Minimum Wages in Bihar (2026): Daily Rates by Skill, the New Job Classification and Worked Payroll

If you employ anyone in Bihar — a helper in a Patna wholesale shop, a mason on a building site in Gaya, a guard at a Muzaffarpur warehouse or a cook in a Bhagalpur dhaba — the Labour Resources Department's latest notification sets the least you can pay per day. Bihar revises the dearness part of that wage twice a year, and in September 2025 it re-classified hundreds of jobs into the four skill categories, so a role you treated as unskilled may now sit higher. This page gives the daily rates in force, taken from the department's own notifications, with monthly equivalents, the new classification, the VDA method, worked payroll in rupees and the mistakes that cost employers in inspections.

Quick answer

From 1 April 2026, Bihar's minimum wages for non-agricultural scheduled employments are ₹436 a day for unskilled workers, ₹452 for semi-skilled, ₹551 for skilled and ₹672 for highly skilled, under notification Nos. 46-47 dated 1 April 2026. Agricultural operations (other than harvesting) get ₹413 a day.

• One statewide rate per skill category — no zones

• Monthly rate = daily rate × 26: ₹11,336 (unskilled) to ₹17,472 (highly skilled)

• VDA revised from 1 April and 1 October; April 2026 rise was ₹8–₹12 a day

• Unarmed security guards are skilled under the 23 September 2025 classification

Bihar minimum wage rates from 1 April 2026

The table follows the notification issued by the Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department with effect from 1 April 2026 (file Nos. 46-47, dated 1 April 2026), which applies to the non-agricultural scheduled employments notified by the state. The monthly column is the daily rate × 26, which is how the notification itself converts daily to monthly pay; the hourly column divides by eight hours, as the notification does for domestic work.

These rates apply across the state. Bihar has no zone system for non-agricultural employment, so a shop in Patna and one in a block town pay the same minimum for the same category. Men and women must be paid the same rate for the same work.

The department's minimum wage page also carries a separate notification for agriculture (file Nos. 48-49 of the same date). All agricultural operations other than harvesting carry ₹413 a day from 1 April 2026, and tractor drivers and pump operators on farms get ₹14,947 a month.

Bihar minimum wages at a glance

₹436

Unskilled, per day

incl. VDA

₹672

Highly skilled, per day

₹11,336

Unskilled, 26-day month

₹413

Agriculture, per day

Bihar minimum wage calculator

Skill level / category

UnskilledSemi-skilledSkilledHighly skilled

Days worked in the month

Overtime hours

Actual wage paid (₹/month, optional)

Months underpaid

A full month is 26 working days; the daily rate is the monthly rate ÷ 26 where the order fixes only a monthly figure.

Monthly minimum (26 days)₹11,336

Daily rate₹436

Pay for 26 days₹11,336

Overtime at 2× (₹109/hour)₹0

Minimum gross pay this month₹11,336

Overtime is paid at twice the ordinary rate (daily rate ÷ 8 hours). Arrears assume the same shortfall in every month since the rates took effect on 1 April 2026; a claim under the Code on Wages must generally be filed within 3 years. Estimates only — check the order for your employment.

How each rate is built: 2022 base plus VDA instalments

Bihar's current structure dates from a revision effective 1 September 2022, when the basic daily rates were set at ₹366 for unskilled, ₹380 for semi-skilled, ₹463 for skilled and ₹566 for highly skilled work. Since then the department has added a variable dearness allowance (VDA) every six months — on 1 October 2022, 1 April and 1 October in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and now 1 April 2026.

The notification prints the whole chain so you can check it. For an unskilled worker it reads 366 + 7 + 15 + 7 + 15 + 2 + 12 + 4 = ₹428, plus ₹8 from 1 April 2026, giving ₹436. For a skilled worker it is 463 + 9 + 19 + 9 + 19 + 2 + 15 + 5 = ₹541, plus ₹10, giving ₹551. The instalments vary with the price index: the April 2024 rise was ₹15 for unskilled work, while October 2024 added only ₹2 and October 2025 ₹4.

The VDA is tied to the All-India Consumer Price Index (AICPI). The notification takes the monthly index on the 2016=100 base, converts it to the old 1960=100 series using the link factor 4.63 × 4.93 × 2.88, and averages six months. For July to December 2025 the converted average was 9,696.43, and that average sets the VDA payable from 1 April 2026.

The notification also says that VDA increases or decreases are implemented three months after each half-year ends. In practice that means the January–June average drives the 1 October revision and the July–December average drives the 1 April revision. If the index falls below the level at which rates were last fixed, the minimum is not cut.

How Bihar's unskilled daily rate reached ₹436

1 Sep 2022

Basic rates revised — unskilled ₹366

Oct 2022 – Oct 2023

Three VDA instalments: +₹7, +₹15, +₹7

Apr 2024 – Oct 2024

+₹15, then +₹2

Apr 2025 – Oct 2025

+₹12, then +₹4 — unskilled ₹428

1 Apr 2026

+₹8 a day — unskilled ₹436 (order dated 1 Apr 2026)

1 Oct 2026

Next VDA revision, from the Jan–Jun 2026 index average

Which category is each job in? The September 2025 classification

Until 2025, classifying workers in Bihar often came down to the job title and the employer's judgement. On 23 September 2025 the department issued a notification, published in the Bihar Gazette Extraordinary on 24 September 2025, that supersedes earlier classifications and lists occupations under each of the four categories, with a definition of each.

• Unskilled — work that needs no skill or experience, done without formal training or judgement, mostly physical effort. The list includes sweepers and cleaning staff, peons, attendants and office boys, loaders and porters, labourers on farms, construction, dairies and power lines, utensil washers, cart pullers, earth diggers, gatekeepers and assistants to barbers.
• Semi-skilled — work needing some skill gained through experience and done under a skilled worker's supervision. Examples include assistant plumbers, book binders, rickshaw and tonga drivers, washermen, ward boys, khalasis on trucks and buses, assistant cooks, helpers to masons and carpenters, watchmen, chowkidars and night guards, petrol-pump nozzle men, assistant storekeepers and creche ayahs.
• Skilled — work needing education or training or practical experience and done independently with judgement, including supervising unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Examples include blacksmiths, carpenters, LMV drivers, fitters, mechanics, painters, plumbers, welders, electricians, cooks, tailors, masons, gardeners (mali), mobile and computer repairers, unarmed security guards and head chowkidars, typists and all clerical staff, cashiers, computer and data-entry operators, accounts clerks, store clerks, barbers and gym trainers.
• Highly skilled — work needing a high level of proficiency through qualifications, certification or long practical experience, with full responsibility for decisions and supervision of skilled workers. Examples include armed security guards, nurses, medical technicians and compounders, head mechanics and electricians, machine-tool mechanics, AC mechanics, painters (artists), head cooks and senior overseers.

Each list ends with a catch-all for "any other work of this nature, by whatever name called", so classify by the work actually done. The big practical changes are in security and clerical work: an unarmed guard is now skilled at ₹551 a day, and every clerk, cashier and data-entry operator is skilled too.

Daily rates, monthly pay and part-time work

Bihar's rates are daily. Pay daily-rated and casual workers at least the daily rate for each day worked. For a monthly-paid employee, the notification's ×26 method gives the monthly minimum — ₹11,336 for unskilled work — and that benchmark should be paid for a full month whether it has 30 or 31 days. If you deduct for absence, do it at the daily rate, not at a rate derived by dividing by 30 or 31, or a full-attendance month can end up below the minimum per day worked.

For part-time and domestic work, the notification says the hourly rate is the daily rate divided by eight. A cook who works three hours a day for a household is due at least ₹54.50 × 3 = ₹163.50 a day if the work is unskilled — though under the 2025 classification a cook (rasoiya) is skilled, which makes it ₹68.88 × 3 ≈ ₹206.63 a day.

Overtime is paid at twice the normal rate of wages under the Code on Wages, on top of the minimum. It doesn't count towards meeting the minimum, and neither do employer EPF and ESI contributions, bonus or reimbursements.

Piece rates for stone, bidi and other work

Schedule III of the notification lists piece rates for 12 employments where work is paid by output — stone breaking and crushing, bidi making and others. For example, earth cutting is ₹436 per 90 cubic feet of soft earth, 75 cubic feet of hard earth or 60 cubic feet of very hard earth, and breaking stone set (9″×6″×4″) is ₹967 per 100 pieces from 1 April 2026. The notification records that women doing earth cutting are allotted 15% less earth for the same wage.

Piece rates must still deliver at least the time rate for an ordinary day's work. If a worker on piece rates earns less than the daily rate for their category because the output target is unrealistic, the shortfall is a minimum wage violation.

Bihar vs neighbours and the central sphere — unskilled minimum per day

Jurisdiction	Unskilled rate	In force from	Structure
Bihar (statewide)	₹436	1 April 2026	2022 base + VDA, revised 1 April and 1 October; no zones
West Bengal — Zone A (shops)	₹406	1 July 2026	Varies by employment and zone
Central sphere — construction, Area C	₹565	1 October 2026	Central-sphere establishments only

Bihar (statewide)

Unskilled rate

₹436

In force from

1 April 2026

Structure

2022 base + VDA, revised 1 April and 1 October; no zones

West Bengal — Zone A (shops)

Unskilled rate

₹406

In force from

1 July 2026

Structure

Varies by employment and zone

Central sphere — construction, Area C

Unskilled rate

₹565

In force from

1 October 2026

Structure

Central-sphere establishments only

Central-sphere rates bind only establishments under the Central Government, such as mines and central PSUs; see our guide to central minimum wages. A private business in Bihar follows the state rates. If you also run units in Uttar Pradesh or West Bengal, compare our Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal pages.

Worked payroll examples in ₹ (from 1 April 2026)

Example 1 — a helper in a Patna wholesale shop. Ravi is a loader and helper, which is unskilled work, paid monthly. For a full month the minimum is ₹11,336.

• ESI (wages below ₹21,000/month): employee 0.75% ≈ ₹85.02; employer 3.25% ≈ ₹368.42
• EPF at 12% of wages: ₹1,360.32 each from him and you
• Net pay ≈ ₹11,336 − ₹85.02 − ₹1,360.32 = ₹9,890.66

Example 2 — an unarmed security guard at a Gaya warehouse. Under the September 2025 classification the guard is skilled. Over 26 days plus 8 hours of overtime:

• Wages: ₹14,326
• Overtime: ₹137.75 × 8 = ₹1,102
• Gross: ₹15,428
• ESI: employee ≈ ₹115.71; employer ≈ ₹501.41
• EPF on ₹14,326 (overtime excluded): ₹1,719.12 each
• Net ≈ ₹13,593.17

If the guard comes through an agency, check that the agency pays the skilled rate; many contracts were priced on the old assumption that guards are unskilled.

Example 3 — a daily-rated mason's helper. A helper to a mason is semi-skilled. For 20 days on site the minimum is 20 × ₹452 = ₹9,040.

Example 4 — a part-time cook. As worked out above, a household cook for three hours a day is due about ₹206.63 a day as a skilled worker, or about ₹5,372 over 26 days.

Example 5 — October arrears. Suppose the October 2026 notification is issued in November and adds ₹6 a day for unskilled work. A shop that paid ₹436 for 26 days in October owes 26 × ₹6 = ₹156 per unskilled worker, to be paid with the next wages and shown on the wage slip.

Monthly minimum-wage check for a Bihar worker

Step 1

Classify job under the Sept 2025 list

Step 2

Daily rate × days worked

× 26 for a full month

Step 3

Overtime 2×

hourly = daily ÷ 8

Step 4

ESI / EPF

Step 5

PT once a year

from September salary

Step 6

Pay by the 7th with wage slip

Employer obligations under the Code on Wages

The Code on Wages, 2019 came into force on 21 November 2025, replacing the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 under which Bihar's notifications were made. Section 69 of the Code keeps those notifications alive until replaced, so the April 2026 rates and the September 2025 classification remain binding. The Code also extends the minimum wage to every employee, not only those in listed employments.

The national floor wage under section 9 of the Code had not been notified when we checked. The old advisory National Floor Level Minimum Wage of ₹176 a day (advisory, 2017) is well below Bihar's unskilled rate.

• Pay on time — monthly wages before the end of the 7th day of the next month; full and final settlement within 2 working days.
• Deductions — no more than 50% of wages in total.
• Contract labour — the principal employer is answerable for a contractor's unpaid wages.
• Registers and wage slips — keep wage and muster records and issue a slip each wage period.
• Professional tax — Bihar collects PT once a year; employers deduct it from September salary and deposit by 15 November. See our professional tax due dates guide.

Bihar minimum wage checklist

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• Re-classify every job against the 23 September 2025 lists
• Move unarmed guards, clerks, cooks and drivers to the skilled rate
• Apply the 1 April 2026 daily rates — ₹436 / ₹452 / ₹551 / ₹672
• Pay monthly staff at least daily rate × 26
• Check piece-rate targets still yield the daily rate
• Watch for the October 2026 notification and pay arrears from 1 October
• Get wage registers from security and manpower contractors

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Common mistakes Bihar employers make

Keeping the old classification. The September 2025 lists moved several common jobs up a category. Paying an unarmed guard or a data-entry operator the unskilled rate now underpays by ₹115 a day.

Using last half-year's figure. The October notification is often posted weeks or months after 1 October. The new rate still applies from the 1st; pay the difference as arrears.

Dividing by 30 for absences. The notification works on 26 days. Deducting a day's pay at monthly ÷ 30 for an absence is fine only if the result still leaves at least the daily rate for each day worked.

Counting benefits towards the minimum. Meals, accommodation, uniforms and employer contributions don't count unless the law on payment in kind allows it.

Paying "trainees" below the unskilled rate. Bihar's notification has no lower trainee rate. Apprentices engaged under the Apprentices Act, 1961 receive a stipend under that Act; anyone else you call a trainee or probationer must get at least the rate for the work they actually do.

Assuming the contractor is responsible. Security, housekeeping and loading crews supplied by contractors are still your workers for wage purposes. If the contractor pays less than the minimum, the Code on Wages lets the claim come back to you as principal employer, so build the current rates into the contract and ask for monthly wage registers and EPF and ESI challans.

What happens if you underpay

A worker, a group of workers or a union can claim unpaid minimum wages under the Code on Wages within 3 years. The authority can award the shortfall plus compensation of up to 10 times the claim. Paying below the minimum is also an offence, with a fine of up to ₹50,000 for a first offence and up to ₹1 lakh fine and/or 3 months' imprisonment for a repeat. Bihar's labour department publishes monthly inspection reports under different labour laws, so expect inspectors to check the current rate and category.

If you find you have underpaid, work out the difference from the date the higher rate or category applied, pay it as a separate line and keep the calculation on file. For a re-classified job, that date runs from when the new classification took effect (it was gazetted on 24 September 2025), so the arrears can run back over several VDA periods — calculate each period at the rate then in force rather than applying today's rate to the whole stretch.

Official links

• Bihar Labour Resources Department — Minimum Wage notificationsApril 2026 non-agri and agri notifications; Sept 2025 classification
• Labour Resources Department — homeNotifications, circulars, Labour Codes
• The Code on Wages, 2019 (India Code)

What to do next

Re-check every job title against the September 2025 lists, set daily rates from 1 April 2026, and diary a check of the department's page through October and November so you can pay October arrears promptly. Then issue wage slips showing the daily rate, days worked, overtime, ESI and EPF with our free salary slip generator, and read our Code on Wages guide for the wider rules on deductions and payment dates.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Bihar in 2026?

From 1 April 2026, the Labour Resources Department's notification Nos. 46-47 dated 1 April 2026 sets the daily minimum for non-agricultural scheduled employments at ₹436 for unskilled, ₹452 for semi-skilled, ₹551 for skilled and ₹672 for highly skilled workers. Agricultural operations other than harvesting get ₹413 a day.

What is the monthly minimum wage in Bihar?

Bihar notifies daily rates; the notification says the monthly rate is the daily rate multiplied by 26. That gives ₹11,336 for unskilled, ₹11,752 for semi-skilled, ₹14,326 for skilled and ₹17,472 for highly skilled workers from 1 April 2026.

How is VDA calculated in Bihar?

Bihar links the variable dearness allowance to the half-yearly average of the All-India Consumer Price Index, converted to the 1960=100 series. The July–December 2025 average of 9,696.43 produced increases of ₹8 a day (unskilled and semi-skilled), ₹10 a day (skilled) and ₹12 a day (highly skilled) from 1 April 2026. Changes take effect three months after each half-year ends — 1 April and 1 October.

Is a security guard skilled or unskilled in Bihar?

Under the department's skill-wise classification notified on 23 September 2025, an unarmed security guard or head chowkidar is skilled and an armed guard is highly skilled. A watchman, chowkidar or night guard is semi-skilled, and a gatekeeper is unskilled. So an unarmed guard must get at least ₹551 a day.

Has Bihar announced minimum wages from October 2026?

Not when we checked the Labour Resources Department's minimum wage page on 9 October 2026 — the latest notification was the one effective from 1 April 2026. When the October order appears, the new VDA will apply from 1 October 2026 and any difference must be paid as arrears.

Do Bihar minimum wages differ between Patna and villages?

No. Bihar uses one statewide rate for each skill category in non-agricultural scheduled employments — there are no zones. A helper in a Patna shop and one in a village shop in Saharsa are both entitled to at least ₹436 a day.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Minimum Wage (1982–2025) — notifications page — Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, Government of Bihar · accessed 9 October 2026
2. 2.Notification Nos. 46-47 dated 01.04.2026 — VDA on minimum wages for non-agricultural scheduled employments w.e.f. 01.04.2026 — Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, Government of Bihar · accessed 9 October 2026
3. 3.Notification Nos. 48-49 dated 01.04.2026 — VDA for agricultural operations w.e.f. 01.04.2026 — Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, Government of Bihar · accessed 9 October 2026
4. 4.Notification dated 23.09.2025 on skill-wise classification of workers under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (Bihar Gazette Extraordinary, 24.09.2025) — Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, Government of Bihar · accessed 9 October 2026
5. 5.Labour Resources Department, Bihar — home (Notifications, Labour Codes, Minimum Wage links) — Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, Government of Bihar · accessed 9 October 2026
6. 6.The Code on Wages, 2019 (No. 29 of 2019) — India Code, Legislative Department · accessed 9 October 2026