Minimum Wages in Madhya Pradesh (2026): Current Rates, VDA, High Court History and Employer Rules

If you employ people in Madhya Pradesh — a helper in a Pithampur auto-parts plant, a guard at an Indore office, a cook in a Bhopal restaurant or a packer in a Jabalpur warehouse — the Labour Commissioner's half-yearly order sets the least you can pay. The latest one took effect on 1 October 2026. This guide gives you those rates, checked against the signed order, along with the VDA calculation, daily figures, the separate textile schedule that came out of the 2024–25 High Court cases, worked payroll examples and the rules employers most often get wrong.

Quick answer

From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, Madhya Pradesh's minimum wages for the 67 general scheduled employments are ₹12,575 a month for unskilled, ₹13,571 for semi-skilled, ₹15,294 for skilled and ₹16,919 for highly skilled workers, under the Labour Commissioner's order dated 30 September 2026.

• Each rate includes a VDA of ₹3,000 a month — ₹150 more than in April–September 2026

• Daily rates: ₹484 (unskilled) to ₹651 (highly skilled) — monthly ÷ 26

• Textiles, apparel and footwear have a lower schedule: unskilled ₹10,950 a month

• Same rates statewide — no city zones; the next revision is due from 1 April 2027

Madhya Pradesh minimum wage rates from 1 October 2026

The table reproduces Schedule-A of Khand-B in the order signed by the Labour Commissioner, Madhya Pradesh, at Indore on 30 September 2026. It covers the 67 employments the state has notified, from engineering units, printing presses and plastic factories to shops, hotels, private hospitals, construction, security services and local authorities. The hourly figure is our own calculation for an 8-hour day.

The order's own daily figures before rounding are ₹483.65, ₹521.95, ₹588.23 and ₹650.73. Its explanatory notes say wages are rounded to the nearest rupee (50 paise and above goes up), that the daily rate is the monthly rate divided by 26, and that the monthly rate includes payment for the weekly day of rest. Agriculture, bidi-making, agarbatti work and daily-wage staff in government departments have their own schedules in the same order, so check those pages if you employ people in those trades.

Madhya Pradesh minimum wages at a glance

₹12,575

Unskilled, per month

₹484 a day

₹15,294

Skilled, per month

₹588 a day

₹3,000 a month

VDA, per month

₹115.38 a day

31 March 2027

Current rates valid until

Madhya Pradesh 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)₹12,575

Daily rate₹484

Pay for 26 days₹12,575

Overtime at 2× (₹121/hour)₹0

Minimum gross pay this month₹12,575

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 October 2026; a claim under the Code on Wages must generally be filed within 3 years. Estimates only — check the order for your employment.

What changed on 1 October 2026

The only change this time is the variable dearness allowance. The basic rates fixed with effect from 1 April 2024 stay the same, and the VDA rose by ₹150 a month, from ₹2,850 to ₹3,000 a month. In daily terms that is roughly ₹6 more per day, which is how newspapers reported it.

For comparison, the rates for April to September 2026 were ₹12,425 (unskilled), ₹13,421 (semi-skilled), ₹15,144 (skilled) and ₹16,769 (highly skilled), with daily rates of ₹478, ₹516, ₹582 and ₹645. If your September payroll used those numbers, your October payroll must not.

News reports put the number of workers covered at around 50 lakh, across factories, shops and contract labour. For a small unit with 40 unskilled workers, the extra cost is ₹6,000 a month before ESI and PF, or ₹36,000 over the six months to March 2027. That is modest, but the arrears and penalties for ignoring it are not, as the examples further down show.

How the VDA is worked out — and how to predict April 2027

Madhya Pradesh links its VDA to the All-India consumer price index for industrial workers published by the Labour Bureau, Shimla. For the 67 general employments, the base is an index of 311 — the January–June 2019 average on which the 2024 basic rates were built. For every point the six-monthly average rises above that base, workers get ₹25 a month more.

The order dated 30 September 2026 records the monthly index for January to June 2026 (427.97 to 437.47) and declares an average of 431. That is 120 points above 311, and 120 × ₹25 gives the VDA of ₹3,000 a month. The previous half-year's average was 425, which is why the VDA went up by six points' worth, or ₹150.

The VDA is revised twice a year, on 1 April and 1 October. The note to the schedule also says that if the index falls, rates already in force will not be reduced. So you can estimate the next change yourself: take the July–December 2026 average when the Labour Bureau publishes it, subtract 311 and multiply by ₹25. If the average reaches 437, for example, the VDA from 1 April 2027 would be ₹3,150. Treat that as a planning estimate only; the binding figure is the one in the Labour Commissioner's April 2027 order.

Madhya Pradesh minimum wages — the last three years

4 Mar 2024

Basic rates revised for all scheduled employments, effective 1 April 2024 (gazette No. 68)

8 & 21 May 2024

High Court, Indore bench, stays the revision on petitions led by the MP Textile Mills Association

10 Feb & 20 Mar 2025

High Court orders revive the 2024 rates for all employments except textiles, apparel and footwear

28 Feb 2025

Labour Commissioner circular No. 6891 on implementing the court's order; arrears from 1 April 2024 follow

1 Apr 2026

VDA ₹2,850 — unskilled ₹12,425 a month

1 Oct 2026

VDA ₹3,000 a month — unskilled ₹12,575 a month, valid to 31 March 2027

The High Court stay, the revival and the arrears

The rates you pay today trace back to a notification of 4 March 2024, which revised Madhya Pradesh's basic minimum wages for the first time in years and folded earlier allowances into a new basic, with effect from 1 April 2024. Industry pushed back. The MP Textile Mills Association and other employers filed writ petitions before the High Court's Indore bench — WP 10772/2024, 9401/2024, 11921/2024 and 12606/2024 — and interim orders of 8 May and 21 May 2024 put the revision on hold.

For most of 2024, employers kept paying the older rates. The petitions were finally decided by orders of 10 February 2025 and 20 March 2025. The result, as the Labour Commissioner's later orders record, is that the March 2024 rates came back into force, with VDA, for every scheduled employment except three: textiles and made-ups, apparel made from woven, knitted and technical fabric, and footwear. Those three were given a separate, lower schedule by a notification of 15 January 2025, and they now sit in Khand-A of each half-yearly order.

The Labour Commissioner's circular on implementation (No. 6891 of 28 February 2025) and a later circular to all district offices told employers to pay the revised rates, with VDA as revised from time to time, from 1 April 2024. In plain terms, if you are outside the textile group and paid the pre-2024 rates during the stay, you owe the difference back to 1 April 2024. Claims for that difference can still be brought under the Code on Wages within its time limit of 3 years.

Textiles, apparel and footwear: the separate schedule

If you run a spinning mill, a made-ups unit, a garment factory or a shoe unit, use Khand-A, not the general table. The order sets these rates from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027:

The VDA here runs on older bases — an index of 253 for unskilled workers and 241 for the other grades — which is why it is larger even though the totals are lower. The same ₹25-per-point rule applies, so this group also got ₹150 more from October.

Be careful with mixed sites. A textile company that also runs a printing unit, a canteen or a warehouse may have staff in other scheduled employments, and those staff fall under Khand-B. Classify each worker by the employment they actually work in, not by the company's main business.

Which skill grade does your worker fall into?

The order uses four grades without detailed definitions, so classify by the work actually done:

• Unskilled — work that needs no special training: helpers, loaders, sweepers, watchmen, peons, packers, delivery staff.
• Semi-skilled — some training or experience, working under supervision: machine helpers, assistant operators, junior tailors, assistant cooks, store helpers.
• Skilled — trained and experienced, working independently: electricians, fitters, welders, drivers, cooks, CNC operators, data-entry and accounts assistants.
• Highly skilled — a high degree of skill or responsibility, often with formal qualifications: tool-room machinists, senior technicians, supervisors of skilled crews.

Job titles don't settle the question. A "trainee" who runs a machine alone is skilled for wage purposes, and an "office assistant" who only fetches files is unskilled. When a role sits between two grades, paying the higher one is the cheapest insurance against an inspector's finding.

Worked payroll examples in ₹

Example 1 — a skilled operator in Pithampur. Sunita is a skilled machine operator paid the minimum of ₹15,294. In October she takes 2 days of unpaid leave and works 10 hours of overtime.

• Leave deduction at the order's daily rate (₹588.23): 2 × ₹588.23 = ₹1,176.46
• Wages for the month: ₹15,294 − ₹1,176.46 = ₹14,117.54
• Overtime at twice the normal rate (Code on Wages s.14): hourly ₹73.53 × 2 × 10 = ₹1,470.60
• Gross pay: ₹15,588.14
• ESI applies because wages are under ₹21,000/month: employee 0.75% ≈ ₹116.91; employer 3.25% ≈ ₹506.61
• EPF: her PF wages (₹14,117.54, overtime excluded) are below the ₹25,000 a month ceiling, so employee PF at 12% of wages = ₹1,694.10, and you pay the same
• Net pay before any professional tax ≈ ₹13,777.13

Madhya Pradesh also levies a professional tax (vritti kar) linked to annual salary; check whether it applies at your employees' pay levels in our professional tax guide.

Example 2 — a daily-rated helper. A construction helper in Bhopal works 22 days in October. Minimum pay = 22 × ₹484 = ₹10,648. If the same helper is employed for the whole month, pay at least the monthly rate of ₹12,575.

Example 3 — forgetting the October VDA. A Gwalior security agency keeps paying its 60 unskilled guards the April rate of ₹12,425. Shortfall: ₹150 per guard per month, or ₹9,000 a month across the team. Six months of this to March 2027 adds up to ₹54,000 in arrears — and a single wage claim can bring compensation of up to 10 times the claim on top.

Example 4 — arrears from the stay period. A plastics unit in Dewas paid its unskilled staff the pre-revision rates from April to December 2024, while the High Court stay was in force. Because the court's 2025 orders revived the 2024 rates for all non-textile employments, the shortfall for those months is still due. Work it out month by month: the rate that should have applied (basic plus that half-year's VDA) minus what was paid, for each worker.

How Madhya Pradesh compares with its neighbours and the central rates

Madhya Pradesh's general unskilled rate is in the same band as its neighbours, but below the central-sphere rates. That matters if you work as a contractor for a railway zone, a central public sector company, a mine or a bank in the state.

Unskilled minimum per month — MP and neighbours (latest rates in force)

Jurisdiction	Unskilled rate	Notes
Madhya Pradesh (67 employments)	₹12,575	From 1 October 2026; statewide
Gujarat — Zone 1	₹13,637	From 1 October 2026
Uttar Pradesh — Category I	₹13,690	From 1 April 2026
Maharashtra shops — Zone I	₹14,155	Zone-based
Central sphere — construction, Area B (Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior)	₹704 a day	≈ ₹18,304 a month at 26 days

Madhya Pradesh (67 employments)

Unskilled rate

₹12,575

Notes

From 1 October 2026; statewide

Gujarat — Zone 1

Unskilled rate

₹13,637

Notes

From 1 October 2026

Uttar Pradesh — Category I

Unskilled rate

₹13,690

Notes

From 1 April 2026

Maharashtra shops — Zone I

Unskilled rate

₹14,155

Notes

Zone-based

Central sphere — construction, Area B (Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior)

Unskilled rate

₹704 a day

Notes

≈ ₹18,304 a month at 26 days

Under the central classification, Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Ujjain are Area B cities, and the rest of the state is Area C. A contractor laying cables for a central PSU in Bhopal must pay the central rate of ₹704 a day to an unskilled worker on that job, not the state rate. Our guide to central minimum wages explains who falls in the central sphere.

Employer obligations under the Code on Wages

The four Labour Codes came into force on 21 November 2025, and the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 was repealed. Madhya Pradesh's October 2026 order is still framed under the 1948 Act, because section 69 of the Code on Wages keeps existing notifications alive until they are replaced. Either way, these duties apply:

• Pay on time. Monthly wages before the end of the 7th day of the next month; weekly wages before the weekly holiday; daily wages at the end of the shift (section 17).
• Full and final settlement within two working days of resignation, dismissal or retrenchment.
• Overtime at twice the normal rate for work beyond normal hours (section 14).
• Equal pay for men and women doing the same or similar work (section 3).
• Contractors. If a manpower contractor underpays, the principal employer must make good the shortfall. Get monthly proof of wage payments from every contractor.
• Registers and wage slips. Keep employee, muster-roll and wage registers and give every worker a wage slip, physical or electronic (section 50).

Madhya Pradesh minimum wage checklist for October 2026

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• Decide whether each worker falls under Khand-A (textiles, apparel, footwear) or Khand-B (the other 67 employments)
• Move every Khand-B worker to the 1 October 2026 rates — unskilled at least ₹12,575
• Check for unpaid arrears from 1 April 2024 if you paid pre-revision rates during the stay
• Use the monthly rate ÷ 26 for daily-rated staff and leave deductions
• Pay overtime at double the hourly rate and show it on a separate line
• Collect wage-payment proof from manpower and security contractors
• Display the current rate notice and update appointment letters
• Diary 1 April 2027 for the next VDA order

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Common mistakes Madhya Pradesh employers make

Using the April table in October. The difference is only ₹150 a month, which is exactly why it gets missed. Payroll software that was set up in April will keep paying the old rate until someone changes it.

Applying the textile rates to everyone. A garment exporter's head office staff, drivers and canteen workers are not "employed in apparel manufacture" for wage purposes in every case. Mapping everyone to Khand-A can leave you ₹1,625 a month short per unskilled worker.

Paying the state rate on central contracts. Work for railways, central PSUs, mines, banks or airports falls under the central government's rates, which are higher in Area B cities.

Treating the stay as a waiver. The 2024 stay delayed the revision; it did not cancel it for non-textile employments. Arrears are owed from 1 April 2024.

Counting allowances wrongly. Madhya Pradesh fixes basic plus VDA. Bonus, overtime and reimbursements do not count towards the minimum. If you pay a lower basic and top it up with an "attendance allowance", an inspector may treat the shortfall as underpayment.

What happens if you underpay

A worker or a trade union can file a claim under section 45 of the Code on Wages within 3 years. The authority can order the shortfall plus compensation of up to 10 times the claim. Paying less than the minimum is also an offence under section 54: 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 within five years. The cheapest fix is to calculate the arrears, pay them on a separate line in the next wage slip, and keep the working on file.

Official links

• Labour Department, Madhya Pradesh — document registerMinimum wage and VDA orders are posted here
• Order dated 30.09.2026 — rates from 01.10.2026 to 31.03.2027 (signed copy)Khand-A, Khand-B, agriculture, bidi, agarbatti
• Labour Department, Madhya Pradesh portalRegistrations, returns and complaints
• The Code on Wages, 2019 (India Code)

What to do next

Update every worker's pay to the 1 October 2026 rates this month, confirm whether each one is under Khand-A or Khand-B, and check for unpaid arrears from the 2024 stay period. Then put 1 April 2027 in your diary for the next VDA order. Our free salary slip generator shows basic, VDA, overtime, PF and ESI on separate lines, which is what an inspector will want to see. If you also employ people in neighbouring states, compare with our guides to minimum wages in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

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 Madhya Pradesh from 1 October 2026?

For the 67 general scheduled employments, the Labour Commissioner's order dated 30 September 2026 fixes ₹12,575 a month for unskilled workers, ₹13,571 for semi-skilled, ₹15,294 for skilled and ₹16,919 for highly skilled workers. These include a VDA of ₹3,000 a month and apply until 31 March 2027.

How much is the VDA in Madhya Pradesh for October 2026 to March 2027?

The VDA for the 67 general employments is ₹3,000 a month, or ₹115.38 a day, up ₹150 from the April 2026 figure of ₹2,850. It is worked out at ₹25 for every point the All-India consumer price index average rises above 311; the January–June 2026 average was 431, so 120 points × ₹25 = ₹3,000.

What is the daily minimum wage in Madhya Pradesh?

The daily rate is the monthly rate divided by 26, rounded off. From 1 October 2026 it is ₹484 for unskilled, ₹522 for semi-skilled, ₹588 for skilled and ₹651 for highly skilled workers. The weekly day of rest is paid, because the monthly rate already covers it.

Why are textile and garment wages lower in Madhya Pradesh?

After the High Court's Indore bench decided petitions against the 2024 wage revision, three employments — textiles and made-ups, apparel from woven, knitted and technical fabric, and footwear — were moved to a separate schedule (Khand-A). Their unskilled rate from 1 October 2026 is ₹10,950 a month, against ₹12,575 for the other employments.

Was the Madhya Pradesh minimum wage hike stayed by the High Court?

Yes, for a while. The state revised basic wages from 1 April 2024 by a notification of 4 March 2024. In May 2024 the High Court's Indore bench stayed it on petitions led by the MP Textile Mills Association. Orders of 10 February and 20 March 2025 revived the revised rates for all employments except textiles, apparel and footwear, and the Labour Commissioner then directed employers to pay arrears from 1 April 2024.

Do Madhya Pradesh minimum wages apply to shops and offices in Indore and Bhopal?

Yes. Employment in shops, commercial establishments, residential hotels, restaurants and theatres is one of the 67 scheduled employments, and the rates are the same across the state. There are no city zones in Madhya Pradesh's notification, so a shop assistant in Indore and one in Rewa have the same floor.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 7 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 wages and VDA rates effective 01.10.2026 to 31.03.2027 — Labour Commissioner, Madhya Pradesh, notification No. 1-1/11/Anya/Panch/2024/22284 dated 30.09.2026 (signed order) — Labour Commissioner, Government of Madhya Pradesh (order reproduced by SGCMS) · accessed 7 October 2026
2. 2.Documents Management System — Labour Department, Madhya Pradesh — Labour Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh · accessed 7 October 2026
3. 3.Circular on payment of arrears of revised minimum wages from 01.04.2024 (with circular No. 6891 dated 28.02.2025) — Labour Commissioner, Madhya Pradesh (reproduced by Simpliance) · accessed 7 October 2026
4. 4.Minimum wages in Madhya Pradesh, 1 October 2026–31 March 2027 — WikiLabour · accessed 7 October 2026
5. 5.Minimum Rate of Wages — Madhya Pradesh (October 2026) — SGCMS · accessed 7 October 2026
6. 6.MP Minimum Wage Hike: ₹6 Daily DA for 50 Lakh Workers — Dainik Jagran (MP/CG) · accessed 7 October 2026
7. 7.The Code on Wages, 2019 (No. 29 of 2019) — India Code, Legislative Department · accessed 7 October 2026
8. 8.Government announces implementation of the four Labour Codes (21 Nov 2025) — PIB — Ministry of Labour & Employment · accessed 7 October 2026