State Minimum Wages in October 2026: The Rates Actually in Force, State by State

On 5 October 2026, not one of the twelve states we checked had published a minimum wage order taking effect on 1 October 2026. Several of them revise on 1 October every year, and their April orders said in so many words that they ran only until 30 September. So the honest answer to "what is the minimum wage in my state today" is: the last rate the state notified, until it notifies the next one, which may then be backdated to 1 October.

This page gives that last notified rate for each state, the date it took effect and the cycle the state follows, so you can see which number to pay now and when to expect it to move. The central sphere is different: its October 2026 rates are out, and they are in our CLC minimum wages table.

Every figure below is the latest one notified as of 5 October 2026. For most states it was read from two or more compliance publishers whose numbers agree, not from the state gazette itself, and the source list at the end says which. Your state's own notification is the text that settles your position.

The latest rate in force, state by state

The figure for an unskilled worker in shops and establishments, in the state's highest-paid zone, per month:

Minimum wages in Delhi

More detail: Delhi minimum wages in full, and the fake order to ignore.

These come from the order dated 15 April 2025, which took effect on 1 April 2025. It is still the newest order on the Delhi Labour Department's minimum wage page: the page lists nothing for October 2025, April 2026 or October 2026.

Be careful with a second set of Delhi figures that circulates online, ₹19,846, ₹21,813 and ₹23,905 a month, presented as rates from 1 October 2025. They do not appear on the department's own list of orders, and some compliance publishers report that the department disowned the order they came from. Until an order appears on the department's page, the April 2025 rates are the ones to pay.

Minimum wages in Uttar Pradesh

More detail: UP minimum wages by category, in full.

UP sets three categories of area. Category I is Noida and Ghaziabad, Category II the other municipal corporation (Nagar Nigam) areas, and Category III the rest of the state.

Each figure is a monthly basic rate plus VDA: for unskilled work in Category I, ₹12,885 plus ₹805. The order covers 74 scheduled employments and ran from 1 April to 30 September 2026. UP revises on 1 April and 1 October, so a new order is due; until it is published, these are the latest notified rates.

Minimum wages in Gujarat

More detail: Gujarat minimum wages and the VDA, in full.

Every daily figure includes a VDA of ₹60.50, the same for every class and both zones. These are the shops and establishments rates for 1 April to 30 September 2026. Gujarat also revises on 1 April and 1 October, and its October order had not appeared by 5 October.

Minimum wages in Haryana

More detail: Haryana minimum wages after the April 2026 reset, in full.

Haryana notified these on 9 April 2026 with effect from 1 April 2026, one flat set of rates for all scheduled employments. It was the state's first full reset in years, and it does not follow the April and October cycle the other northern states use.

Minimum wages in Maharashtra

Maharashtra moves on a different clock: its special allowance is revised on 1 January and 1 July. The current rates for shops and commercial establishments run from 1 July to 31 December 2026.

Per day in Zone I that is ₹544.42 for unskilled, ₹576.54 for semi-skilled and ₹606.38 for skilled work. Zone I covers the big municipal areas such as Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur. The next change is due from 1 January 2027, and it is usually notified a few weeks after that date.

Minimum wages in West Bengal

West Bengal also revises on 1 January and 1 July. For shops and establishments from 1 July to 31 December 2026:

Zone A is the corporation, municipal and notified areas; Zone B is the rest.

Minimum wages in Punjab

These are the shops and establishments rates in force from 1 May 2026. Punjab also fixes separate monthly rates for office staff, from ₹14,406 for Category D to ₹19,431 for Category A.

Minimum wages in Telangana

Telangana reset its basic rates by G.O.Ms.No.6, dated 30 May 2026, with effect from 1 June 2026, in three zones:

All figures are per month.

Minimum wages in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu fixes shop rates by job, not by skill class, across four zones. The notification dated 18 February 2026 sets them for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, including a dearness allowance of ₹7,353 a month.

Karnataka, Rajasthan and Kerala

We have not printed a table for these three, on purpose.

• Karnataka raised its basic rates by about 60 per cent in a notification of 22 May 2026, with Bengaluru in Zone 1. The compliance publishers we read disagree about which figure belongs to which skill class and zone, and the notification is being challenged in the Karnataka High Court. Read the notification itself on the state labour department's site before you pay from it.
• Rajasthan's general rates were last fixed with effect from 1 January 2023, at ₹285 a day for unskilled work, and we found no 2026 revision of the general schedule. Separate VDA orders exist for some industries.
• Kerala revises its dearness allowance several times a year by district, and we found the July 2026 figures in only one source.

Each state runs its own clock

• 1 April and 1 October: Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and nominally Delhi.
• 1 January and 1 July: Maharashtra and West Bengal.
• Once a year, from 1 April: Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• No fixed date we could confirm: Haryana, Punjab, Telangana and Rajasthan.

A state that is late does not let you off. When UP or Gujarat publishes its October order, it will almost certainly take effect from 1 October, and every day paid at the old rate since then becomes arrears. Our article on why 1 October is probably not your date explains how a late order is backdated and why it is the more dangerous case.

How to stay on the right number

1. Find the right row. Your state, your zone or area, and your workers' skill class. A cashier in Noida and a cashier in Agra are in different UP categories.
2. Compare the whole wage, not the basic. The state rate is basic plus dearness allowance. Under the Code on Wages, what you pay is compared on wages as the Code defines them, so allowances that are excluded from that definition do not count towards the floor.
3. Watch the date, not the headline. Put your state's revision months in the calendar and check its labour department page in the first two weeks after each one.
4. Pay arrears the same month. When a backdated order lands, the difference for every day since the effective date is owed with the next pay run.

Where Shiftelio fits

Shiftelio does not look up your state'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 your state's new 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 Delhi in October 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 later order appeared on the Delhi Labour Department's page as of 5 October 2026.

What is the minimum wage in UP from 1 October 2026?

No October 2026 order had been published by 5 October 2026. The latest notified rates, from 1 April 2026, are ₹13,690 a month for unskilled work in Noida and Ghaziabad, ₹13,006 in other Nagar Nigam areas and ₹12,356 elsewhere.

Why did my state not revise on 1 October?

Only some states use 1 October. Maharashtra and West Bengal revise in January and July, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka once a year in April, and for Haryana, Punjab and Telangana we found no fixed date. States that do use 1 October often notify a few weeks late and backdate the order.

Do the central sphere rates apply to my shop?

No. A private shop, office or factory follows its state's rates. The central rates apply to work in the central sphere, such as railways, mines, banks and central government establishments, including contractors working for them.