delhi has one set of rates for all scheduled employments, with no zones.