Minimum Wages in UP 2026: Category I, II and III Rates Explained

The minimum wage in Uttar Pradesh is no longer one number for the whole state. Since 1 April 2026 it depends on where the work is done: an unskilled worker in Noida or Ghaziabad must be paid at least ₹13,690 a month, in a city with a municipal corporation ₹13,006, and anywhere else in UP ₹12,356.

Those rates come from the order of 17 April 2026, which ran from 1 April to 30 September 2026. UP revises every April and October, and as of 5 October 2026 its October order had not been published. Until it is, the April rates are the latest the state has notified.

UP minimum wages from 1 April 2026

All figures are per month, basic rate plus variable dearness allowance (VDA). In Category I, unskilled is ₹12,885 basic plus ₹805 VDA, semi-skilled ₹14,173 plus ₹886, and skilled ₹15,876 plus ₹992.

UP has three classes of worker for these employments: unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled. There is no separate highly skilled rate in the order.

Which category is your area?

• Category I: Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) and Ghaziabad.
• Category II: districts with a municipal corporation (Nagar Nigam).
• Category III: every other district.

One source names Lucknow, Kanpur and Varanasi among the Category II districts. If you have staff at sites in more than one district, check each site against the order rather than using your head office's category for everyone.

What changed in April 2026

Before April 2026, UP had a single statewide rate. The first order for the April period, dated 25 March 2026, kept that structure, at ₹11,313.65 a month for unskilled work. On 17 April 2026 a second order replaced it with the three categories above, backdated to 1 April.

For Noida and Ghaziabad that took the unskilled rate from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690, a rise of about 21 per cent, which is how several reports described it. The 17 April order covers 74 scheduled employments.

The revision was described at the time as an interim step, with a longer-term wage arrangement to follow. On 4 August 2026 Amar Ujala reported that the UP Cabinet had approved a new state wage code. We have not seen its rates or its effect on the April and October cycle, so the rates above remain the latest notified.

The October 2026 order is due

UP's minimum wage moves twice a year, from 1 April and 1 October, with the VDA reset each time against the consumer price index. The April order ran from 1 April to 30 September 2026. A new order for 1 October 2026 is therefore due, and when it is published it will almost certainly take effect from 1 October.

That means a business paying the April rates in October is not in breach today, but will owe arrears for every day from 1 October once the new order lands. The money is small per person and large across a team, and it lands on a month that is already closed. Our article on why a late state order is the dangerous kind explains how to plan for it.

Paying correctly in UP

1. Find the right column. Check the category of each site where your staff work.
2. Compare the whole wage. The rate is basic plus VDA, so compare it with what you actually pay as wages, not with the basic alone.
3. Convert carefully. The order fixes monthly rates. If you pay by the day, make sure a full month of days does not come to less than the monthly figure.
4. Watch for the October order and pay the arrears in the first pay run after it.

For other states, see the state minimum wages table.

Where Shiftelio fits

Shiftelio does not look up or update UP'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 UP's October order lands, 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 UP in 2026?

From 1 April 2026: ₹13,690 a month for unskilled work in Noida and Ghaziabad, ₹13,006 in other municipal corporation areas and ₹12,356 in the rest of UP. Semi-skilled and skilled rates are higher in each category.

What is the minimum wage in Noida?

₹13,690 a month for unskilled, ₹15,059 for semi-skilled and ₹16,868 for skilled work, from 1 April 2026. Noida is in Category I.

Has UP revised its minimum wage from 1 October 2026?

Not as of 5 October 2026. The April order ran until 30 September 2026, so an October order is due and is likely to be backdated to 1 October.

Does UP have a highly skilled rate?

Not for these employments. The April 2026 order has three classes: unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled.