Rajasthan Wage 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.
Rules 6 to 11 of the Rajasthan wage rules tell an employer how long a normal working day can be, which day is the rest day, how a shift that crosses midnight is counted and what is paid when someone works on a rest day. This article walks through those rules in the order an HR team meets them.
No employee may be required or allowed to work more than forty-eight hours in a week (rule 6(1)), and the day, with the rest interval, may not spread over more than ten and a half hours on a six-day week. Rule 7 gives a paid weekly rest day, with a substituted rest day if the employee works on it. Rule 10 fixes the longer wage period at one month for minimum wages.
Which rule set this is
These are the Code on Wages (Rajasthan) Rules, 2026, as notified by S.O.40 dated 12 August 2026 in the Rajasthan Gazette Extraordinary of the same date. Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette. Rule 1(3) says they come into force "on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette". The opening rules on minimum wages are covered in our note on the notification and calculation of minimum wages.
For a payroll that runs in more than one shift pattern, a payroll compliance audit can test your rosters against these rules.
Normal working day (rule 6)
Rule 6 sets out the working hours that an establishment in Rajasthan must stay within.
| Pattern | What rule 6 prints |
|---|---|
| Any employee | Not more than forty-eight hours in a week (6(1)) |
| Daily-basis work | Period of work, with the interval for rest, not to spread over more than ten and half hours per day (6(2)) |
| Six days a week | Same ten and a half hours spread-over; the seventh day of the week is a paid holiday (6(3)) |
| Less than six days a week through flexible hours | Spread-over, with interval, not more than twelve hours a day; remaining days of the week are paid holidays (6(4)) |
| Continuous work | No more than five hours before an interval of at least half an hour (6(5)) |
The flexibility in rule 6(4) is permitted with the consent of the negotiating union or negotiating council, or, where there is none, with the consent of the majority of employees. Keep that consent on record. For agricultural employment, sub-rule (6) says the hours rules are subject to modifications determined by the State Government from time to time. For the Central version of the same subject, see rules 4, 5 and the hours of work in the Central Wages Rules.
Weekly day of rest (rule 7)
Rule 7(1) gives every employee one day or more of rest each week. In a six-day week the rest day is ordinarily Sunday; in a week of fewer than six days the rest days include Saturday and Sunday. The employer may fix other days for any employee or class of employees. Three provisos matter:
- the remaining days of the week are paid rest days;
- the entitlement arises if the employee has worked under the same employer for a continuous period of not less than six days in a six-day week, or the stipulated number of working days in a shorter week; and
- the employee must be told of the rest days, and of any change before it takes effect, by a notice at a conspicuous place in the place of employment.
The Explanation to rule 7(1) deems certain days as worked for this count: a day on which the employee attends but is given only an attendance allowance and no work, a day of lay-off with compensation under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and any leave or holiday, with or without pay, in the six days (or stipulated days) before the rest day.
Working on the rest day. Under rule 7(2) an employee may not be required or allowed to work on a rest day unless a substituted rest day for a whole day is or will be given on a working day in the week immediately before or after, and no substitution may leave the employee working more than ten days consecutively without a whole-day rest. Under rule 7(3) the rest day worked is counted in the week in which the substituted rest day occurs for weekly hours.
Pay for the rest day. Rule 7(4) says wages for the rest day are at the rate applicable to the next preceding day. Where the employee works on the rest day and gets a substituted rest day, the day worked is paid at the overtime rate and the substituted day at the rate for the next preceding day. In a six-day week, where the minimum or actual daily rate was worked out by dividing the monthly rate by twenty-six, no separate rest-day wages are payable, and for work on the rest day with a substituted rest day only the overtime rate for the day worked is paid. A piece-rate employee is paid overtime rate for the rest day worked and the preceding-day rate for the substituted rest day. A dispute about whether the daily rate was worked out correctly may be decided by the Labour Commissioner, Rajasthan, or another officer appointed by the State Government, after written representations.
Rule 7(5) preserves more favourable terms from any other law, award, agreement or contract of service. The Explanation defines a week as seven days beginning at midnight on Saturday night.
Night shifts (rule 8)
Where a shift extends beyond midnight, a "whole day" of rest means twenty-four consecutive hours beginning when the shift ends, the next day is the twenty-four hours from when the shift ends, and hours after midnight are counted towards the previous day. See also night shifts and the longer wage period in the Central rules.
Overtime conditions, wage period and the no-work day (rules 9 to 11)
Rule 9 allows working hours of certain categories of employees under section 13(2) of the Code to exceed the normal hours of rule 6, but overtime for them is "as per section 14". The rules print no overtime multiple of their own, so apply the Code. Rule 10 says the longer wage period for minimum wages under section 14 is by the month. Rule 11 says an employee is not entitled to wages for a full normal working day under section 10 if he is not entitled to such wages under any other labour law for the time being in force.
For hours and overtime under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules of the same State, read the Rajasthan OSH rules on hours of work, overtime and leave.
A worked example
Shree Engineering Works, a Bhiwadi unit, runs a five-day pattern with twelve-hour days to give workers Saturday and Sunday off. Its manager, Rohit, gets a written consent from the negotiating union before the pattern starts, because rule 6(4) allows the twelve-hour spread-over only on that consent. One Sunday a machine breakdown needs two fitters on duty. Rohit gives each a substituted rest day the following Tuesday and pays Sunday at the overtime rate, as rule 7(4) provides.
Common lapses
- Rostering twelve-hour days without the consent that rule 6(4) requires.
- Calling a day off a substituted rest day when it falls outside the week before or after the rest day.
- Not displaying the notice of rest days and of any change in them.
- Treating a night shift as ending at midnight for rest-day counting.
Need help with working-hours compliance?
If shift rosters, flexible weeks or rest-day pay need to be checked against the printed rules, our payroll compliance audit team can review the rosters and payslips. Keep the union or employee consent and the rest-day notice ready for inspection.
Key takeaways
- Forty-eight hours a week is the ceiling in rule 6(1); the spread-over is ten and a half hours, or twelve hours where flexible weeks have consent.
- The weekly rest day is paid, and work on it needs a substituted whole-day rest.
- Night shifts run to the end of the shift for rest-day purposes.
- Rule 9 sends overtime to section 14 of the Code; the rules print no separate multiple.
- The longer wage period for minimum wages is a month.
Read next
- Rajasthan Code on Wages Rules: notification and calculation of minimum wages
- Rajasthan Code on Wages Rules: payment of wages, deductions, fines and advances
- Rajasthan OSH Rules: hours of work, overtime, leave and employment of women
- Central Wages Rules: weekly day of rest
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.