Haryana Government, Labour Department, has published draft rules in supersession of the Punjab Payment of Wages Rules, 1937, the Punjab Payment of Wages (Procedure) Rules, 1965, and the Punjab Minimum Wages Rules, 1950, as applicable to the State of Haryana. All provisions of the Code on Wages, 2019 were brought into force vide Central Notification S.O. 5322(E) dated November 21, 2025. Objections and suggestions on the draft rules are to be submitted within thirty days of publication.

The draft rules are titled the Code on Wages (Haryana) Rules, 2026 and extend to the whole State of Haryana. The key provisions are as follows.

Minimum Wages: The minimum rate of wages shall be fixed on a daily basis considering a standard working class family of four (equivalent to three adult consumption units), net intake of 2,700 calories per day, 66 metres of cloth per year, housing rent at 10% of food and clothing expenditure, fuel and miscellaneous at 20%, and education, medical, and contingencies at 25% of minimum wage. Daily wages shall be divided by eight for hourly rate and multiplied by twenty-six for monthly rate. The State Government shall not fix minimum wages for State Government employees under the Code.

A technical committee chaired by the Labour Commissioner, Haryana, shall advise the State Government on skill categorisation of occupations. The dearness allowance shall be revised twice yearly, before April 1 and October 1, based on the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers.

Working Hours and Rest: Normal working hours and spread over shall be as per general or special order issued from time to time. Employees in a six-day week shall ordinarily have Sunday as a rest day; employees in a less-than-six-day week shall have Saturday and Sunday. Substituted rest days are permitted, provided no employee works more than ten consecutive days without a rest day. Wages for rest days and overtime shall be as prescribed under Rule 7.

Payment of Wages: Recovery of excess deductions beyond 50% of wages shall be carried forward to succeeding wage periods. Fines shall require prior approval of the Deputy Labour Commissioner, to be disposed of within thirty days. Deductions for damages shall be intimated to the employee within fifteen days. Advance recoveries shall not exceed 50% of wages in any wage period.

Haryana State Advisory Board: The Board shall consist of seven employer representatives, seven employee representatives, and independent members including the Labour Minister as Chairperson. Independent members shall not exceed one-third of total members; one-third of total members shall be women. The term of office of non-official members shall be two years, with eligibility for re-nomination for not more than two terms in total. Quorum requires at least one-third of members including one representative each of employers and employees.

Payment of Dues: Undisbursed dues where no nomination exists shall be deposited with the Deputy Labour Commissioner within fifteen days after the expiry of six months from the date the amount became payable. Amounts unclaimed for seven years shall be dealt with as directed by the State Government.

Forms and Registers: Employers shall maintain an Employee Register (Form VI), Register of Wages, Overtime, Advances, Fines and Deductions (Form I), and Attendance Register-cum-Muster Roll (Form VII), either electronically or in physical form. Wage slips in Form VIII shall be issued on or before payment. Registers shall be preserved for five years from the date of last entry. Annual returns shall be filed electronically.

Composition of Offences: Compoundable offences may be compounded for 50% of the maximum fine prescribed under the Code, to be paid within thirty days of the composition order.

Occupation Schedule: Schedule A prescribes categorisation of occupations into Unskilled, Semi-Skilled, Skilled, and Highly Skilled. The State Government may update Schedule A on the advice of the technical committee by modifying, adding, or deleting entries.