What the template contains
- Document header: establishment name and address, principal employer name, your firm's name with contract labour licence number and validity, the work order or contract reference, the wage period, and the month and year the sheet covers.
- Worker master block: serial number, full name, father's or spouse name, worker or token ID, UAN and ESIC IP number where applicable, designation or nature of work, skill category (unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled), and date of engagement.
- Daily attendance grid: one column per calendar day (1 to 31) with in-time, out-time, and a single attendance mark per day for each worker.
- Attendance code legend: a fixed key such as P present, A absent, WO weekly off, H holiday, L paid leave, HD half day, so every mark is unambiguous at audit.
- Overtime row or column: extra hours worked beyond the normal working day, recorded against the day they were worked, kept separate from normal hours.
- Wage-period totals: days present, days absent, paid leave taken, leave earned, weekly offs, festival or national holidays, and total overtime hours for each worker.
- Verification and signatures: worker attendance signature or thumb impression, timekeeper or supervisor sign-off, authorised contractor signatory, and a principal employer verification block.
- Footer: place, date of certification, and a retention reference so the completed sheet can be filed with your other statutory registers.
How to use it
- Fill the header first: establishment, principal employer, your firm's name and contract labour licence number, the work order reference, and the wage period you have fixed.
- Enter each worker once in the master block with name, ID, skill category, and date of engagement, and keep the serial order stable across the whole month.
- Mark attendance the same day, every day, using a single code from the legend, with in-time and out-time so the hours are verifiable later.
- Record overtime hours in the OT row against the day they were worked, kept separate from the normal working hours.
- At the end of the wage period, total each worker's present days, paid leave, weekly offs, holidays, and overtime hours.
- Get the sheet signed: worker acknowledgement, supervisor, your authorised signatory, and the principal employer's verification block.
- Carry the totals straight into your wages register and bank-transfer payment so paid days match attendance exactly.
- File the completed sheet with your other statutory registers and keep it ready to produce on inspection.
Key fields and clauses
| Field or clause | What to put |
|---|---|
| Contractor licence number | The licence under which you supply the labour; print it on every muster so the record ties back to your licence and the correct principal employer. |
| Wage period | The pay cycle you fixed (not exceeding one month); the muster must cover exactly this period and no more. |
| Attendance code legend | A fixed key (P, A, WO, H, L, HD) so each day's mark is unambiguous for both pay and audit. |
| In-time and out-time | Actual hours worked per day; the basis for the normal working day and for calculating any overtime. |
| Overtime hours | Extra hours beyond the normal working day, recorded per day and payable at the overtime rate. |
| Days present and leave earned | The period totals that drive wages and paid-leave accrual (broadly one day of leave for every twenty days worked). |
| Principal employer verification block | The principal employer's counter-check of attendance, which supports the wage-payment backstop if the contractor defaults. |
| UAN and ESIC IP number | Worker social security identifiers, so attendance ties cleanly to PF and ESI contributions. |
| Certification and retention | Place, date, and signatures certifying the record, so it can be filed as a statutory register and produced on inspection. |
Why this document matters
Contract labour is governed by the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Chapter XI), which subsumed the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 when the labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025. The Code requires maintenance of registers, records, and filing of returns (Chapter VIII, section 33), and a day-by-day muster is the base attendance record behind that duty. Attendance feeds the contractor's responsibility for payment of wages (section 55), extra wages for overtime (section 27), the normal daily and weekly working hours (section 25), and annual leave with wages (Chapter VII, broadly one day of leave for every twenty days worked). Where the contractor fails to pay, the principal employer is liable to pay the contract labour and can recover the amount from the contractor, so a verified muster protects both sides. Chapter XI Part I applies to establishments with fifty or more contract labour (section 45), but the exact register or form format and the applicability thresholds are set by the appropriate government's notified rules and vary by state. Confirm the current form number and the threshold that applies to you against your state's notified rules before relying on this template.
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Get the templateCommon questions
Do I legally need a muster roll for contract labour?
Yes. The OSH Code, 2020 requires establishments and contractors to maintain registers, records, and returns (Chapter VIII, section 33), and a day-by-day muster is the base attendance record behind wages, overtime, and leave. The exact form is prescribed under the rules notified by the appropriate government, so check your state's notified format before finalising yours.
Who maintains and signs the muster, the contractor or the principal employer?
As the contractor you maintain the muster for the workers you supply and are responsible for paying their wages (section 55). It is best practice to have the principal employer counter-verify attendance, because if you default, the principal employer becomes liable to pay the workers and then recovers that amount from you.
Can I keep the muster digitally, and for how long?
The OSH Code and its rules provide for electronic maintenance and filing of records, so a digital muster is generally acceptable if it stays accurate, tamper-evident, and can be produced on inspection. Retention periods are set by the notified rules, so keep completed sheets with your other statutory registers and confirm the exact retention period against your state's rules.