Minimum wages in Odisha: current rates (from 1 October 2026)

Minimum wage rates in Odisha (from 1 October 2026)

Labour Commissioner, Odisha, notification No. 8393/LC dated 8 October 2026: the CPI-IW average rose from 147.50 to 149.80 (2.30 points at ₹2.60 a point), so VDA rises by ₹6 a day from 1 October 2026. The basic rates (₹450, ₹500, ₹550 and ₹600 a day) were fixed by Labour & ESI Department notification No. 5308 dated 18 July 2024 (Odisha Gazette Extraordinary No. 1367) for 89 scheduled employments; item 77 is shops and commercial establishments (with salons, xerox shops and similar), and hotels and restaurants are item 35. The rates are all-inclusive daily rates that include the weekly rest day.

Odisha fixes daily rates and prints no monthly rate. Because the daily rate includes the weekly rest day, a monthly-paid employee should get at least the daily rate for every day of the wage period; the figures above are our arithmetic for 26 and 30 days.

Zones and who is covered

One rate applies across the State. Work is 8 hours a day plus half an hour of rest, and the rates apply equally to workers employed through contractors.

Minimum wages apply to every employee, whether paid monthly, daily or by the hour, permanent, temporary or through a contractor. Under the Code on Wages, 2019 the employer must pay at least the notified rate for the category and area. If you use a contractor, check that contract workers are paid at least the same rates.

Worked example

A Bhubaneswar distributor pays a daily-rated loader (unskilled) and a skilled electrician in October 2026.

• Loader for 26 days: ₹478 × 26 = ₹12,428 at least. ESI: employee ₹94 and employer ₹404 (rounded up).
• Electrician for 26 days: ₹578 × 26 = ₹15,028 at least.
• Anyone paid at the September rate (₹472) in October is short ₹6 a day and owed arrears.

Compliance checklist for employers

1. Classify every employee in the notification's categories (unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled or the staff grades) based on the actual work, not the job title alone.
2. Compare gross wages for normal hours with the rate for the employee's zone, before PF, ESI and other deductions.
3. Revise payroll from the first day of each new rate or VDA period and pay arrears for any period already paid at the old rate.
4. Pay overtime at twice the ordinary rate for work beyond normal hours, as the Code on Wages requires.
5. Keep wage registers and payslips that show the rate, days worked and deductions.

Minimum wage revisions move PF and ESI too: PF is 12% of wages up to ₹25,000, and ESI applies while gross wages are within ₹21,000 a month.

Keep payroll in step with each revision

Check take-home pay with the salary calculator, the employer and employee shares with the PF calculator and ESI calculator, and show every deduction clearly using the salary slip format. Work out pay for part months with the per-day salary calculator and extra hours with the overtime calculator. FundRaksha HR turns attendance and leave into paid days, calculates salary with PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS, and issues payslip PDFs, so a VDA revision is a rate change in one place rather than in every row of a spreadsheet. If you are choosing a tool, see our comparison of the best payroll software in India, and compare every State on the minimum wages by state page.

Sources

• labourdirectorate.odisha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2026-10/8393.pdf
• labour.odisha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-07/1367-Gazette-Time%20rate.pdf