Free · no sign-up · nothing storedLaw checked 17 October 2026

New Labour Codes Applicability Checker: What Applies at Your Headcount

Which labour laws apply at how many employees in India?

Under the Labour Codes in force since 21 November 2025: appointment letters and wage-payment rules apply at any size; the OSH Code, ESI, gratuity, maternity benefit and a POSH Internal Committee at 10; EPF, bonus and a Grievance Redressal Committee at 20; a creche and contract-labour rules at 50; a canteen at 100; and standing orders and Government permission to lay off, retrench or close at 300 workers.

The Labour Codes replaced 29 laws, but the duties still switch on at headcount lines, and each line counts different people: employees, workers, or workers plus contract labour.

Enter your numbers and the type of establishment; the checker lists every duty that applies and the next thresholds you would cross.

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Built by Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Thresholds read from the texts of the four Codes; rows taken from the Central Rules 2026 are marked.

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Your establishment

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Excludes managerial and administrative staff, and supervisors earning over Rs 18,000 a month.

    Employees, workers and contract labour

    An employee is anyone employed for wages. A worker is narrower: it leaves out people employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity, and supervisors earning more than Rs 18,000 a month (IR Code s.2, OSH Code s.2). Standing orders, retrenchment permission and most OSH welfare duties count workers; EPF, ESI, gratuity and bonus count employees; the canteen rule and the contract labour Part count contract workers too. Count on the day that matters: most thresholds look at any day in the preceding 12 months, and the lay-off and retrenchment rules at the average.

    What changed on 21 November 2025

    The threshold for standing orders and for Government permission to retrench or close rose from 100 to 300 workers. Fixed-term employees became entitled to gratuity without five years' service. Annual leave now starts after 180 days of work, not 240, and all dues on exit must be paid within two working days. Retrenchment adds 15 days' wages to a Worker Re-skilling Fund. The Central Rules were notified on 8 May 2026, and the EPF wage ceiling rose to Rs 25,000 from 17 September 2026.

    Before you rely on this

    What this will not tell you

    This is a first map, not a compliance audit. States can raise some thresholds (for example the 300 for retrenchment permission) and have their own rules under each Code; mines, plantations, docks, construction and hazardous processes have further duties; and State Shops and Establishments Acts continue alongside the Codes. Rows marked S come from summaries of the Central Rules 2026, not the gazette text. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

    Questions

    Questions people actually ask

    Are the new labour codes in force?

    Yes. All four Codes came into force on 21 November 2025, and the Central Rules were notified on 8 May 2026.

    How many employees are needed for EPF?

    20 or more employees. From 17 September 2026 contributions are on wages up to Rs 25,000 a month.

    How many employees are needed for ESI?

    10 or more employees, covering those earning up to Rs 21,000 a month. In notified hazardous work it can apply at any size.

    When do standing orders apply under the IR Code?

    To industrial establishments with 300 or more workers. The same 300 line triggers prior Government permission for lay-off, retrenchment and closure.

    Is gratuity payable to fixed-term employees?

    Yes. Under the Code on Social Security, fixed-term employees get gratuity pro rata on the expiry of their contract without needing five years' service.

    Does a company with fewer than 10 employees need a POSH committee?

    No Internal Committee is required below 10 workers; complaints go to the district's Local Committee.

    Where every rule comes from

    Sources

    The Code texts were read on 17 October 2026 from PRS Legislative Research copies, because the official India Code site refused our connection. Rows from the Central Rules come from published summaries and are marked S.

    1. Industrial Relations Code 2020 (Act 35 of 2020), PRS copy: https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_parliament/2020/Industrial%20Relations%20Code,%202020.pdf
    2. Code on Social Security 2020 (Act 36 of 2020), PRS copy: https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_parliament/2020/Code%20On%20Social%20Security,%202020.pdf
    3. Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020 (Act 37 of 2020), PRS copy: https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_parliament/2020/Occupational%20Safety,%20Health%20And%20Working%20Conditions%20Code,%202020.pdf
    4. Code on Wages 2019, Bill text, PRS copy: https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/bills_parliament/2019/Code%20on%20Wages,%202019.pdf
    5. PIB press release, 21 November 2025: the four Labour Codes made effective: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2192463
    6. PRS: Code on Wages (Central) Rules 2026: https://prsindia.org/billtrack/code-on-wages-central-rules-2026
    7. OSH Central Rules 2026 FAQ (Acuity Law): https://acuitylaw.co.in/faqs/faqs-on-the-occupational-safety-health-and-working-conditions-code-2020-and-the-occupational-safety-health-and-working-conditions-central-rules-2026/
    8. EPF wage ceiling raised to Rs 25,000 (BDO India alert): https://www.bdo.in/en-gb/insights/alerts-updates/alert-new-epf-ceiling-hiked
    9. Ministry FAQs on the four Labour Codes (SCC Online summary): https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2026/04/26/ministry-faqs-four-labour-codes-india-2026/
    Citation

    Cite this tool

    Free to use and free to quote. If a figure here is useful in something you are writing, a link back is all that is asked.

    Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Labour Codes Applicability Checker (India). Shahzeb Speaks. https://www.shahzebspeaks.com/labour-codes-applicability-checker-india/

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