Minimum Wages in Delhi (2026): Current Rates by Category, DA Revisions and Employer Rules

If you employ anyone in Delhi — a shop assistant in Lajpat Nagar, a machine operator in Okhla, a security guard in an office — the Delhi Labour Department's minimum wage order sets the least you can legally pay. Delhi's rates change through dearness allowance (DA) orders, usually in April and October. Many websites show out-of-date figures, or a forged October 2025 order. This page gives you the rates actually in force, checked against the department's own website, with daily equivalents, ₹ examples and the employer rules under the Code on Wages.

Quick answer

Delhi's current minimum wages, in force from 1 April 2025, are ₹18,456 a month for unskilled, ₹20,371 for semi-skilled, ₹22,411 for skilled workers and ₹24,356 for graduates in clerical or supervisory roles. When we last checked, on 16 October 2026, the Labour Department had published no later revision.

• Daily rates: ₹710 (unskilled), ₹784 (semi-skilled), ₹862 (skilled)

• The rates include dearness allowance, which Delhi revises against the price index, normally from 1 April and 1 October

• The 'October 2025' revision order seen online is fake — the department disowned it on 14 October 2025

• Underpaying is punishable with a fine of up to ₹50,000, plus arrears and up to 10× compensation

Delhi minimum wage rates in 2026

The table below reproduces the department's order dated 15 April 2025 (F.No.(142)/02/MW/VII/Part file/211-241). The same rates apply in all scheduled employments in Delhi, from factories and shops to hotels, security agencies and construction.

The DA was worked out from the average All-India Consumer Price Index for July–December 2024 (413.42, up 11.32 points). The order itself warns that tampered copies have circulated and tells employers to confirm rates on labour.delhi.gov.in.

Delhi minimum wages at a glance

₹18,456

Unskilled, per month

₹710/day

₹22,411

Skilled, per month

₹862/day

₹24,356

Graduate (clerical/supervisory)

₹937/day

1 April 2025

Latest official revision in force

Delhi minimum wage calculator

Skill level / category

UnskilledSemi-skilledSkilledGraduate and above (clerical / supervisory)

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)₹18,456

Daily rate₹710

Pay for 26 days₹18,456

Overtime at 2× (₹177.50/hour)₹0

Minimum gross pay this month₹18,456

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 2025; a claim under the Code on Wages must generally be filed within 3 years. Estimates only — check the order for your employment.

Delhi minimum wage notification PDF and latest news

Searches for the "notification PDF" and "latest news" usually want one thing: is there a newer order than the one in the table? The Delhi Labour Department lists every order on its Current Minimum Wage Rate page. The newest entry we have seen there is the order dated 15 April 2025, effective 1 April 2025, which you can open as a PDF here. The department's site was unreachable from our server on 19 October 2025's follow-up check, so the status line in the quick answer reflects our last successful check, not today.

Semi-skilled, skilled and helper rates: quick lookup

Helpers fall in the unskilled grade, so a "helper salary" search means the unskilled rate of ₹18,456 a month (₹710 a day). "Semi-skilled labour rate in Delhi" means ₹20,371 a month (₹784 a day), and skilled means ₹22,411 (₹862 a day). To test a specific pay structure, use our minimum wage calculator and pick Delhi.

Which category does your worker fall into?

The order uses the familiar four-tier structure, now written into section 6 of the Code on Wages:

• Unskilled — work needing no special training or experience: helpers, loaders, cleaners, peons, watchmen, delivery and packing staff.
• Semi-skilled — work needing some training or experience under supervision: machine assistants, junior tailors, assistant cooks, drivers' helpers.
• Skilled — work needing training, experience and independent judgment: electricians, fitters, welders, drivers, cooks, tailors, data-entry operators.
• Clerical and supervisory — paid by education: non-matriculate, matriculate but not graduate, and graduate and above.

Classify by the work actually done, not the job title. A "trainee" doing an electrician's work is skilled. If a worker could fit two categories, paying the higher rate is the safe choice.

How Delhi's DA revisions work — and the fake October 2025 order

Delhi last fixed its basic minimum wages by a notification dated 22 October 2019. Since then, rates have gone up only through dearness allowance. The notification promised DA twice a year: from 1 April, based on the price index for July–December, and from 1 October, based on January–June. The department publishes each increase as an order on its website.

Recent Delhi minimum wage orders

22 Oct 2019

Last full revision of basic rates; DA every six months

1 Oct 2024

Unskilled rate ₹18,066 a month (order dated 26.09.2024)

1 Apr 2025

DA added — unskilled ₹18,456 (order dated 15.04.2025)

13–14 Oct 2025

Forged 'October 2025' DA order circulates; department says no order was issued

21 Nov 2025

Code on Wages in force; Minimum Wages Act, 1948 repealed

Apr & Oct 2026

No new order on the official page when last checked on 16 October 2026

The fake order. In October 2025 an order numbered F.No.(143)/02/MW/VII/Partfile/212-261 and dated 13 October 2025 circulated on WhatsApp and HR blogs. It carried the name of the Joint Labour Commissioner and new DA amounts. On 14 October 2025 the department said no DA order for the period from 1 October 2025 had been issued and asked people to ignore it. Several payroll sites still show those numbers, and others print "April 2026" figures that do not appear on the department's website.

What to do now. Keep paying at least the 1 April 2025 rates. When a new order appears on the department's page, it may take effect from an earlier date — April and October orders are often published weeks late — so be ready to pay arrears from the effective date.

Do these rates still apply after the Code on Wages?

Yes. The Code on Wages, 2019 came into force on 21 November 2025 and repealed the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. But section 69(2) of the Code keeps every notification and order made under the old Act in force, as long as it does not conflict with the Code, until it is replaced. Delhi's rates therefore continue until the Delhi Government notifies new rates under the Code.

The Code changes three things for Delhi employers:

1. Every employee is covered. The Ministry of Labour's announcement of the Codes said the minimum wage is now a statutory right for all workers, not only those in listed "scheduled employments".
2. A national floor wage. Section 9 requires the Centre to fix a floor wage; no state may set rates below it or cut existing rates that are higher. We had found no notification fixing the floor wage when we last checked on 7 October 2026. Delhi's rates are far above any figure discussed.
3. Review every 5 years. Section 8(4) says states must review or revise minimum wages at intervals of not more than five years. Delhi's basic rates date from 2019, so a full revision under the Code is due.

Minimum wages — old Act vs Code on Wages

Point	Minimum Wages Act, 1948	Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)
Who is covered	Only listed scheduled employments	All employees
Skill categories	Set by each state	Unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled and/or area (s.6)
National floor	Advisory only	Binding floor wage under s.9 (not yet notified)
Review	At least every 5 years	At least every 5 years (s.8(4))
Fine for underpaying	Separate penalty clause (repealed)	up to ₹50,000; repeat up to ₹1 lakh fine and/or 3 months' imprisonment
Claim window	Shorter limit (repealed)	3 years (s.45)

Who is covered

Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Only listed scheduled employments

Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)

All employees

Skill categories

Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Set by each state

Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)

Unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled and/or area (s.6)

National floor

Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Advisory only

Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)

Binding floor wage under s.9 (not yet notified)

Review

Minimum Wages Act, 1948

At least every 5 years

Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)

At least every 5 years (s.8(4))

Fine for underpaying

Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Separate penalty clause (repealed)

Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)

up to ₹50,000; repeat up to ₹1 lakh fine and/or 3 months' imprisonment

Claim window

Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Shorter limit (repealed)

Code on Wages, 2019 (from 21 Nov 2025)

3 years (s.45)

Worked examples in ₹

Example 1 — a daily-rated helper. A helper (unskilled) works 22 days in a month. Minimum pay = 22 × ₹710 = ₹15,620. If the same helper works all 26 working days, pay the monthly rate of ₹18,456.

Example 2 — overtime. Section 14 of the Code requires overtime at twice the normal rate of wages. For a skilled worker on ₹862 a day and an 8-hour day, the hourly rate is ₹862 ÷ 8 = ₹107.75, so each overtime hour costs at least ₹215.50. Six overtime hours in a month add ₹1,293.

Example 3 — arrears after misclassification. An electrician was paid ₹20,371 (the semi-skilled rate) for 10 months but does skilled work. The shortfall is (₹22,411 − ₹20,371) × 10 = ₹20,400. He can file a claim within 3 years, and the authority may also order compensation of up to ten times the claim. Paying the arrears voluntarily is much cheaper.

Example 4 — a graduate office assistant. A graduate hired as an office assistant must get at least ₹24,356, even if her work is routine filing. The clerical scale goes by qualification, not by task.

Employer obligations in Delhi under the Code on Wages

Paying the minimum rate is only part of the duty. The Code also sets when and how you pay, and what you record:

• Pay on time. Monthly wages must be paid before the end of the 7th day of the following month; weekly wages before the weekly holiday; daily wages at the end of the shift (section 17).
• Final settlement within two working days when an employee resigns, is dismissed or is retrenched.
• No unauthorised deductions — only those the Code allows (taxes, PF/ESI, advances, fines approved in advance, and so on).
• Equal pay — no gender discrimination in wages or recruitment for the same or similar work (section 3).
• Registers and wage slips — keep a register of employees, muster roll and wages, and give every employee a wage slip (section 50).
• Display a notice at a prominent place showing category-wise wage rates, the wage period, pay day and the Inspector-cum-Facilitator's contact details.

Delhi minimum wage compliance checklist

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• Map every employee to a category by the work actually done
• Compare each person's basic + DA with the current Delhi rate — not CTC or gross
• Download the latest order from labour.delhi.gov.in and keep it on file
• Update the notice board with category-wise rates
• Pay monthly wages by the 7th; pay overtime at double the normal rate
• Issue wage slips showing basic, DA and every deduction
• When a new order appears, calculate and pay arrears from its effective date
• Contract staff: get monthly proof that your manpower agency pays at least these rates

Share Print

A payslip that shows basic, DA and allowances as separate lines makes compliance easy to prove. Our free salary slip generator does that and handles PF and professional tax fields too.

Delhi vs neighbouring NCR states

Minimum wages follow the place of work. A company with an office in Connaught Place and a warehouse in Noida pays Delhi rates in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh rates in Noida. UP rates are lower, and UP revises its variable DA on its own cycle — see our guide to minimum wages in Uttar Pradesh. Haryana sets its own rates for Gurugram and Faridabad. If you want one standard rate across an NCR team, compare the current orders of all three states and use the highest.

Official links

• Delhi Labour Department — Current Minimum Wage RateAll orders, latest first
• Order dated 15.04.2025 — rates w.e.f. 01.04.2025 (PDF)The order currently in force
• The Code on Wages, 2019 (India Code)Sections 6–9, 14, 17, 45, 50, 54, 69
• PIB — Labour Codes in force from 21 Nov 2025Universal minimum wage, floor wage
• Ministry of Labour — Additional FAQs on Labour Codes (16.03.2026)Minimum wage vs wages, overtime

Related guides

Haryana and Uttar Pradesh rates apply to Gurugram, Faridabad and Noida staff: see minimum wages in Haryana. Central-sphere establishments such as railways, mines and banks follow the central minimum wages. Gratuity uses the same basic plus DA figures: how to calculate gratuity.

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 Delhi right now?

The rates in force are those effective from 1 April 2025: unskilled ₹18,456 a month (₹710 a day), semi-skilled ₹20,371, skilled ₹22,411, and graduates in clerical or supervisory jobs ₹24,356. When we last checked the Delhi Labour Department's official page, on 16 October 2026, no later revision order had been published.

Was there a Delhi minimum wage revision in October 2025?

No. An order dated 13 October 2025 claiming to revise dearness allowance from 1 October 2025 circulated online with a forged signature. The Delhi Labour Department said on 14 October 2025 that it had issued no such order. Employers should ignore it and pay the rates effective from 1 April 2025 until the department publishes a new order on its website.

How is the daily minimum wage in Delhi calculated?

The Delhi order fixes both a monthly and a daily rate. The daily rate is the monthly rate divided by 26, rounded — for example ₹18,456 ÷ 26 ≈ ₹710 for unskilled workers. A month is treated as 26 working days because the worker is entitled to a paid weekly rest day.

Do Delhi minimum wages apply to Noida and Gurugram?

No. Minimum wages depend on where the employee works, not where the company is registered. Noida and Ghaziabad follow Uttar Pradesh rates, and Gurugram and Faridabad follow Haryana rates. A Delhi-registered company with staff in Noida must pay at least the UP rates there.

What happens if an employer pays less than the minimum wage in Delhi?

Under section 54 of the Code on Wages, paying less than the amount due is punishable with a fine of up to ₹50,000; repeating it within five years can lead to up to ₹1 lakh fine and/or 3 months' imprisonment. The worker can also claim the shortfall within 3 years, and the authority can add compensation of up to 10 times the claim.

Has the national floor wage under the Code on Wages been fixed?

Section 9 of the Code on Wages requires the Central Government to fix a national floor wage, below which no state can set its minimum wage. When we last checked, on 7 October 2026, we could not find a notification fixing it. Delhi's rates are well above the old advisory national floor-level wage in any case, so the practical floor in Delhi is the Delhi order.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 16 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.Current Minimum Wage Rate — list of orders — Labour Department, Government of NCT of Delhi · accessed 7 October 2026
2. 2.Order F.No.(142)/02/MW/VII/Part file/211-241 dated 15.04.2025 — enhancement of minimum wages w.e.f. 01.04.2025 — Labour Department, Government of NCT of Delhi · accessed 7 October 2026
3. 3.The Code on Wages, 2019 (No. 29 of 2019) — India Code, Legislative Department · accessed 7 October 2026
4. 4.Government announces implementation of the four Labour Codes (21 Nov 2025) — PIB — Ministry of Labour & Employment · accessed 7 October 2026
5. 5.Additional FAQs on Labour Codes (as on 16.03.2026) — Ministry of Labour & Employment · accessed 7 October 2026
6. 6.Minimum Wages in Delhi — official rates and fake order alert — HR Software Delhi · accessed 7 October 2026
7. 7.Minimum Wages in Delhi — latest rates and VDA breakdown — SalaryBox Academy · accessed 7 October 2026