Labour~14 min read

Wages, Bonus, Gratuity, Maternity

Payment of Wages, Minimum Wages, Bonus, Gratuity, Maternity Benefit — numbers that MCQs love.

Law	Key trigger / number
Payment of Wages Act, 1936	Wage period ≤ 1 month; payment by 7th (if <1000 employed) or 10th day
Minimum Wages Act, 1948	Appropriate government fixes min wages for scheduled employments; revises ≤ 5 years
Payment of Bonus Act, 1965	20+ employees; 8.33% min, 20% max; eligibility ₹21,000 wage ceiling; 30 days work
Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972	10+ employees; 5 years continuous service; 15 days wages × years; max ₹20 lakh
Maternity Benefit Act, 1961	10+ employees; 26 weeks leave (first two children); 6 weeks miscarriage; crèche 50+

Gratuity is payable even before 5 years in case of death or disablement.
Forfeiture of gratuity: wholly or partly for riotous conduct, violence, or offence involving moral turpitude in the course of employment.
Maternity: 12 weeks for woman with 2 or more surviving children; work-from-home may be allowed after the period; nursing breaks.
Bonus: available surplus and allocable surplus determine amount above the floor. Public sector and new establishments have special rules (s.16).
Code on Wages, 2019 subsumes Payment of Wages, Minimum Wages, Bonus and Equal Remuneration Acts — not fully enforced nationwide as a replacement yet; PYQs still test the parent Acts.

Video Lectures & Explanations

Curated educational video lectures explaining this topic for UPSC EPFO

Focus: Authorized deductions, scheduled employment, 8.33% to 20% bonus formula

Focus: Continuous service 240 days (Section 2A), 15/26 formula, 26 weeks paid maternity leave