Andhra Pradesh explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The Code on Social Security (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026 append twenty Forms, numbered I to XX. This article gives the whole list in one table: the Form, the rule that calls for it, who files or issues it and what it is for. It does not reproduce any Form; the text of each Form is in the Gazette.
If you want the Forms mapped onto your own payroll and HR calendar, a payroll compliance audit is a practical way to do it.
The rules are the Code on Social Security (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, as notified by G.O.Rt.No.126 dated 7 July 2026. An employer's own Forms are mainly Form-III (gratuity notice), Form-XIII (unified annual return, by 1 February), Form-XV (vacancy report), Form-XVII (Employment Information Return) and Form-XX (register of women employees). Employees, nominees and claimants file the rest. Registration uses Form-I of the OSH (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, not a Form of these rules (rule 3).
Notification and commencement
The rules are the Code on Social Security (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, as notified by G.O.Rt.No.126 dated 7 July 2026. Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette. Rule 1(2) says they come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette; the four Labour Codes were brought into force from 21 November 2025. Rule 2(1)(p) defines "form" as a form appended to the rules.
The list of Forms
| Form | Rule | Heading as printed | Who files or issues it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form-I | 18 | Nomination, fresh nomination or modification of nomination (gratuity) | Employee to employer, in duplicate |
| Form-II | 19(1) | Application for gratuity by an employee, nominee or legal heir | Employee, nominee or heir to employer |
| Form-III | 19(2) | Notice for payment or rejecting claim of gratuity | Employer to applicant, within fifteen days |
| Form-IV | 19(4) | Application for direction before the competent authority (Chapter V of the Code) | Claimant to competent authority, within one hundred eighty days |
| Form-V | 19(5), 19(8) | Notice for appearance before the competent authority, or summons | Competent authority |
| Form-VI | 19(11), 19(12) | Notice for payment of gratuity as determined by the competent or appellate authority | Competent authority to employer |
| Form-VII | 19(13) | Application for recovery of gratuity before the competent authority | Claimant |
| Form-VIII | 22(1) | Certificate of medical officer or practitioner for confinement, miscarriage, medical termination of pregnancy, tubectomy, delivery or adoption | Medical practitioner, ASHA or ANM |
| Form-IX | 22(2) | Notice of claim for maternity benefit and payment | Woman to employer; receipt from payee |
| Form-X | 25(2) | Complaint to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator (as headed) | Woman to Inspector-cum-Facilitator |
| Form-XI | 26(2) | Appeal (as headed) | Aggrieved person to competent authority |
| Form-XII | 27(4) | Abstract for maternity benefit and the rules | Exhibited by employer |
| Form-XIII | 28(5) | Unified annual returns | Employer, online, by 1 February |
| Form-XIV | 29 | Notice for compounding of an offence (first time) under section 138(1) | Compounding Officer to employer |
| Form-XV | 33(3)(b) | Reporting vacancies to career centres | Employer |
| Form-XVI | 36 | Application for compensation | Applicant to competent authority |
| Form-XVII | 33(6) | Form EIR (Employment Information Return) | Employer to Career Centre (Regional) |
| Form-XVIII | 37, 47 | Notice to the competent authority and State Government where a claim is heard outside the accident area | Competent authority |
| Form-XIX | 38, 47 | Call for a detailed report and transfer of records or money | Competent authority |
| Form-XX | 28(1)(iv) | Register of women employees | Employer |
Rules 22 and 25 and 26 and the Form headings do not match in every number (the leave certificate, the complaint and the appeal in particular). Our article on maternity benefit flags this where it matters.
Registers an employer keeps (rule 28)
An employer keeps, in forms of the Code on Wages (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, the register of employees (Form I), the attendance-cum-muster roll (Form IX) and the register of wages, overtime, advances, fines and deductions (Form IV), plus the register of women employees in Form-XX of these rules. Registers are preserved for five calendar years from the last entry, with entries in English and Hindi or the language understood by the majority. The wage slip is Form-V of the wage rules. The Central posts for these are rule 53 on records and registers and Forms XXII and XXIII on the register and annual return.
Returns an employer files
- Unified annual return, Form-XIII. Filed online by 1 February each year, with a further return within one month of sale or abandonment, or four months of discontinuance. The Form prints a single annual integrated return under the OSH Code, the Industrial Relations Code, the Social Security Code and the Code on Wages, in three parts: Part-I for all establishments, Part-II for mines, and Part-III by the principal employer on the Shram Suvidha Portal.
- Employment Information Return, Form-XVII. To the Career Centre (Regional), within thirty days of 31 March.
- Vacancy report, Form-XV. Before filling a vacancy, at least fifteen days before the last date for applications (Regional centre).
- Compounding notice response, Form-XIV. Part III is filled and the amount deposited within fifteen days; the certificate in Part IV follows within ten days.
More on these is in our article on authorities, compounding, cess and vacancy reporting.
Gratuity Forms at a glance
The gratuity track is Form-I (nomination), Form-II (application), Form-III (employer's notice), Form-IV (application to the competent authority), Form-V (notice or summons), Form-VI (payment notice) and Form-VII (recovery). The detailed timetable is in our gratuity article.
A worked example
Sagar Pharma Packaging, an invented employer in Visakhapatnam, builds a compliance sheet from this table. Its HR head puts Form-XIII on a diary date of 1 February, Form-XVII at thirty days after 31 March, and Form-XV on the requisition checklist for each hire. She also keeps Form-III templates ready for gratuity claims and a Form-XX register of women employees maintained alongside the wage registers.
Common lapses
- Treating registration as a Form of these rules, when rule 3 uses Form-I of the OSH rules.
- Overlooking Form-XX.
- Using the Form number in the rule text without checking the heading of the Form.
- Forgetting the further Form-XIII return on sale, abandonment or discontinuance.
Need help with forms and returns?
A single calendar of Forms, owners and dates removes most of the risk here. Our payroll compliance audit team can help you build and test one.
Key takeaways
- Twenty Forms (I to XX); employers file or issue Forms III, XIII, XV, XVII and XX and respond to XIV.
- Unified annual return by 1 February; Employment Information Return within thirty days of 31 March.
- Registers kept five calendar years; wage-rule Forms I, IV, IX and V are reused.
- Registration uses OSH Form-I.
Read next
- Code on Social Security (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026: gratuity nomination, application and appeal
- Code on Social Security (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026: authorities, compounding, cess and vacancy reporting
- Rule 53 of the Social Security Central Rules, 2026: records and registers
Disclaimer: Based on the State or Union territory rules named above, as notified under the Labour Codes and consulted on 4 October 2026. Later amendments, State notifications, fees and forms should be checked in the State Gazette and on the State labour department website. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.