Employers processing October payroll in Meghalaya should review the revised minimum wages, including Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), effective from 1 October 2026.
The Government of Meghalaya, Department of Labour, Employment & Skill Development, has issued Notification No. LE&SD.9/2023/Pt/33 dated 8 October 2026, revising minimum wages across four skill categories. The notification invokes Section 6 of the Code on Wages, 2019.
Although issued on 8 October, the notification expressly makes the revised rates effective from 1 October 2026. Payroll teams should therefore apply the revision from the beginning of October.
Revised minimum wages
Category | Basic wage per day (₹) | Revised VDA per day (₹) | Total minimum wage per day (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
Unskilled | 525 | 39 | 564 |
Semi-skilled | 565 | 43 | 608 |
Skilled | 605 | 45 | 650 |
Highly skilled | 645 | 48 | 693 |
The total rate already includes VDA. For example, the skilled-category rate is ₹605 basic wage plus ₹45 VDA, totalling ₹650 per day.
Who does the notification cover?
The notification describes employees performing manual, operational, supervisory, managerial, administrative, technical or clerical work for hire or reward across skill categories in Meghalaya. Establishments should confirm the applicable wage jurisdiction before implementing these state rates.
Classification deserves particular attention. The notification distinguishes categories by the experience, training, competence, supervision and responsibility required:
Unskilled: Work involving simple operating experience without further skills.
Semi-skilled: Work requiring skills gained through experience, performed under skilled supervision or guidance.
Skilled: Work requiring competence acquired through experience or training, together with initiative and judgment.
Highly skilled: Work requiring intensive technical or professional training, or substantial practical experience, with responsibility for decisions.
Employers should assess actual duties against these descriptions when reviewing employee and contractor classifications.
Working hours, weekly rest and overtime
The notification also specifies that:
Existing working hours of 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week continue until further orders.
The minimum rates include wages payable for the weekly day of rest.
Overtime wages must be double the ordinary rate of wages.
Revised rates are inclusive of VDA but exclusive of other concessions enjoyed by employees.
Rates will be revised every six months through Consumer Price Index-linked VDA. VDA has been rounded up to the next higher rupee.
This notification supersedes Notification No. LE&SD.9/2023/Pt/26 dated 1 May 2026.
What should employers do now?
Review skill classifications, update October payroll masters, check contractor wage sheets and overtime calculations, and identify any shortfall arising from 1 October. Where October wages have already been processed, calculate and settle the applicable difference and retain the supporting reconciliation.
Official notification: Government of Meghalaya—Minimum Wages Revision, October 2026