Minimum Wages in UP 2026: A Comprehensive Guide

Uttar Pradesh made big changes this year to its wage floor. While the workers of Noida and Greater Noida started demanding higher wages in April 2026, within a few days, the state came up with new rates that upped the minimum wage by about 21%.

If you are a business owner, manage payroll, or work on a daily wage basis in the state, the data you have is likely to be out of date. Once you have the new rates, a free payslip maker makes it easy to generate payslips that show the correct wages.

This guide provides more information on minimum wage in UP 2026 by zone and skill, the April notification, pending information for October, and a comparison of central (CLC) rates.

Minimum Wages in UP 2026: Current Rates

From 1 April 2026, Uttar Pradesh has implemented labour wages rates, rather than a single universal rate, across three categories of salaries for its workers. 

The monthly rates shown below, which have the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) built in, are sourced from the state notification dated 17 April 2026. To get the daily wage or labour rate, one can divide the monthly amount shown below by 26. The daily values are rounded off.

The order does not set a separate highly skilled rate. These rates were fixed for 1 April to 30 September 2026.

Noida Minimum Wages 2026 and the Three Categories

In the first group of categories, there are only two districts: Gautam Buddha Nagar, which includes Noida and Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad. In this area, unskilled employees earn a base salary of ₹12,885 and ₹805 in Dearness Allowance, which means they earn ₹13,690 in total. 

The second category of districts includes all others with a nagar nigam associated with them. For instance, it includes Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Meerut. The third category consists of the rest of the state.

Therefore, the same unskilled job can pay more than ₹1,300 in salary if it is in Noida than in any smaller town. It’s important to bear in mind that the salary rate applies to the location of the employee’s job, not where the employer is registered.

Why UP Revised Wages in April 2026

The state of Haryana announced an increase in minimum wages in UP 35%, effective from 01 April 2026, leaving employees in Noida earning nearly ₹4,000 less than their equivalents in Gurgaon and Faridabad. This resulted in violent demonstrations taking place in Noida and Greater Noida on 13 April. 

The government constituted a high-powered committee, approved the three-category system together with employers and workers, and issued Order No. 374/36-2-2026-2041256 dated 17 April 2026, as an interim relief under section 3(b) of the U.P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, with retrospective effect from 01 April and applicable to 74 scheduled employments (excluding brick kilns for payment per piece of work). 

Minimum Wages in UP 2019 vs 2026

Numerous people are still asking for minimum wage statistics from UP 2019, as well as former tables that have appeared yet again. The information is now considered obsolete. According to the April 2026 notice, the inflation adjustment that should have taken place in 2019 and 2024 has never occurred and has led to further differences. The diagram below depicts the dynamics of the unskilled wage rate over the years.

Central Minimum Wages and CLC Rates from 1 October 2026

Central organizations such as railways, mines, major ports, banks, public sector undertaking companies and their contractors pay wages according to the minimum wages central rates instead of state rates. 

The latest circular pertaining to minimum wages issued by the Central Labour Commissioner (CLC) is Labour Bureau Order No. 6/1/2026-VDA dated 30 September 2026, valid from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. It can be found on clc.gov.in. Below are the rates payable on a daily basis for construction, cleaning, and loading work.

An unqualified worker who works in Noida receives a wage of ₹840 per day or approximately ₹21,840 in a month based on 26 working days, which is considerably more than the prescribed rate of ₹13,690 in the state. It may be noted that in April 2026, the same worker engaged in the same job worked for a wage of ₹827. Notably, the majority of the private sector in the state of UP is not considered part of the central sphere of employment and follows state rates.

India’s minimum wage is currently ₹178 each day, which equals ₹4,628 each month. This is an advisory rate only. The Code of Wages provides the authority to create floor rates that must be followed. A Central Advisory Board (CAB) was created on July 21st, 2026 to provide recommendations. However, as of October 1st, no such floor rates have been created.

Minimum Salary in India as per Labour Law 2026

The Code on Wages, 2019, took effect on November 21, 2025, and replaced the Minimum Wages Act of 1948. This new code will apply to every worker in each industry sector, including workers employed in offices and the information technology sector.

The new code has also brought about a new definition of basic salary set to come into effect in 2026; if allowances like HRA and conveyance exceed 50% of total salary, the excess will be taken as wages for PF, gratuity, and bonus.

Penalties for Paying Below Minimum Wage

According to the Code on Wages legislation, underpayment is punishable by a maximum fine of ₹50,000. If the offender commits the same illegal act again within five years, he/she can face a prison sentence of up to three months and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh, or both. Additionally, he/she may receive a compensation order of up to ten times the owed sum. A fine of up to ₹10,000 will apply for not maintaining wage records too.

Quick Compliance Checklist for UP Employers

• Link every worker to a type of district (I, II or III) depending on their place of work.
• Determine skill level depending on the work performed, not the job position.
• Look out for the order of October 2026 and be prepared to make payments due from 1 October.
• Generate pay slips in Form IX using the salary slip template.

FAQs

What is the minimum wage in UP in 2026?

As of 1st April 2026, the minimum wages for unskilled work are ₹13,690 per month in both Noida and Ghaziabad, ₹13,006 in other nagar nigam districts, and ₹12,356 in the rest of the country.

What are the Noida minimum wages in 2026?

Noida is classified in Category – I: ₹13,690 is payable for unskilled work, ₹15,059 for semi-skilled work, and ₹16,868 for skilled work in this month.

Has UP released the October 2026 minimum wage rates?

No. As of October 15, 2026, the situation remains the same; the new rates have yet to come into effect, and the new payment may be made together with arrears as soon as the new order comes.

Do the CLC rates apply to private companies in UP?

The wages apply only in the central sphere. Most employers in the private sector follow the regulations of state governments.