Minimum Wages in Ladakh (2026): Daily Rates, Remote-Tehsil Uplift and the New Wage Rules

If you run a guest house in Leh, a café on Changspa Road, a taxi operation in Kargil, a construction crew in Nubra or a handicraft unit making pashmina shawls, the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh sets the least you can pay. Its own minimum wages have applied since November 2022, when they replaced the Jammu and Kashmir rates that carried over at bifurcation. This guide gives the figures from the notification, explains the 10% uplift for the remotest tehsils and the unusual fourth category for office staff, converts daily rates into monthly and hourly pay, covers the Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules that took effect in August 2026 and the May 2026 order for government daily wagers, and works through payroll in rupees.

Quick answer

Ladakh's minimum wages come from S.O. 117 of 2 November 2022: ₹450 a day for unskilled work, ₹575 a day for skilled, ₹835 a day for highly skilled and ₹535 a day for administrative, ministerial and accounts staff. Workers in Zanskar, Durbuk and Nyoma tehsils get 10% extra.

• One rate table for 46 scheduled employments, from shops and hotels to construction and agriculture

• No semi-skilled grade — work is unskilled, skilled or highly skilled, with a separate office-staff rate

• About ₹11,700 a month for unskilled work on 26 days, or ₹13,500 for 30 days' pay

• No new rate notification as of 12 October 2026; the UT's own wage rules took effect in August 2026

How Ladakh's minimum wages work

When Ladakh became a separate union territory on 31 October 2019, it inherited the Jammu and Kashmir minimum wages notified under SRO 460 of 26 October 2017. In 2022 a UT Level Advisory Committee reviewed those rates alongside the Border Roads Organisation's rates under the central labour commissioner's schedule and the rates fixed by the Deputy Commissioners of Leh and Kargil. On its advice, the Labour and Employment Department issued S.O. 117 on 2 November 2022, revising rates under section 5(2) of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The rates took effect from the date of the notification.

The Code on Wages, in force since 21 November 2025, keeps those rates alive until the Administration fixes new ones. The Code expects rates to be reviewed at intervals of no more than 5 years, which puts the next review due by November 2027.

There is no dearness allowance and no semi-skilled grade. Each figure is an all-in daily rate.

Ladakh minimum wage calculator

Skill level / category

UnskilledSkilledHighly skilledAdministrative / ministerial / accounts

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) — daily × 26₹11,700

Daily rate₹450

Pay for 26 days₹11,700

Overtime at 2× (₹112.50/hour)₹0

Minimum gross pay this month₹11,700

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 2 November 2022; a claim under the Code on Wages must generally be filed within 3 years. Estimates only — check the order for your employment.

The remote-tehsil uplift

The notification adds 10% to every category in three tehsils — Zanskar in Kargil district, and Durbuk and Nyoma in Leh district — "due to difficult living conditions and geographical distance". That covers places such as Padum and the Zanskar valley, the villages around Pangong Tso in Durbuk, and Nyoma and the Changthang plateau towards Hanle.

The uplift applies wherever the work is done in those tehsils, not where the employer is based. A Leh contractor building a homestay at Spangmik on Pangong owes the Durbuk rate for that site. A Kargil travel agency employing a cook at a camp in Padum owes the Zanskar rate for the days the cook works there.

The 2026 Code on Wages rules keep this idea. They let the Administration divide the UT into municipal and rural areas when it fixes rates, and allow an additional percentage in specific areas for difficult living conditions and geographical remoteness. A future notification could therefore pay Leh town and rural areas differently, as well as continuing the remote uplift.

Which employments the rates cover

Annexure A lists 45 employments in Part I and agriculture in Part II, all on the same table. Part I includes woollen carpet making and shawl weaving; rice, flour and dal mills; tobacco; plantations; oil mills; local authorities; construction and maintenance of roads and buildings; stone breaking and crushing; lac and mica works; public motor transport; tanneries and leather; embroidery, chain-stitch, gabba and namda making; wood carving; workshops; private brick and tile making; shops and establishments; the private transport industry; the forest industry; light engineering; steel and metal rolling mills; silicate and chemical works; auto body fabrication; wood and paper products; food products; metal and steel utensils; rosin and turpentine; soap and detergent; sports goods; saw mills and joinery; electricals; arms and ammunition, including private security agencies; tailoring and garments; drinks and beverages; ice factories and cold storage; hair-cutting salons; medicines, hospital equipment, private hospitals and nursing homes; walnut processing; private schools; private coaching centres; sweeping and cleaning; brick kilns; cement; plastics; and hotels, restaurants, tea stalls and cinemas.

Part II covers agriculture in the broad sense — farming, dairy, horticulture, livestock, bees and poultry, and taking produce to market. Apricot orchards in Kargil, barley fields in Sham and dairy units outside Leh all fall in it.

For a place like Leh, the hotels, restaurants and tea stalls entry matters most. It covers seasonal tourism staff — waiters, bearers, room boys, pantry staff, cooks and butlers — for every day they work, however short the season.

Choosing the right category

Annexure B defines the grades and gives long job lists, which it says are illustrative rather than exhaustive.

• Unskilled — simple operations needing little or no skill or experience. The list includes construction labourers and helpers, porters, farm hands for soil preparation and threshing, mill workers, waiters, bearers, room boys, masalchis and cleaners in hotels, and peons, chowkidars, gatemen, sweepers, loaders, salesmen and unarmed security guards.
• Skilled — skill gained through experience or training as an apprentice or at a technical or vocational institute, with work calling for initiative and judgement. Masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, welders, tarmen, blacksmiths and machine operators are skilled, as are tractor drivers, brick-kiln mistris and fire-men, mill mechanics and drivers, and hotel cooks, head waiters and butlers.
• Highly skilled — work needing a degree of perfection and full competence, usually through intensive technical or professional training. The list includes engineers, architects, pharmacists, nurses and paramedical staff, laboratory, X-ray, OT and dialysis technicians, computer programmers, diploma-holding technicians, draftsmen, goldsmiths, beauticians, designers in carpet, shawl and wood-carving work, and drivers of trawlers, bulldozers, JCBs and lorries.
• Administrative, ministerial and accounts staff — clerks, store keepers, tally clerks, time-keepers, cashiers and accountants, booking clerks, telephone operators, receptionists, typists, record keepers, supervisors and similar office roles.

Ladakh categories at a glance

Category	Typical jobs	Per day
Unskilled	Helper, waiter, room boy, peon, loader, salesman, unarmed guard	₹450 a day
Skilled	Mason, carpenter, electrician, plumber, hotel cook, tractor driver	₹575 a day
Highly skilled	Engineer, nurse, lab technician, programmer, JCB or lorry driver	₹835 a day
Office staff	Clerk, accountant, receptionist, typist, store keeper, supervisor	₹535 a day

Unskilled

Typical jobs

Helper, waiter, room boy, peon, loader, salesman, unarmed guard

Per day

₹450 a day

Skilled

Typical jobs

Mason, carpenter, electrician, plumber, hotel cook, tractor driver

Per day

₹575 a day

Highly skilled

Typical jobs

Engineer, nurse, lab technician, programmer, JCB or lorry driver

Per day

₹835 a day

Office staff

Typical jobs

Clerk, accountant, receptionist, typist, store keeper, supervisor

Per day

₹535 a day

Two features catch employers out. First, there's no middle grade, so a worker who isn't unskilled jumps straight to ₹575 a day. Second, lorry and JCB drivers are highly skilled at ₹835 a day, not skilled — relevant for every transport and construction business in the UT. A receptionist at a hotel, on the other hand, sits in the office-staff category at ₹535 a day.

Monthly pay, hours and overtime

S.O. 117 fixes daily rates only. The Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 now settle the conversions: a daily rate is divided by eight for an hourly rate and multiplied by 26 for a monthly one, with half a rupee and above rounded up. The normal working day is eight hours, with the working day arranged so that it doesn't spread over more than 12 hours including rest intervals.

The rules also give a weekly rest day, ordinarily Sunday, as a paid day for anyone who has worked the preceding six days for the same employer. Read together, the ×26 figure of ₹11,700 is the minimum for 26 days' work, and the paid rest days are due on top. If you pay a flat monthly salary to a full-time worker, ₹13,500 — 30 days at ₹450 a day — is the figure that avoids argument.

For an hourly rate, ₹450 ÷ 8 = ₹56.25 for unskilled work and ₹575 ÷ 8 = ₹71.88 for skilled work. Overtime is twice the normal rate of wages, so ₹112.50 and about ₹143.75 an hour respectively.

Ladakh minimum wage at a glance (2026)

₹450 a day

Unskilled, per day

since 2 Nov 2022

₹835 a day

Highly skilled, per day

+10%

Zanskar, Durbuk, Nyoma

2×

Overtime rate

The Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026

Ladakh moved quickly once the Code came into force. The draft Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 were published as S.O. 182 on 29 April 2026, with comments invited until 12 June 2026. The final rules followed as S.O. 231, dated 28 July 2026, and were printed in the Gazette on 3 August 2026, noting that no objections had been received. They come into force on publication, and they supersede the Jammu and Kashmir Payment of Wages Rules, 1972 and Minimum Wages Rules, 1972, which had applied in Ladakh until then.

Besides hours, rest days and conversions, the rules:

• fix minimum wages per day on needs-based norms — a family of three consumption units, a calorie and cloth allowance, and set shares for housing, fuel, education and health;
• divide the UT into municipal and rural areas for rate-fixing, with an optional extra percentage for remote areas;
• set up a technical committee, chaired by the Administrative Secretary of the Labour Department, to sort occupations into unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled — which would add the semi-skilled grade that S.O. 117 lacks;
• ask for the cost-of-living allowance to be worked out before 1 April and 1 October each year from the Labour Bureau's consumer price index for industrial workers;
• say that a worker whose trade isn't named is paid at the category where they can most accurately be placed, with the technical committee deciding disputes.

None of this changes the current rates. It does mean the next Ladakh table will probably have four skill grades and a half-yearly allowance. Until it is notified, keep paying by S.O. 117.

Ladakh minimum wages, 2017–26

26 Oct 2017

J&K rates under SRO 460 (carried into Ladakh in 2019)

31 Oct 2019

Ladakh becomes a separate union territory

2 Nov 2022

S.O. 117: ₹450 / ₹575 / ₹835 / ₹535, +10% in three tehsils

29 Apr 2026

Draft Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules published (S.O. 182)

May 2026

L-G order: UT daily wagers paid at minimum-wage rates via DBT

3 Aug 2026

Final rules in the Gazette (S.O. 231); J&K 1972 rules superseded

The May 2026 order for government daily wagers

In May 2026 the Lieutenant Governor approved a wage rationalisation for daily wagers, part-time and need-based workers engaged by UT departments — sweepers, gardeners, cleaners and others, both local and migrant. Press reports say they are to be paid at ₹575 a day a day for skilled work and ₹450 a day for unskilled work, pro rata to hours and the nature of the duty, through direct benefit transfer to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Departments were given 20 days to verify engagement details, duty hours and bank accounts for workers engaged after 17 March 2015.

This was reported as a "hike", and for many government daily wagers it was one. But the figures are the 2022 minimum wages, so the order brings the UT's own departments into line with S.O. 117 rather than raising the minimum for private employers. The Administration also said the exercise doesn't imply regularisation.

Central-sphere work in Ladakh

Ladakh has a heavy central presence — the Army and its contractors, the Border Roads Organisation, Leh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochee airport, banks, central PSUs building power and road projects, and central government offices. Work done by or for these bodies follows the central minimum wages, not S.O. 117. The Centre's area annexure doesn't list Leh or Kargil in Area A or B, so the whole UT is Area C.

From 1 October 2026 that means ₹565 a day for unskilled construction, sweeping and cleaning, ₹661 for semi-skilled work, ₹794 for skilled work and unarmed guards, and ₹933 for highly skilled work and armed guards. An unskilled labourer on a central road contract is owed ₹115 a day more than the UT rate. Central rates rise every 1 April and 1 October, so multi-year contracts need an escalation clause.

Worked payroll examples in ₹

Example 1 — a waiter at a Leh hotel for the season. Unskilled. He works May to September, six days a week. Each month: 30 × ₹450 = ₹13,500, counting paid Sundays. If the hotel is covered by ESI, the employee pays 0.75% (₹101.25) and the employer 3.25% (₹438.75).

Example 2 — a mason on a homestay at Spangmik (Durbuk tehsil). Skilled, with the 10% uplift: ₹632.50 a day. He works 25 days and does eight hours of overtime. Ordinary pay: 25 × ₹632.50 = ₹15,812.50. Overtime: ₹632.50 ÷ 8 × 2 = ₹158.13 an hour, eight hours ≈ ₹1,265. Total about ₹17,077.

Example 3 — a JCB operator for a Kargil contractor. Highly skilled: ₹835 a day a day. On 26 days, ₹21,710 a month; on 30 days' pay, ₹25,050. Paying him at the skilled rate would leave him ₹260 a day short.

Example 4 — a receptionist at a travel agency in Leh. Office-staff category: ₹535 a day a day, or ₹16,050 a month on the 30-day basis.

Example 5 — a guard on a bank contract in Leh. Central-sphere work, Area C. An unarmed guard gets the skilled rate of ₹794 a day — ₹20,644 a month on 26 days — rather than the UT's unskilled rate for unarmed guards.

Minimum-wage check for a Ladakh employee

Step 1

Central-sphere work? → central Area C rates

Step 2

Which category?

unskilled, skilled, highly skilled or office staff

Step 3

Work in Zanskar, Durbuk or Nyoma?

add 10%

Step 4

Daily rate × days, plus paid rest days

Step 5

Add overtime at 2×

Step 6

Watch for a new four-grade notification

Seasonal, migrant and contract workers

Ladakh's economy runs on a short summer season, and much of its labour comes from outside — construction workers from Jharkhand, Bihar and Nepal, hotel staff from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. They are all owed Ladakh rates for work done in Ladakh. Seasonal staff are owed the minimum for every day they work, and the season's length doesn't change the daily rate.

Contract workers are owed the same minimum as direct employees doing the same work. A hotel that outsources housekeeping, or a project developer using a labour contractor, can be held answerable if the contractor pays less. Ask contractors for wage registers and bank-transfer proof each month. Accommodation and food provided at remote sites don't count towards the cash minimum unless the rules expressly allow it, so keep cash wages at the full rate.

Employer duties under the Code on Wages

• 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 of wages in total.
• Overtime — twice the normal rate of wages.
• Records — keep the employee register, the register of wages, overtime, advances, fines and deductions, and attendance records, and give a wage slip each period; see our salary slip guide.
• Benefits — ESI and EPF come on top of the minimum where they apply.

Ladakh minimum wage checklist

0/7

• Download S.O. 117 of 2 November 2022
• Put each worker in unskilled, skilled, highly skilled or office-staff category
• Add 10% for work in Zanskar, Durbuk and Nyoma tehsils
• Pay paid rest days, or use 30 days' pay for a monthly salary
• Pay overtime at double the hourly rate
• Use central Area C rates on Army, BRO, bank and other central contracts
• Switch registers and wage slips to the Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 forms

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Common mistakes Ladakh employers make

Still using J&K rates. Ladakh's rates have been separate since November 2022, and J&K's later notifications don't apply in Leh or Kargil.

Inventing a semi-skilled rate. S.O. 117 has no semi-skilled grade. A worker who isn't unskilled is at least skilled.

Paying drivers of heavy machines as skilled. Lorry, JCB and bulldozer drivers are listed as highly skilled.

Forgetting the remote uplift. Projects around Pangong, in Changthang and in Zanskar pay 10% more.

Using UT rates on central contracts. BRO, Army, airport and bank work pays central Area C rates.

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, and the authority can award the shortfall plus compensation of up to 10 times the claim. Paying below the minimum is 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. The Deputy Labour Commissioner, UT Ladakh, and the Assistant Labour Commissioners in Leh and Kargil handle complaints and inspections.

Official links

• S.O. 117 — minimum wages in the UT of Ladakh (2 Nov 2022)
• Kargil district — S.O. 117 notice
• Kargil district — draft Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 notice
• Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) — minimum wagesCentral-sphere rates
• The Code on Wages, 2019 (India Code)

What to do next

Check each worker's category against S.O. 117, add the uplift for remote-tehsil sites, and move your registers and wage slips to the 2026 rules. Then issue wage slips with our free salary slip generator, read our guides to the four labour codes and the Code on Wages, and see our Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh pages if you also employ people there.

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 Ladakh in 2026?

The rates in force are those fixed by S.O. 117 of 2 November 2022: ₹450 a day for unskilled work, ₹575 a day for skilled work, ₹835 a day for highly skilled work and ₹535 a day for administrative, ministerial and accounts staff. We found no later rate notification as of 12 October 2026.

What is the monthly minimum wage in Ladakh?

Ladakh fixes daily rates. The Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 convert a daily rate to a monthly one by multiplying by 26, which gives ₹11,700 for unskilled work. Because the rules also give a paid weekly rest day, a full-time monthly salary of 30 days' pay — ₹13,500 — is the safer target.

Is the minimum wage higher in Zanskar, Durbuk and Nyoma?

Yes. The notification adds 10% extra to every category in these three tehsils because of difficult living conditions and distance. That makes ₹495 a day for unskilled work, ₹632.50 for skilled, ₹918.50 for highly skilled and ₹588.50 for administrative staff.

Do the Jammu and Kashmir minimum wages apply in Ladakh?

No. Ladakh has fixed its own rates since S.O. 117 of 2 November 2022, which replaced the J&K wages of 2017 that had carried over when the union territory was formed. In August 2026 Ladakh's own Code on Wages rules also replaced the J&K Minimum Wages Rules and Payment of Wages Rules of 1972.

What did the May 2026 Ladakh wage order for daily wagers say?

The Lieutenant Governor approved wage rationalisation for daily wagers, part-time and need-based workers engaged by UT departments, paying them at the minimum-wage rates — ₹575 a day for skilled and ₹450 for unskilled work, pro rata to hours — through direct benefit transfer. The administration said it does not mean regularisation.

Do central minimum wages apply in Leh?

For central-sphere work — central government offices, banks, Leh airport, BRO and other central bodies and their contractors — yes. Leh and Kargil are not in Area A or B, so Area C applies: ₹565 a day for unskilled construction, sweeping and cleaning from 1 October 2026.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 12 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.Notification S.O. 117 dated 2 November 2022 — revision of minimum rates of wages in the UT of Ladakh — Labour and Employment Department, Administration of UT of Ladakh · accessed 12 October 2026
2. 2.S.O. 117: Notification regarding fixation of minimum wages in the UT of Ladakh — District Administration Kargil · accessed 12 October 2026
3. 3.Gazette of Ladakh Extraordinary, 3 August 2026 — S.O. 231 dated 28 July 2026, Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 — Department of Labour, Administration of UT of Ladakh (Gazette copy hosted by Simpliance) · accessed 12 October 2026
4. 4.Invitation of comments/suggestions on the draft Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 — District Administration Kargil · accessed 12 October 2026
5. 5.Ladakh L-G approves hike in wages; skilled workers to get Rs 575 per day (18 May 2026) — The Tribune · accessed 12 October 2026
6. 6.Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules, 2026 — TeamLease RegTech · accessed 12 October 2026
7. 7.Labour Bureau orders dated 30 September 2026 — revised VDA and central minimum wages w.e.f. 01.10.2026, with Area A/B/C annexure — Labour Bureau, Chandigarh, Ministry of Labour & Employment (published on clc.gov.in) · accessed 12 October 2026
8. 8.The Code on Wages, 2019 (No. 29 of 2019) — India Code, Legislative Department · accessed 12 October 2026
9. 9.Government announces implementation of the four Labour Codes (21 Nov 2025) — PIB — Ministry of Labour & Employment · accessed 12 October 2026