LABOUR CODES WITH LEBOUR RULES BY TAXMANN Updated 15/5/2026

New Labour Codes with Labour Rules is a single, self-contained working volume of the new labour-law regime—the complete enforced text of all four Codes, their notified Central Rules, the Model Standing Orders, the medical-facilities scheme, the supporting notifications, a full set of FAQs, and a practical employer handbook, gathered in one place. It exists because the regime that consolidated 29 central Acts into four Codes is now in force, and compliance work needs the operative material consolidated rather than scattered across bare acts, gazette notifications, and circulars.

The Edition is built to be used two ways:

• As the authoritative day-to-day reference for the Codes and rules as they actually apply
• Transition manual for anyone moving off the repealed Acts

The law is stated as enforced with effect from 21-11-2025, with the central rules notified on 8-5-2026, and the text updated till 15-5-2026.

This book is intended for all stakeholders who require clarity, continuity, and compliance certainty under the Labour Codes framework, including:

• HR, Payroll, and Personnel Heads responsible for day-one and ongoing compliance across wages, social security, safety, and industrial relations
• Employers, Factory And Establishment Managers, and Compliance Officers transitioning from the 29 repealed central Acts
• Practising Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries, Cost Accountants, and Advocates advising on labour and employment matters
• In-House Legal and ER Teams drafting standing orders, wage structures, registers, and policies under the new definitions
• Aggregators and Platform Businesses now drawn into statutory social-security obligations for the first time
• Government Officers, Inspectors-Cum-Facilitators, and Tribunal Members administering the Codes
• Faculty and Students in Law, Management, and Professional Courses studying the consolidated framework

The Present Publication is the 2026 Edition, updated till 15-05-2026. It is authored/edited by Taxmann’s Editorial Board, with the following noteworthy features:

• [Two-Way Concordance Tables] Every section of each new Code is mapped to its corresponding provision in the repealed law, and the reverse, from each old Act back to its new home; new and omitted provisions are flagged
• [Provision-by-Provision Comparative Study] For each Code, drawing out the substantive shifts against the repealed Acts (for example, bonus is now credited to the employee’s bank account, and several computation matters are left to the rules)
• [Complete Notified 2026 Central Rules] Alongside the principal law: the Code on Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, and OSH&WC (Central) Rules, together with the Model Standing Orders and the Other Beneficiaries Medical Facilities Scheme, all gazetted 8-5-2026, so procedural detail sits with the statute
• [Multiple FAQ Sets] Code-wise FAQs and dated official clarification sets, addressing practical questions on the 50% wage rule, gratuity applicability dates, ESI coverage during transition, leave encashment, contract-labour core/non-core activities, and aggregator cess
• [Compliance Handbook for Employers (Central Government Sphere)] A reform-metrics summary, a foundational/monthly/annual/event-based action-point checklist, key-definition annexures (wages, employee, worker), and the occupational-disease and applicability schedules reproduced for ready reference
• [Notifications and Clarifications] Appended to each Code, keeping supporting executive material in context

Six Divisions, preceded by the concordance tables and comparative studies:

• Division One | Code on Wages 2019 — Arrangement of sections, full text, notifications
• Division Two | Industrial Relations Code 2020 — Arrangement of sections, full text, notifications
• Division Three | Code on Social Security 2020 — Arrangement of sections, full text, notifications
• Division Four | Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 — Arrangement of sections, full text, notifications
• Division Five | Rules — The Code on Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, and OSH&WC (Central) Rules, 2026; the Model Standing Orders, 2026; and the Other Beneficiaries and Members of their Families Medical Facilities Scheme, 2026, all notified 8-5-2026
• Division Six | FAQs and Clarifications — The FAQ sets and the Compliance Handbook for Employers, with action-point summary, key-definition annexures, and schedules