Minimum Wages in West Bengal (2026): Zone A and Zone B Rates, Half-yearly Revision and Employer Rules

If you employ staff in a Kolkata shop, a Howrah engineering unit, a Siliguri hotel or a security agency in Durgapur, West Bengal's minimum wage circulars set the floor for their pay — and they change every six months. The rates differ by scheduled employment, by zone (A or B) and by skill category. This guide gives you the July–December 2026 figures from the Labour Commissionerate's circular, with daily, weekly and hourly conversions, the job lists that decide each worker's category, ₹ payroll examples and the rules on overtime, contractors and penalties.

Quick answer

From 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2026, West Bengal's minimum wage for shops and establishments and most other employments in the July circular is ₹10,558 a month for an unskilled worker in Zone A (₹406 a day) and ₹9,760 in Zone B (₹375 a day), under the circular dated 22 June 2026.

• Semi-skilled ₹11,615, skilled ₹12,777, highly skilled ₹14,054 a month in Zone A

• Zone A = corporations, municipalities, notified areas, development authorities and thermal power townships; Zone B = the rest

• Revised every six months — the next circular is due for January–June 2027

• Overtime and work on the weekly rest day are paid at double the ordinary rate

West Bengal minimum wage rates, July–December 2026

The table below is the standard scale used for shops and establishments and most of the 31 employments in Circular No. 30 of the Labour Commissionerate's Statistics Section. The circular gives monthly and daily figures; the hourly and overtime figures are our own calculation, dividing the daily rate by the eight-hour working day the circular prescribes.

A few employments whose basic rates were fixed by notifications dated 20 December 2019 — security services, the glass industry, engineering units employing fewer than 50 people, rubber products and the refractory industry — carry figures a few rupees lower: for example ₹10,556 (Zone A) and ₹9,758 (Zone B) for unskilled workers, and ₹14,050 for highly skilled staff in Zone A. Their daily rates match the standard scale, except ₹540 instead of ₹541 for highly skilled staff in Zone A. Some employments, such as the residuary manufacturing entry, IT, jewellery, laundries, ice cream and loading and unloading, list only an unskilled rate in this circular.

One correction for payroll teams: some widely shared summaries show the semi-skilled Zone A daily rate as ₹491. The signed circular shows ₹447 — ₹491 is the skilled rate.

West Bengal minimum wages at a glance (Jul–Dec 2026)

₹10,558

Unskilled, Zone A

₹406/day

₹9,760

Unskilled, Zone B

₹375/day

₹14,054

Highly skilled, Zone A

31

Scheduled employments in the July circular

West Bengal minimum wage calculator

Zone / employment

Zone AZone B

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)₹10,558

Daily rate₹406

Pay for 26 days₹10,558

Overtime at 2× (₹101.50/hour)₹0

Minimum gross pay this month₹10,558

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

The 31 scheduled employments in the July 2026 circular

The circular lists each employment with the fixation or revision notification that set its base rates — most dated 29 December 2016, a few dated 20 December 2019 — and the jobs that fall into each skill category. The employments are:

1. Any establishment carrying on a manufacturing activity under section 2(k) of the Factories Act that isn't covered by another schedule
2. Automobile engineering repairing workshops and garages
3. Beverage manufacturing and vending
4. Biscuit manufacturing
5. Bottling and packaging
6. Clinical establishments, including pathological laboratories and diagnostic centres
7. Confectionery and sweets manufacturing
8. Consumer co-operative societies, primary agricultural co-operative and marketing societies
9. Courier services
10. Engineering units employing fewer than 50 people
11. Establishments under the Shops and Establishments Act, 1963
12. Floor and wall tiles manufacturing
13. Garments manufacturing
14. Glass industry
15. Hotels and restaurants, including boarding houses, eating houses, canteens, clubs and guest houses
16. Ice cream and candy manufacturing
17. Ice factories
18. Information technology industry
19. Jewellery manufacturing
20. Laundries, laundry services, cleaning and dyeing plants and shops
21. Leather goods manufacturing
22. Loading and unloading operations
23. Malls, multiplexes, departmental stores and mega stores
24. Rubber products manufacturing
25. Non-banking private financial institutions
26. Private hospitals and research centres not run by government or local authorities
27. Refractory industry
28. Rolling of iron rods, plates and angles, and rolling mills
29. Saloons and beauty parlours
30. Security services
31. Wood works and furniture

Other scheduled employments in West Bengal are covered by separate circulars with their own rates. If your business isn't on this list, look for the circular that names your employment on the Labour Commissionerate's website before you apply these figures.

How the half-yearly revision works

West Bengal fixed or revised the base rates for these employments through notifications in 2016 and 2019. Since then, the Labour Commissionerate has updated the rates every six months, for January–June and July–December, to reflect the cost of living. Each update is published as a circular a few days or weeks before the period starts. The July–December 2026 circular says the rates have been updated under each employment's fixation or revision notification and, for Zone B, under the previous circular of 9 January 2026 read with a Labour Department notification dated 15 December 2025.

The circular also says that the minimum rates of wages and variable dearness allowance, if any, together constitute the minimum wage enforceable under the Minimum Wages Act. In practice, West Bengal publishes a single consolidated monthly and daily figure for each category, so you don't need to add a separate DA line — but you can show the payment as basic plus DA on the wage slip as long as the total meets the floor.

For comparison, the January–June 2026 circular set the unskilled Zone A rate for shops at ₹10,386, according to compliance trackers that published it. The July increase is therefore ₹172 a month for an unskilled worker in Zone A — small, but enough to cause underpayment if payroll wasn't updated.

West Bengal minimum wage revisions — recent and upcoming

29 Dec 2016

Base fixation/revision notifications for most employments in the circular

20 Dec 2019

Notifications for security services, glass, small engineering units, rubber and refractory

21 Nov 2025

Code on Wages in force; old notifications saved by s.69(2)

9 Jan 2026

Circular for 1 Jan–30 Jun 2026 — unskilled Zone A ₹10,386

22 Jun 2026

Circular for 1 Jul–31 Dec 2026 — unskilled Zone A ₹10,558

13 Jul 2026

Draft West Bengal Code on Wages Rules, 2026 published

Jan 2027

Next half-yearly circular due

Zone A and Zone B: which applies to you?

The circular defines Zone A as areas under municipal corporations, municipalities, notified areas and development authorities, and thermal power plant areas including their townships. Zone B is the rest of West Bengal.

That puts Kolkata, Howrah, Bidhannagar, Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri, Chandannagar and every municipal town in Zone A, along with the areas under development authorities — which stretch well beyond city limits in places like the Kolkata metropolitan region and the Asansol–Durgapur belt. Thermal power plant areas and their townships are Zone A even if they sit in a rural block. Zone B is mainly gram panchayat areas outside development authority limits.

The zone depends on where the employee works. A Kolkata-based company with a godown in a gram panchayat area outside any development authority pays that godown's staff at least the Zone B rate. If you are unsure whether a site falls under a development authority, check with the authority or the local Assistant Labour Commissioner's office, and pay the Zone A rate until you are sure.

Which category does each worker fall into?

The circular lists typical jobs for each category within each employment. For shops and establishments: peons, cleaners, sweepers, security guards, bearers and messengers are unskilled; duftries and assistant accountants are semi-skilled; clerks, typists, office assistants, office maintenance and inventory staff, data-entry operators and accountants are skilled; and head assistants, senior accountants, computer operators, research and development staff, market research executives, godown-in-charges, office supervisors and sales representatives are highly skilled.

Other employments have their own lists. In hotels and restaurants, waiters, washmen and canteen boys are unskilled, while cooks, bartenders, chief cashiers and accountants are skilled and managers highly skilled. In private hospitals, ayahs and ward boys are unskilled, lab assistants and receptionists semi-skilled, nurses and technicians skilled, and senior nurses, pathologists and radiologists highly skilled. In security services, guards and durwans are unskilled, ex-servicemen guards semi-skilled, and armed guards, gunmen and field supervisors skilled. Classify by what the person actually does, and if a job sits between two categories, the higher one is the safer choice.

Worked payroll examples in ₹

Example 1 — a data-entry operator in a Kolkata office (Zone A, skilled). Priya is paid the minimum for a skilled employee under the shops schedule, ₹12,777. In October she works 10 overtime hours.

• Overtime at double the ordinary rate: 10 × ₹122.75 = ₹1,227.50
• Gross wages: ₹12,777 + ₹1,227.50 = ₹14,004.50
• Employee PF at 12% of wages on ₹12,777: ₹1,533.24; you pay the same
• ESI applies below ₹21,000/month: employee share at 0.75% ≈ ₹105.03; your share at 3.25% ≈ ₹455.15
• Professional tax: nil — from 1 October 2026 West Bengal exempts salaries up to ₹20,000 a month (see our professional tax guide)
• Net pay ≈ ₹14,004.50 − ₹1,533.24 − ₹105.03 = ₹12,366.23

Example 2 — a daily-rated loader in a rural godown (Zone B). Loading and unloading is an employment in the circular, with an unskilled rate of ₹375 a day in Zone B. A loader who works 24 days in a month must get at least 24 × ₹375 = ₹9,000. If you pay weekly, the weekly rate is ₹375 × 6 = ₹2,250.

Example 3 — July arrears for a shop. A Howrah shop paid its four unskilled staff the January–June figure of ₹10,386 for July, August and September 2026. Shortfall: ₹172 × 3 months × 4 people = ₹2,064. Pay it as a separate arrears line on the October wage slip.

Example 4 — a security agency. Security services use the 2019 scale: an unskilled guard in Zone A must get at least ₹10,556 a month and an armed guard (skilled) ₹12,773. If you are the client, ask the agency for wage registers or bank statements each month — the circular says the rates apply to contractors' employees too.

Working hours, overtime and other conditions in the circular

The circular's notes set rules that apply across all 31 employments:

• Eight-hour day, 48-hour week. A normal working day is eight hours of actual work with a recess of at least half an hour, subject to 48 hours of actual work in a week.
• Weekly rest. One day in every seven, chosen to suit local convenience, is the weekly rest day, and the monthly rates already include pay for it.
• Double pay. Work on the weekly rest day and work beyond normal hours must be paid at double the ordinary rate.
• Higher wages protected. Where an employee already earns more under a contract or agreement, the higher rate must continue.
• Contractors covered. The rates apply to employees engaged through contractors.
• Disability and gender. Workers with disabilities get the same rate as others in their category, and men and women doing the same or similar work get the same pay.

Alongside these, the Code on Wages requires monthly wages to be paid by the seventh day of the following month and final dues within two working days of resignation or removal (section 17), and registers and wage slips to be kept and issued (section 50).

West Bengal minimum wage compliance checklist

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• Find your employment in the 31-employment circular — or in the separate circular that covers it
• Decide Zone A or Zone B for each workplace, checking development authority limits
• Map each job to the category list for your employment
• Update payroll to the 1 July 2026 rates and pay arrears for any months on the old rates
• Use ÷26 for daily rates and ×6 for weekly rates
• Pay overtime and rest-day work at double the ordinary rate
• Check that contractors pay their staff these rates
• Diary late December 2026 to look for the January–June 2027 circular

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The Code on Wages and West Bengal's draft rules

The Code on Wages, 2019 came into force on 21 November 2025 and repealed the Minimum Wages Act. Section 69(2) keeps notifications made under the old Act in force until they are replaced, which is why the July 2026 circular still refers to the 1948 Act and why its rates are enforceable today.

On 13 July 2026 the state published the draft West Bengal Code on Wages Rules, 2026 (Notification No. Labr/103/Law) for 45 days of objections, according to compliance trackers that reproduced it. The draft covers minimum wages, payment of wages, bonus, deductions, records and inspections. When we last checked, on 7 October 2026, we could not confirm that final rules had been notified. Until they are, keep following the half-yearly circulars. The Central Government's national floor wage under section 9 of the Code had also not been notified.

Common mistakes West Bengal employers make

Missing the half-yearly update. Rates change on 1 January and 1 July. If your payroll software doesn't update automatically, set a reminder for late June and late December.

Applying the shops scale to every business. Most employments in this circular share the shops figures, but security, glass, rubber, refractory and small engineering units are a few rupees lower, and employments outside the circular have their own rates.

Treating suburbs as Zone B. Development authority areas around Kolkata, Asansol–Durgapur and Siliguri are Zone A even where they look rural.

Counting allowances towards the minimum. The circular gives one consolidated figure. Make sure the pay that counts as wages — basic and dearness allowance — adds up to it; conveyance, house rent and similar allowances sit on top.

Copying another state's rates. Workers in Karnataka or Maharashtra are owed those states' rates, which are much higher. Compare our guides to minimum wages in Karnataka and minimum wages in Maharashtra.

Unskilled worker, top urban zone — West Bengal vs other states

State	Monthly minimum	Period	Revision cycle
West Bengal (Zone A, shops)	₹10,558	Jul–Dec 2026	January and July circulars
Maharashtra (Zone I, shops)	₹14,155	Jul–Dec 2026	January and July special allowance
Gujarat (Zone I)	₹13,637	Oct 2026–Mar 2027	April and October special allowance
Karnataka (Zone 1, Bengaluru)	₹23,376.43	From 22 May 2026	Annual VDA from April

West Bengal (Zone A, shops)

Monthly minimum

₹10,558

Period

Jul–Dec 2026

Revision cycle

January and July circulars

Maharashtra (Zone I, shops)

Monthly minimum

₹14,155

Period

Jul–Dec 2026

Revision cycle

January and July special allowance

Gujarat (Zone I)

Monthly minimum

₹13,637

Period

Oct 2026–Mar 2027

Revision cycle

April and October special allowance

Karnataka (Zone 1, Bengaluru)

Monthly minimum

₹23,376.43

Period

From 22 May 2026

Revision cycle

Annual VDA from April

What if a worker is underpaid?

A worker or union can claim unpaid minimum wages under section 45 of the Code on Wages within 3 years, and the authority can award compensation of up to 10 times the claim. Paying below the minimum is 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. Our free salary slip generator helps you show the minimum wage, overtime and any arrears on separate lines.

Official links

• Labour Commissionerate, West BengalMinimum wage circulars (the site did not respond when we checked in Oct 2026)
• Circular No. 30 dated 22 Jun 2026 — rates for 1 Jul–31 Dec 2026 (signed copy, secondary host)
• West Bengal profession tax — revised slabs from 1 Oct 2026
• The Code on Wages, 2019 (India Code)

What to do next

Check each worker's pay against the July 2026 table today, pay any arrears from 1 July, and confirm the zone of every workplace. Then set a reminder for the last week of December 2026, when the January–June 2027 circular is due. If you are also budgeting for exits, our gratuity guide uses the same wage figures.

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 West Bengal in 2026?

From 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2026, the Labour Commissionerate's circular dated 22 June 2026 fixes ₹10,558 a month (₹406 a day) for an unskilled worker in Zone A and ₹9,760 (₹375 a day) in Zone B, for shops and most of the 31 employments it covers. Highly skilled staff get ₹14,054 in Zone A.

What is the minimum wage for unskilled labour in West Bengal in 2026?

For July to December 2026 it is ₹10,558 a month in Zone A — municipal corporations, municipalities, notified areas, development authorities and thermal power plant townships — and ₹9,760 in Zone B, the rest of the state. A few employments notified in 2019, including security services, are ₹2 lower, at ₹10,556 and ₹9,758.

How often are minimum wages revised in West Bengal?

Twice a year. The Labour Commissionerate publishes a circular for January–June and another for July–December, updating each scheduled employment's rate for the cost of living. The circular for July–December 2026 was dated 22 June 2026; the next is due for the period starting 1 January 2027.

Which areas are Zone A and Zone B in West Bengal?

Zone A covers areas under municipal corporations, municipalities, notified areas and development authorities, plus thermal power plant areas including their townships. That includes Kolkata, Howrah, Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri and every municipal town. Zone B is the rest of West Bengal, mainly rural areas.

How is the daily minimum wage calculated in West Bengal?

The circular says to divide the monthly rate by 26 and round to the nearest rupee, so ₹10,558 ÷ 26 = ₹406 for an unskilled Zone A worker. For a weekly rate, multiply the daily rate by six. The monthly rates include pay for the weekly day of rest.

Do minimum wage workers in West Bengal pay professional tax?

Not from 1 October 2026. West Bengal raised the professional tax exemption limit to ₹20,000 a month, so anyone earning the minimum wage — the highest rate in the July 2026 circular is ₹14,054 — falls below it unless overtime or other pay takes their salary above the limit.

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.Circular No. 30/Stat/14/RW/24/2023/LCS/JLC dated 22.06.2026 — minimum rates of wages effective 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2026 — Labour Commissionerate (Statistics Section), Government of West Bengal (signed copy reproduced by SGCMS) · accessed 7 October 2026
2. 2.Minimum Rate of Wages — West Bengal (July 2026) — SGCMS · accessed 7 October 2026
3. 3.Revision of minimum wages – West Bengal – 09.01.2026 — Ascent HR · accessed 7 October 2026
4. 4.Revised profession tax rates — Notification 1407-F.T. (Finance Department, Revenue) — Finance Department (Revenue), Government of West Bengal · accessed 7 October 2026
5. 5.Draft West Bengal Code on Wages Rules, 2026 (Notification No. Labr/103/Law) — DCP Solutions · accessed 7 October 2026
6. 6.The Code on Wages, 2019 (No. 29 of 2019) — India Code, Legislative Department · accessed 7 October 2026
7. 7.Government announces implementation of the four Labour Codes (21 Nov 2025) — PIB — Ministry of Labour & Employment · accessed 7 October 2026