Uttarakhand Code 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.
Uttarakhand has made its own rules under the Code on Wages, 2019. The first two chapters tell an employer how the State fixes minimum wages, what the longest working day and week are, when overtime starts and what is paid for the weekly rest day. This article walks through rules 1 to 12 with the figures as printed.
The rules come into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette (rule 1(3)). No employee is compelled or permitted to work more than ten hours in one day and 48 hours in a week (rule 7(1)), overtime hours in three months may not exceed one hundred forty four (rule 7(1)(ii)), and a shift including the rest interval is not more than twelve hours (rule 7(2)). The long wage period for minimum wages is one month (rule 11).
Which rule set this is
These are the Uttarakhand Code on Wages Rules, 2026, as notified on 25 August 2026 (authorised English translation published in the Uttarakhand Gazette). Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette.
The notification recites that the draft was pre-published on 1 March 2026 under section 67(1) of the Code on Wages, 2019, that representations and objections were considered, and that the rules are made under section 67. Rule 1(2) says the rules extend to the whole of Uttarakhand. Rule 1(3) reads: "It shall come into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette."
If you run sites in Uttarakhand, our labour law compliance team can compare your wage structure and rosters with these rules. The Central position on definitions is in rules 1 and 2 of the Central Wages Rules; this article reads the State text.
Who and what the definitions cover (rule 2)
Rule 2 defines the Authority and Appellate Authority (under sections 45(1) and 49(1)), the Board (the State Advisory Board under section 42(4)), the Inspector cum Facilitator (appointed under section 51(1)), and "geographical area" as the areas notified by the State Government from time to time. Four trade categories are defined: unskilled trade (only operating experience, no additional skill), semi-skilled trade (skill gained by experience, which may supervise unskilled work), skilled trade (skill and competence through training as an apprentice in a technical or vocational institution or experience, calling for initiative and judgment) and highly skilled trade (a particular degree of excellence acquired through professional or technical training over an adequate period, with full responsibility for judgment or decision). "Registered Trade Union" means a union registered under the Trade Unions Act, 1926 or the Industrial Relations Code, 2020.
How minimum wages are worked out (rules 3 and 4)
| Item | Rule 3(1) criterion as printed |
|---|---|
| Family | Earning worker plus husband or wife and two children, equal to three adult consumption units |
| Food | Net intake of 2700 calorie per consumption unit per day |
| Cloth | 66 meter per standard working class family per year |
| Rent | 10 percent of food and cloth expenditure |
| Fuel, electricity and miscellaneous | 20 percent of minimum wages |
| Education, medical, entertainment and incidental expenditure | 25 percent of food and clothes expenditure |
| Other items | Such other items and factors as the State Advisory Board deems necessary |
Minimum wages are fixed on a daily basis. Under rule 3(2), the day rate is divided by eight for the hourly rate and multiplied by twenty six for the monthly rate, rounding half or more up and ignoring less than half; for a five-day week, the hourly rate so calculated is used to derive the day's minimum wages. Rule 3(3) says workers who tolerate extreme temperature or humidity, hazardous occupation or process or underground work are paid extra wages in addition to the rate fixed by the State Government. A committee chaired by the Labour Commissioner, Uttarakhand, with an officer nominated by the Disaster Management Department, the Additional Labour Commissioner and the Deputy Director, Factories, determines working conditions in other related processes and the snow line. For the Central position see manner of calculating minimum rate of wages.
Rule 4 requires the State Government, in fixing rates, to take into account geographical area, experience in the area of employment and the level of skill (unskilled, semiskilled, skilled and highly skilled), and states that the State Government shall not fix minimum wages and allowances of State Government employees under the Code. A technical committee chaired by the Labour Commissioner (with a Deputy or Joint Secretary, Labour, a Joint or Additional Labour Commissioner, a skill development representative, two technical specialists in wages and not more than two representatives each of employers and trade unions) advises on skill categories and the Schedule 'A' entries. The rules print no rupee rate. Our general note on minimum wages in Uttarakhand gives context, but take figures only from the Gazette notification.
Dearness allowance and the no-wage lay-off (rules 5 and 6)
Rule 5 says an effort shall be made to calculate the cost of subsistence allowance and the cash value of concessions on essential commodities once before 1 April and again before 1 October every year, for revising the dearness allowance payable to employees on minimum wages. Rule 6 provides that, save as the standing orders or other law provide, no employee is entitled to wages for a full normal working day if the failure to work is caused by a justifiable lay-off, which the Explanation defines as a lay-off because of fire, catastrophe, breakdown of machinery, stoppage of power, epidemic, civil commotion, illegal strike, shortage of orders or any other cause beyond the employer's control.
Working hours and overtime (rule 7)
| Point | As printed |
|---|---|
| Daily and weekly limit | No employee compelled or permitted to work more than ten hours in one day and 48 hours in a week |
| Continuous work | No worker required to work for five continuous hours until given rest for more than half hour |
| Urgent work | With prior approval of the Inspector cum Facilitator, exemption in work hour or week rest may be given |
| Overtime | Work exceeding ten hours in a day or 48 hours in a week is overtime; total overtime in three months not more than one hundred forty four hours |
| Shift | Total hours in any shift including rest interval not more than twelve hours |
| Agriculture | Subject to modification as the State Government determines |
For the Central rule on hours, see variable dearness allowance revision and hours of work.
Weekly rest, night shift and emergencies (rules 8 to 10)
Rule 8 gives every employee one day of rest each week, generally Sunday, though the employer may fix another day. In a six-day or shorter week the remaining days are paid rest days. The entitlement arises on a continuous period of not less than six days (or the stipulated working days). Notice of the rest day and any change is displayed at the place specified by the Inspector cum Facilitator. A person who works on the rest day must have a substituted whole-day rest within the week before or after, and no substitution may result in ten days of work without a full rest day. Rest day wages are at the rate for the next preceding day; where an employee works on the rest day and receives a substituted rest day, he is paid at the overtime rate for the day worked. Where the minimum or actual daily rate was worked out by dividing the monthly rate by 26, no separate rest-day wages are payable. Disputes on whether the daily rate was worked out correctly go to the Assistant Labour Commissioner or a higher officer. For piece-rate employees the wage for the rest day or substituted rest day is as the State Government determines. A week is seven days from midnight on Saturday night.
Rule 9 provides that for a shift extending beyond midnight, a whole rest day is 24 continuous hours beginning when the shift ends, and hours after midnight count to the previous day. Rule 10 allows rule 7 to apply with modifications to employees in emergency work, preparatory or supplementary work, intermittent employment, technically continuous work or work dependent on natural forces, with rules 7, 8 and 9 applying subject to working hours not exceeding 12 on any working day and actual hours of work, excluding periods when not required to work or mark attendance, not exceeding 10 hours. See also weekly day of rest.
Long wage period (rule 11)
For the purpose of minimum rate of wages under section 14, the long wage period is one month.
A worked example
Himalaya Spinning, a Haridwar mill, plans a ten-hour day for a six-day week. HR head Prakash notes that 48 hours a week is the weekly ceiling, so the sixth day must be shorter, and that every hour above ten in a day or 48 in a week is overtime within the 144-hour cap for any three months. On a Sunday breakdown he gives the fitters a substituted rest day on the following Monday and pays Sunday at the overtime rate.
Common lapses
- Counting overtime only above 48 hours in the week and ignoring the ten-hour day.
- Losing track of the 144-hour quarterly overtime cap.
- Using shifts longer than twelve hours including rest.
- Not displaying the notice of the rest day at the place specified.
- Treating the printed criteria in rule 3 as if they gave a rate.
Need help with wage rules in Uttarakhand?
If you are mapping skill categories, rest-day pay or overtime rules to payroll, our labour law compliance team can review the position against the printed text. Keep the notified rates and Schedule 'A' on file for inspection.
Key takeaways
- The rules apply from the date of publication in the Official Gazette (rule 1(3)).
- Minimum wage criteria include 2700 calorie, 66 meter of cloth, 10 percent rent, 20 percent fuel and 25 percent education and other expenditure.
- Ten hours a day, 48 hours a week; overtime in three months not more than 144 hours; shift not more than twelve hours.
- A paid weekly rest day, with a substituted day if the employee works on it.
- The long wage period is one month.
Read next
- Uttarakhand Code on Wages Rules: payment of wages, deductions, dues and claims
- Uttarakhand Code on Wages Rules: registers, pay slip, forms and miscellaneous rules
- Rule 7 to 9 of the Central Wages Rules: night shifts and the longer wage period
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.