FundRaksha HR gives Kochi employers GPS check-in on employees' own phones (only inside the office radius, one phone per employee), leave, shift rosters and a payroll that computes PF, ESI, PT and TDS, with payslip PDFs and PF ECR, ESI, bank and Tally files. Kerala profession tax: half-yearly, collected by the local body; take the slab from the corporation. Plans cost ₹49, ₹79 or ₹99 per employee per month plus GST, with a 30-day free trial.
Kochi's workforce and its HR problems
Seafood processing and exports, spices trading, shipping and logistics, IT services and tourism and hospitality are the city's main employers. Peeling and processing sheds employ large, largely women workforces on shifts; hotels and resorts roster staff with rotating week-offs.
Profession tax in Kerala is collected half-yearly by the local body, here the Kochi Corporation or the municipality where your unit sits. Shops and offices register online under the Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1960.
- Processing staff added and released with the fishing season
- Hotel staff on rotating week-offs and split shifts
- Shipping and logistics teams working nights
- Half-yearly PT handled outside payroll
Kerala payroll rules for a Kochi employer
In Kerala profession tax is collected half-yearly by the local body (the corporation, municipality or panchayat where the office sits), and the employer deducts it from salary. The rates were revised from October 2024. We did not find the revised table on an official portal we could open, so take the current slab from your local body or the Local Self Government Department's tax portal before the first run.
Shops and establishments. The Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1960 applies to shops and offices. The Labour Commissionerate offers online registration under the Act at lc.kerala.gov.in. The four Labour Codes have been in force since 21 November 2025; state Shops and Establishments Acts continue alongside them.
ESI covers employees earning up to ₹21,000 a month (employee 0.75%, employer 3.25%); PF is 12% from each side. Check cases with the PF and ESI calculators.
How FundRaksha HR handles it in Kochi
- Excel import and company-code invites for seasonal staff
- Week-offs, holidays and shift rosters per person or per roster
- Forgotten check-outs closed at night and flagged
- Payroll with PF, ESI and TDS; set up the half-yearly PT during the trial with the FundRaksha HR team
Admins work from the mobile app or the web console, and PAN, Aadhaar and bank numbers are encrypted and masked.
Worked example: a resort with 45 staff
A resort near Fort Kochi has 45 staff across front office, kitchen, housekeeping and maintenance. Nobody gets a fixed Sunday off: week-offs rotate by department. Twelve housekeeping staff are within ESI.
On Pro at ₹79 per employee (₹3,555 a month plus GST), the roster handles rotating week-offs and late marks, payroll covers PF and ESI, and the half-yearly PT is set to the Kochi Corporation's current slab.
Getting started: a one-week checklist
- Import employees from Excel and invite them with your company code.
- Add each Kochi office, plant or site with its GPS radius.
- Set attendance rules, holidays, week-offs and shifts.
- Enter salary structures and confirm the Kerala PT treatment on a test month.
- Run payroll, check payslips, then download the PF ECR, ESI, bank and Tally files.
See the salary slip format, FundRaksha in Kochi and the plans.
Sources
- hr.fundraksha.com (features, checked 21 October 2026)
- hr.fundraksha.com/pricing (plans and 30-day free trial, checked 21 October 2026)
- www.esic.gov.in/coverage (wage limit ₹21,000 a month)
- lc.kerala.gov.in (online registration under the Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments
- tax.lsgkerala.gov.in (Local Self Government Department tax services)
- src/seo/data/cities.js (city industries)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-21. Information for Indian businesses; not legal advice.