This page shows the current applicable minimum wage for workers employed in Shops and Establishments in Karnataka. If you run or work in a shop, office, or eating house in Karnataka, the rates below tell you what must be paid, broken down by skill category and zone.
Minimum wage rates for Shops and Establishments in Karnataka
| Category of worker | Zone I | Zone II | Zone III | Zone IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Un-skilled | ₹620.66 | ₹599.43 | ₹579.22 | ₹559.97 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹665.22 | ₹641.88 | ₹619.65 | ₹598.47 |
| Skilled | ₹714.25 | ₹688.57 | ₹664.11 | ₹640.82 |
| Highly-skilled | ₹768.18 | ₹739.93 | ₹713.03 | ₹687.41 |
Rates effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
What counts as Shops and Establishments
The Shops and Establishments category covers workers employed in retail shops, commercial offices, eating houses, and other trading or service premises registered under the Karnataka Shops and Establishments legislation. It spans front-counter selling and customer service as well as the back-office, stores, and support staff who keep a commercial premises running.
- Retail shops and department or general stores
- Commercial offices and business establishments
- Restaurants, cafes, and other eating houses
- Hotels, lodges, and boarding houses
- Wholesale outlets and godowns attached to shops
- Service establishments such as salons, laundries, and repair centres
Typical roles and skill categories
- Salesperson or sales assistant
- Cashier and billing clerk
- Counter and floor attendant
- Store manager or shop supervisor
- Packer, loader, and helper
- Delivery and dispatch staff
- Accounts and office clerk
- Housekeeping and cleaning staff
- Security guard
In this employment, unskilled rates typically apply to helpers, packers, loaders, and cleaning staff, while semi-skilled rates cover counter attendants, delivery staff, and junior sales assistants. Skilled rates usually map to cashiers, experienced salespersons, and accounts clerks, and highly-skilled rates apply to store managers and supervisors who hold independent charge of a section or premises.
Who fixes this wage
Shops and Establishments is a notified scheduled employment for which the Karnataka government fixes minimum wages by skill category: unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, and highly-skilled. Rates are commonly notified separately by geographic zone, so the applicable figure depends on where within Karnataka the establishment is located.
How Karnataka sets minimum wages
Karnataka fixes minimum wages under its Shops and Commercial Establishments schedule, dividing the state into four zones numbered I to IV. Rates are set for four categories of worker and are kept current through a variable dearness allowance rather than a fresh base notification each period. The dearness-allowance revision applies from 1 April 2026 and runs through to 31 March 2027.
Common questions
What is the current minimum wage for Shops and Establishments in Karnataka?
In Karnataka, the minimum wage for Shops and Establishments currently runs from about ₹559.97 to ₹768.18 per day, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The exact figure by category is in the table below. Confirm the exact rate for your worker's skill category and zone in the table above, and against the latest official notification.
Which shops and offices in Karnataka have to pay these minimum wages?
Any premises registered or registrable under the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Act, including retail shops, commercial offices, restaurants, and hotels, must pay at least the notified minimum wage for the relevant skill category. This holds regardless of the number of employees, so even a small single-counter shop is covered.
How do I decide which skill category a shop or office worker falls into?
Classification is based on the nature of the duties and the skill the role demands, not on the job title alone. A worker who only carries and packs goods is treated as unskilled, whereas one who handles billing, independent selling, or accounts sits in a higher category, so review the actual tasks performed before fixing the wage.
Do the same rates apply everywhere in Karnataka?
Not always. Karnataka commonly notifies minimum wages by zone, so an establishment in a metro or municipal area may fall under a different rate than one in a smaller town or rural area. Confirm the zone that matches your establishment's location before calculating wages.
Never underpay in Karnataka
ZeniaHR maps every worker to the correct minimum-wage notification by state, skill and zone, and flags anyone paid below it.
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