The Government of Bihar, Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, has issued Notification No. 03/CW-03/2026, L&R-238, dated 3 November 2026, revising minimum wages with effect from 1 October 2026.
Employers should review October payroll and calculate any shortfall from the effective date, wherever wages paid fall below the revised applicable minimum.
Legal basis
The notification invokes Section 6 of the Code on Wages, 2019, read with Rule 5 of the Code on Wages (Bihar) Rules, 2026. Employers should verify the appropriate-government jurisdiction and worker classification before applying Bihar State rates.
Revised minimum wage rates
Worker category | Previous daily rate | VDA increase | Revised daily rate | Monthly equivalent × 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Unskilled | ₹436 | ₹7 | ₹443 | ₹11,518 |
Semi-skilled | ₹452 | ₹7 | ₹459 | ₹11,934 |
Skilled | ₹551 | ₹9 | ₹560 | ₹14,560 |
Highly skilled | ₹672 | ₹10 | ₹682 | ₹17,732 |
The monthly equivalents above are calculated using the notification’s conversion rule. The VDA column represents the current increase over the previous rate, rather than the entire accumulated VDA.
Key conditions
The notification expressly provides that daily rates must be multiplied by 26 to obtain monthly rates, while monthly rates must be divided by 26 to obtain daily rates.
The rates include remuneration for the weekly rest day within a seven-day period. Work performed on a weekly rest day and overtime must be paid according to Rules 6 and 7 of the Bihar Rules, 2026.
Male and female workers are entitled to the same wage rate for the same or similar work.
The notification describes the calculation as provisional, based on the average All-India Consumer Price Index, with ex-post facto approval to be obtained after constitution of the State Advisory Board. It nevertheless expressly specifies 1 October 2026 as the effective date.