Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Industry, Energy, Labour and Mining Department, Government of Maharashtra
- Notified
- Draft published 30 April 2026 (Maharashtra Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part I L, No. 49). Copies made available to the public on 6 May 2026.
- Objection window
- 45 days from the date copies were made available to the public. Objections and suggestions were due to the Commissioner of Labour, Maharashtra, by 14 June 2026. This window has now closed.
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020)
- Supersedes
- Rules made under 8 older central Acts as applicable in Maharashtra: the Working Journalists (Conditions of Service) Rules 1957, Motor Transport Workers Rules 1962, Beedi and Cigar Workers Rules 1968, Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Central Rules 1971, Sales Promotion Employees Rules 1976, Inter State Migrant Workmen Central Rules 1979, Cine Workers Rules 1984, and Building and Other Construction Workers Rules 1998
- Status as of
- 14 July 2026: still a draft. The objection period has closed but the final notification has not yet been issued. Employers should confirm the finalised text before relying on exact fees or deadlines.
Maharashtra has published a fresh set of draft rules that will decide how thousands of employers across the state handle safety, health and working conditions for their staff. The Maharashtra Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Labour) Rules, 2026 bring together the compliance requirements for building and construction work, motor transport, plantations, contract labour, audio visual production, and beedi and cigar making, all under one framework tied to the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
These rules were gazetted in draft form on 30 April 2026 and cover everything from registration and appointment letters to accident reporting, working hours, registers and licensing. They are still at the draft stage as this guide is being prepared, so treat the fees, timelines and figures below as the current proposal rather than a final, locked in position. We have flagged the status clearly throughout, and we recommend checking the Maharashtra Labour Department website for the final notification before you act on any specific number.
This guide walks through what employers actually need to do: which forms to file, what the deadlines are, the key provisions in plain language, how this compares to the older laws it replaces, who is covered, what penalties apply, and answers to the questions employers ask most often.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration of a new establishment | Form 1 | One time | Within 60 days of the rules becoming applicable; Late fee: 25% up to 30 days late, 50% up to 60 days, 75% up to 90 days, 100% beyond 90 days. |
| Issue of registration certificate | Form 2 | One time | Within 7 working days of a complete application; Deemed registered automatically if the officer misses this deadline. |
| Transitional registration for establishments already registered under an older Act | Form 1 | One time | Within 6 months of these rules coming into force |
| Update of registration particulars | Portal update | As needed | Within 30 days of any change in ownership, management or registered details |
| Notice of commencement or closure | Form 4 | Per event | Within 30 days of starting or closing the establishment |
| Annual medical examination | Forms 5 and 6 | Annual | Within 30 days of appointment, then once every year after that |
| Appointment letters for existing staff | Form 7 | One time | Within 3 months of these rules coming into force |
| Notice of a fatal accident | Form 8 | Per event | Within 12 hours |
| Notice of a disabling injury (48 hours or more off work) | Form 8 | Per event | Within 12 hours, counted from the 48 hour mark |
| Notice of a dangerous occurrence with cumulative 12 hour incapacity | Form 8 | Per event | Within 24 hours |
| Notice of a notifiable occupational disease | Prescribed notice | Per event | Immediately, sent electronically |
| Annual return | Form 11 | Annual | On or before 1 February of the following year |
| Contractor's half yearly return | Form 11A | Half yearly | Within 30 days of the half year ending 30 June or 31 December |
| Principal employer's annual return | Form 11B | Annual | Before 1 February of the following year |
| Contract labour licence renewal | Form 14 | Before expiry | At least 30 days before expiry, and not more than 90 days before expiry |
| Refund of contractor's security deposit | Application | On request | Decided within 30 working days of the application |
| Contractor's notice of work order | Notice | Per work order | Within 15 days of receiving the work order |
| Wage payment to contract labour | Payment | Every wage period | Within 7 days of the end of the wage period |
| Beedi or cigar premises licence application | Form 14 | One time | Within 30 days of starting business |
| Retention of registers and records | All registers | Ongoing | 5 calendar years from the last entry; The leave register must be kept for 3 years. |
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 laws | 8 separate central Acts, each with its own Maharashtra rules: the Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996, Inter State Migrant Workmen Act 1979, Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970, Beedi and Cigar Workers Act 1966, Motor Transport Workers Act 1961, Working Journalists Act 1955, Sales Promotion Employees Act 1976, and Cine Workers Act 1981 | One unified Code, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, with a single set of Maharashtra rules covering all these categories |
| Registration | Separate registration under each Act, largely on paper, with different authorities and formats | Single electronic registration on one state portal, tiered fee from Rs 500 to Rs 10000, with deemed registration if the officer misses the 7 day deadline |
| Contract labour licence threshold | Licence required once 20 or more contract workers were engaged, under the old Contract Labour Act | Threshold raised to 50 or more contract workers on any day |
| Appointment letters | Not consistently required across all these sectors | Mandatory prescribed appointment letter for every employee before they start work |
| Accident and disease reporting | Paper based notices, with timelines that varied from Act to Act | Electronic notice within 12 or 24 hours to the Inspector cum Facilitator, District Magistrate and local police, depending on severity |
| Inspections | Separate inspecting staff appointed under each of the older Acts | One Inspector cum Facilitator carries out risk based, randomised, web based inspections across all covered categories |
| Overtime pay | Rates and caps varied depending on which Act applied | Uniform double rate overtime pay, capped at 144 hours a quarter, across all covered establishments |
| Migrant worker protection | Limited largely to registration and basic conditions under the 1979 Act | Adds a mandatory travel allowance, a toll free helpline, and portal based self registration on an Aadhaar basis |
| Records retention | Varied by Act, often open ended or unclear | Standard 5 year retention for most registers, 3 years for the leave with wages register |
| Settling minor offences | Largely prosecution driven, with limited scope to settle out of court | Structured compounding under the Code: 50% of the maximum fine for penalty only offences, 75% for offences that carry a possible jail term |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Building and other construction work establishments with 10 or more workers
- Motor transport undertakings with 10 or more workers
- Plantations of 5 hectares or more growing tea, coffee, rubber, cinchona or cardamom, or other notified crops
- Audio visual production establishments, such as films, television, web series and advertisements, and their producers
- Beedi and cigar making premises of any size, once licensed under these rules
- Any establishment engaging 50 or more contract workers on any single day, for contractor licensing purposes
- Inter state migrant workers drawing wages up to Rs 18000 a month, or a higher amount if notified later
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments already registered under one of the 8 superseded Acts, who must transition to the new registration within 6 months
- Offices of the Central Government and State Government, except where they engage contract labour as the principal employer
- Domestic service, and institutions that are wholly or substantially charitable, social or philanthropic in nature
- Self employed persons who roll beedis or make cigars in their own private dwelling house
- Small residential construction undertaken by an individual or a group of individuals purely for their own use, where the total cost does not exceed Rs 50 lakh
- Establishments carrying on a hazardous or life threatening activity notified by the Central Government, where coverage applies regardless of the usual worker count threshold
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What are the Maharashtra Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Labour) Rules, 2026?
They are the state level rules that put the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 into practice in Maharashtra, for building and construction work, motor transport, plantations, contract labour, audio visual production, and beedi and cigar making. They cover registration, working hours, registers, accident reporting and licensing for these sectors.
Are these rules already in force in Maharashtra?
Not yet. The Maharashtra government published them as draft rules on 30 April 2026 and invited objections until 14 June 2026. As of this guide, the final notified version has not been issued, so employers should keep watching the Labour Department website before relying on exact numbers.
Which older laws do these draft rules replace?
Once notified, they will replace the Maharashtra rules made under 8 older central Acts, including the Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996, the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act 1979, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970, the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act 1966, the Motor Transport Workers Act 1961, the Working Journalists Act 1955, the Sales Promotion Employees Act 1976, and the Cine Workers Act 1981.
Which establishments must register, and within what time?
Employers of building and construction work, motor transport undertakings, plantations, contract labour, audio visual production and similar establishments with 10 or more workers must register electronically within 60 days of the rules becoming applicable to them. Establishments already registered under one of the older Acts get 6 months from commencement to move to the new registration.
What is the registration fee, and what if I register late?
The fee is tiered by headcount, from around Rs 500 for smaller establishments up to Rs 10000 for the largest. Registering after 60 days brings a late fee on a sliding scale: roughly 25% extra up to 30 days late, 50% up to 60 days late, 75% up to 90 days late, and 100% beyond that.
When must appointment letters be issued?
Every employee needs a written appointment letter in the prescribed form before starting work. For staff already on the rolls without one, the employer has 3 months from the date the rules come into force to issue it.
How quickly must a workplace accident be reported?
A fatal accident must be reported within 12 hours. An injury that keeps someone off work for 48 hours or more must also be reported within 12 hours, counted from when the 48 hour mark is reached. A notifiable disease must be reported immediately.
What is the overtime pay rate, and is there a cap?
Overtime is paid at double the normal wage rate. The rules cap overtime at 144 hours in any quarter.
How long do employers have to keep registers and records?
Most registers, including the employee register, attendance register and wage register, must be kept for 5 calendar years from the last entry. The leave with wages register has a shorter retention period of 3 years.
When is the Annual Return due?
The annual return in the prescribed form is due by 1 February of the year following the calendar year it covers.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → State draft rules – Maharashtra Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Labour) Rules, 2026 (Industry, Energy, Labour and Mining Department) (official)
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020), Ministry of Labour and Employment (official)
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, Notification G.S.R. 345(E), Ministry of Labour and Employment (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.