Labour Law & Business Compliance Knowledge Hub
Plain-English reference material on statutory compliance for Indian businesses — provident fund, ESI, professional tax, minimum wages, licences, factory and shop registrations, wages, bonus and gratuity. Written by SafePoint's consultants, useful whether or not you work with us.
Last Updated: 2026-09-06 · Information is based on applicable laws, rules, notifications and government sources and should be verified for the latest amendments.
PF
EPF registration, contribution rates, ECR filing, due dates and audits.
- All IndiaPF Rules in India — What Every Employer Should KnowThe Employees' Provident Fund is a retirement savings scheme funded jointly by the employer and the employee, administered by EPFO under the EPF & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.Read guide
- All IndiaPF Contribution Rate — Employee and Employer ShareThe standard rate is 12% of PF wages from the employee and a matching 12% from the employer, with the employer share further split between the pension scheme and the provident fund.Read guide
- All IndiaPF Eligibility — Which Employees Must Be EnrolledEligibility works at two levels: whether the establishment is covered, and then which employees within it must be enrolled.Read guide
- All IndiaHow PF Is CalculatedPF is calculated on PF wages, not on gross salary or CTC. Getting the wage definition right is most of the work.Read guide
- All IndiaPF Due Date and Late Payment ConsequencesPF for a wage month must be paid by the 15th of the following month, along with the ECR upload.Read guide
- All IndiaPF Registration — Process and DocumentsEPF registration is completed online through the Shram Suvidha portal and results in an establishment code used for all future filings.Read guide
- All IndiaPF Compliance Checklist for EmployersUse this as a monthly routine — most PF notices arise from small omissions repeated over several months.Read guide
ESIC
ESI coverage, contribution rates, returns, benefits and inspections.
- All IndiaESIC Rules — Employer's Guide to the ESI SchemeESI is a contributory health insurance and social security scheme for employees drawing wages up to the notified limit, run by ESIC under the ESI Act, 1948.Read guide
- All IndiaESIC Contribution RateThe employee contributes 0.75% of wages and the employer 3.25% — a total of 4% of wages of covered employees.Read guide
- All IndiaHow ESI Contribution Is CalculatedESI is calculated on gross wages as defined under the Act — a wider base than PF wages.Read guide
- All IndiaESIC Eligibility CriteriaTwo tests apply — the establishment must be covered, and the individual employee must be within the wage limit.Read guide
- All IndiaESI Due Date and Late PaymentESI contribution for a wage month is payable by the 15th of the following month.Read guide
- All IndiaESIC Registration — Process and DocumentsESI registration is done online and results in a 17-digit employer code used for all contributions and returns.Read guide
- All IndiaESI Compliance ChecklistMost ESI notices arise from unregistered employees and missing accident reporting, not from the contribution itself.Read guide
Professional Tax
State PTax enrolment, registration, slabs and returns.
- All IndiaProfessional Tax Rules in IndiaProfessional Tax is a state-level tax on income from profession, trade, calling or employment. Rates, slabs, forms and due dates differ from state to state.Read guide
- West BengalProfessional Tax in West BengalWest Bengal levies Professional Tax under the West Bengal State Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments Act, 1979, administered by the Directorate of Commercial Taxes.Read guide
- All IndiaProfessional Tax Slabs ExplainedSlabs are fixed by each state on monthly salary bands, capped at ₹2,500 per person per year across all states.Read guide
- West BengalProfessional Tax Registration ProcessRegistration is done online on the state commercial tax portal and generally issues within a few working days.Read guide
- West BengalProfessional Tax Return FilingEmployers holding a Registration Certificate must file periodic returns declaring the tax deducted and deposited.Read guide
- All IndiaProfessional Tax Due DatesPTax due dates are state-specific — employer deduction is usually monthly and enrolment tax is usually annual.Read guide
- West BengalCalculating Professional Tax on SalaryPTax is a flat slab amount, not a percentage — the calculation is simply matching gross salary to the right band each month.Read guide
Minimum Wages
State schedules, VDA revisions and wage structuring.
- All IndiaMinimum Wages in IndiaMinimum wages are fixed by the appropriate government for each scheduled employment and skill category, and revised periodically through variable dearness allowance.Read guide
- West BengalMinimum Wages in West BengalWest Bengal notifies minimum wage rates for each scheduled employment through the Labour Department, and revises them periodically.Read guide
- West BengalMinimum Wages for Establishments in KolkataKolkata establishments follow the West Bengal minimum wage notifications; the practical difficulty is classification and contractor compliance, not the rate itself.Read guide
- All IndiaReading and Applying Minimum Wage RatesA notification has several moving parts — misreading any one of them creates a wage shortfall across the whole workforce.Read guide
Labour Laws
Core statutes, the Labour Codes, registers and returns.
- All IndiaStatutory Registers and ReturnsRegisters are the evidence of compliance. In an inspection, an unmaintained register is treated as non-compliance even when the underlying payments were correct.Read guide
- All IndiaLabour Law Compliance in IndiaLabour compliance is a set of registrations, monthly contributions, registers, periodic returns and inspection readiness — spread across central and state laws.Read guide
- All IndiaStatutory Compliance Due DatesRecurring deadlines in one place, so nothing depends on someone remembering it.Read guide
Licences
Trade licence, labour licence and statutory registrations.
- All IndiaLabour Licence — Requirement, Process and DocumentsIn common usage, 'labour licence' refers to the licence a contractor must hold under the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act to supply or engage contract labour.Read guide
- West BengalLabour Licence in West BengalWest Bengal contractor licences are issued by the Labour Department, on the basis of a Form V certificate from the principal employer.Read guide
CLRA
Contract labour licences, principal employer duties and returns.
- All IndiaCLRA Registration for Principal EmployersAn establishment engaging contract labour at or above the notified threshold must obtain a registration certificate before engaging contractors.Read guide
- All IndiaCLRA Licence for ContractorsThe licence authorises a contractor to engage a specified number of contract workmen at a specified establishment.Read guide
- All IndiaCLRA Compliance for Principal Employers and ContractorsThe principal employer carries residual liability, so vendor compliance verification is as important as its own filings.Read guide
Factory
Factories Act licensing, plan approval and renewals.
- All IndiaFactory Licence Under the Factories ActA factory licence is the registration of premises under the Factories Act, 1948, granted by the State Chief Inspector of Factories.Read guide
- West BengalFactory Licence in West BengalIn West Bengal, factory plan approval and licensing are handled by the Directorate of Factories under the Labour Department.Read guide
- All IndiaFactory Licence Registration ProcessRegistration is a sequence — plan approval, licence, then the statutory registers and returns that follow.Read guide
- All IndiaDocuments Required for a Factory LicenceThe exact list is set by state rules, but the core set below is common across states.Read guide
Shops & Establishment
S&E registration, renewals and shop-level obligations.
- All IndiaShops and Establishment Act — Registration and ObligationsEvery state has its own Shops and Establishment Act governing offices, shops and commercial establishments — registration is usually the first licence a new business needs.Read guide
- West BengalShops and Establishment Registration in West BengalWest Bengal establishments register under the West Bengal Shops and Establishments Act, 1963, administered by the Labour Department.Read guide
- All IndiaShops and Establishment Registration — Documents and ProcessThe document set is short, but mismatched address proof is the most common reason applications are returned.Read guide
Payments & Wages
Bonus, gratuity, wages, LWF and employee compensation.
- All IndiaPayment of Wages — Employer ObligationsWage payment law governs when wages must be paid, what may be deducted and what records prove it.Read guide
- All IndiaStatutory Bonus Under the Payment of Bonus ActEmployees in covered establishments drawing wages within the eligibility limit are entitled to a statutory bonus of at least 8.33% of wages for the accounting year.Read guide
- All IndiaGratuity Under the Payment of Gratuity ActGratuity is a lump sum payable to an employee on exit after continuous service of five years, calculated on last drawn wages.Read guide
- All IndiaEmployees' Compensation for Workplace InjuryWhere ESI does not apply, the Employees' Compensation Act places direct liability on the employer for injury or death arising out of and in the course of employment.Read guide
Other Compliance
DSC, POSH, business registrations and allied filings.
- All IndiaLabour Welfare Fund (LWF)LWF is a state-level welfare levy with small employee and employer contributions, collected half-yearly or annually depending on the state.Read guide
- All IndiaClass 3 Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)A Class 3 DSC is required to sign most statutory registrations and filings on government portals.Read guide
- All IndiaRegistrations a New Business NeedsA short, ordered list for a new establishment — obtained in sequence, these avoid most first-year notices.Read guide