Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Labour and Skills (E) Department, Government of Kerala
- Notified
- 15 December 2021 — Kerala Gazette Extraordinary No. 3657, Vol. X
- Objection window
- 45 days from the date copies of the Gazette were made available to the public (this window has long since closed)
- Legal basis
- Section 67 of the Code on Wages, 2019 (Central Act 29 of 2019), read with Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, 1897
- Supersedes
- 8 Kerala-specific wage rules dating from 1958–1998 (full list under "Old Law vs New Law")
- Status as of
- 21 July 2026 — still published as Draft Rules; final notification for Kerala not separately confirmed
- Rule-sets superseded
- The 8 rule-sets that stand superseded: the Kerala Payment of Wages (General) Rules, 1958; the Kerala Payment of Wages (Procedure) Rules, 1958; the Kerala Payment of Wages (Undisbursed Wages) Rules, 1998; the Kerala Payment of Wages (Procedure) Applications to Scheduled Employment Rules, 1964; the Kerala Payment of Wages (Unclaimed Amounts) Rules, 1958; the Kerala Payment of Wages (Manner of Recovery of Excess Deductions) Rules, 1968; the Kerala Payment of Wages (Deductions for National Defence Fund and Defence Savings Schemes) Rules, 1964; and the Kerala Minimum Wages Rules, 1958.
The Code on Wages, 2019 merged four old central labour laws — the Payment of Wages Act, the Minimum Wages Act, the Payment of Bonus Act and the Equal Remuneration Act — into a single wage code. For that code to actually work on the ground, every state has to frame its own rules. Kerala's version, first published as a draft on 15 December 2021, brings together eight separate Kerala wage rules into one document covering how minimum wages are calculated, how wages must be paid, what employers can deduct and when, how the State Advisory Board is run, and which forms and registers every employer has to keep. This guide walks through all of it.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issue wage slip | Form IV | Every wage period | On or before payment of wages |
| Issue e-wage slip (Schedule B establishments) | Form IV | Every wage period | At least 1 day before wages are paid |
| Submit Register of Employment & Wages via portal | Form I A | Every wage period | Tied to the wage-payment cycle (monthly, per Rule 10) |
| Intimate a deduction made under proviso to Sec. 20(2) | As and when it occurs | Within 10 days of the deduction | |
| Intimate a deduction for damage or loss | As and when it occurs | Within 15 days of the deduction | |
| Revise dearness allowance | Twice yearly | Every April and every October | |
| Deposit wages unpaid after an employee's death/unknown whereabouts | As triggered | After 3 months of non-payment, deposit with the Deputy Labour Commissioner | |
| Deposit other undisbursed wages | As triggered | Within 15 days after the 6-month non-payment period ends |
Key Provisions
What changed under the Code, and what it means for payroll.
Old Law vs. New Law
What employers followed before, against what applies now — point matched against point.
| On this point | Before — earlier law | Now — the new Code |
|---|---|---|
| Governing law | Four separate central Acts: Payment of Wages Act 1936, Minimum Wages Act 1948, Payment of Bonus Act 1965, Equal Remuneration Act 1976 | One consolidated law — the Code on Wages, 2019 |
| Kerala-specific rules | 8 separate rule-sets (see list below) | One consolidated rulebook — the Kerala Code on Wages Rules, in 8 chapters |
| Wage records & payment | Manual registers only; no mandated electronic system | IT-enabled Form I A plus compulsory bank-account payment for establishments notified under Schedule B |
| Claims & appeals | Authorities scattered across different Acts | One Authority (Deputy Labour Commissioner) and one Appellate Authority (Joint Labour Commissioner) for the whole Code |
| Settling offences | Prosecution was effectively the main route | A dedicated compounding-of-offences mechanism (Rules 51–52) lets many cases be settled administratively |
| Advisory body | A separate Minimum Wages Advisory Board | One State Advisory Board covering wages, bonus and equal-remuneration matters, with a mandatory one-third women's representation |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- All employers and employees across Kerala, in scheduled and non-scheduled employments alike, once the Rules are finally notified (Rule 1(2))
- Establishments the government notifies under Schedule B, for the IT-enabled wage register and portal-based wage slips (Rule 13)
- Occupations classified as unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled or highly skilled under Schedule A (Rule 4(3))
- Contract workers, through the timely-payment obligation placed on the principal employer, firm or company (Rule 53)
Exempted / special treatment
- Agricultural employment — the working-hour rules (Rules 6–9) can be modified by separate state notification
- Establishments already governed by the Factories Act, 1948 — that Act's provisions continue to apply alongside these Rules (Rule 6(4))
- Establishments outside Schedule B — they maintain a manual Employees Register in Form VI instead of the electronic system (Rule 48)
- Piece-rate workers — rest-day wages are worked out differently, as the State Government determines from time to time (Rule 7(4), second proviso)
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
Is the Kerala Code on Wages Rules, 2021 legally in force right now?
Not fully. It's still published as a draft. The parent Code on Wages, 2019 became national law on 21 November 2025, but Kerala's own state rules need a separate final Gazette notification before they're fully binding here. Until that happens, treat this as the best available guide to what's coming, not as settled law.
Which older Kerala laws does this draft replace?
Eight separate Kerala rule-sets, including the Kerala Payment of Wages (General) Rules, 1958 and the Kerala Minimum Wages Rules, 1958. The full list is under "Old Law vs New Law" above.
How is the minimum wage actually calculated under Rule 3?
Around a "standard working class family" — the earning worker plus a spouse and two children, treated as three consumption units — with 2,700 calories a day per unit, 66 metres of cloth a year, and fixed percentage allowances for housing, fuel/electricity and other needs.
How often does dearness allowance change?
Twice a year, every April and October, based on the Consumer Price Index for the preceding six months (Rule 5).
What counts as a "normal working day" under these Rules?
Eight hours of work plus up to an hour of rest breaks, with the total day capped at 10.5 hours — extendable to 12 hours only with the Labour Commissioner's written permission (Rule 6).
Does every employee get Sunday off?
Not necessarily Sunday specifically — but every employee is entitled to one paid rest day a week after six continuous days of work, and the employer can fix a different day for that rest (Rule 7).
Which forms does an employer actually need to maintain?
Mainly Form I (or Form I A for Schedule B establishments) for wages and deductions, Form IV for wage slips, Form V for the muster roll, and Form VI for the employees register. See the "Forms" table above for the exact rule references.
What is Form I A, and who has to use it?
It's the electronic, IT-enabled version of the wage register, submitted through the state's portal. It applies to employers of establishments the government specifically notifies under Schedule B (Rule 13).
How much can an employer deduct from a single month's wages?
As a rule, total deductions can't exceed 50% of wages in a wage period. Anything above that is carried forward and recovered later, still subject to the same 50% cap each month (Rule 14).
What happens to wages that go unclaimed?
If dues stay undisbursed for six months, the employer has to deposit them with the Deputy Labour Commissioner within 15 days. If they're still unclaimed a year after that, the money moves to the Kerala Labour Welfare Fund Board — though a rightful claimant can still recover it for up to seven years (Rules 40–41).
Where do I go if my employer hasn't paid the minimum wage or made an illegal deduction?
File a claim in Form II before the Deputy Labour Commissioner, who acts as the Authority under Rule 42. If you disagree with the outcome, you can appeal in Form III to the Joint Labour Commissioner.
Can an offence under the Code be settled without going to court?
Yes, for a defined set of offences. The accused — usually the employer — can apply in Form VII to a notified compounding officer (District Labour Officer or above), pay the composition amount within 15 days, and have the case discharged (Rules 51–52).
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Kerala Gazette Extraordinary No. 3657, Vol. X, dated 15 December 2021 — Notification No. LBRD-E1/1/2021-LBRD, Labour and Skills (E) Department, Government of Kerala (official)
- → Kerala Labour Commissionerate — "Draft Rules, Code on Wages," lc.kerala.gov.in (official)
- → The Code on Wages, 2019 (Central Act 29 of 2019) (official)
- → Ministry of Labour & Employment — notification bringing the Code on Wages, 2019 into force nationwide with effect from 21 November 2025 (official)
- → Ministry of Labour & Employment — Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026, notified 8 May 2026 (official)
For informational purposes only — not legal advice. State rules referenced here are subject to change on final notification. Verify current status with our compliance team before acting.