Glossary
India Labour Code 2020 (Attendance & Working Hours)
Also known as: Labour Codes, new labour laws
The Labour Codes of 2019 to 2020 consolidate India's many older labour laws into four codes covering wages, industrial relations, social security, and occupational safety and working conditions. For attendance, they matter because they shape working-hour limits, overtime, weekly rest, and record-keeping. Employers are expected to keep reliable, inspectable attendance and wage records.
The four codes are the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Social Security Code, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Together they replace dozens of legacy Acts with a more unified framework, though implementation has rolled out in stages.
For attendance specifically, the codes and their rules address maximum working hours, overtime at a premium rate, spread-over limits, weekly rest, and the maintenance of registers and records, increasingly in digital form. The practical effect is that employers need dependable, auditable time data.
Because the exact thresholds and effective dates depend on central and state rules that continue to evolve, the safe posture is to keep accurate, granular attendance records that can support whatever the applicable rules require. Good data is the common denominator across all interpretations.
India context
The codes are being operationalised through central and state rules, so specific numeric limits and effective dates vary by state and establishment type. Treat the framework qualitatively and confirm exact figures against the notified rules that apply to you.
How Workclave handles this
Workclave keeps granular, approved, timestamped session records that support working-hour, overtime, and record-keeping expectations under the Labour Codes. Records are exportable and audit-ready, so you are prepared regardless of how state rules land. labour code attendance compliance 2026.
Related terms
A muster roll is the official record that lists workers and marks their daily attendance, hours worked, and wages payable. It is a statutory document under several Indian labour laws and serves as legal proof that workers were present and paid. Traditionally kept on paper, it is increasingly maintained digitally.
Read definition →An attendance register is the ongoing record of which employees were present, absent, or on leave each working day, along with their hours. It is used for payroll, compliance, and workforce planning. In India it also supports statutory record-keeping obligations.
Read definition →Overtime (OT) is the additional compensation owed when an employee works beyond the normal daily or weekly hours set by law or contract. In India, statutory overtime is generally paid at a premium rate, commonly twice the ordinary wage for covered workers. Accurate hour tracking is essential to calculate it correctly.
Read definition →The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) is India's data-protection law governing how organisations collect, use, and store personal data, including employee and HR data. It requires a lawful purpose, appropriate notice and consent where applicable, and safeguards against misuse. Attendance systems fall squarely within its scope because they process personal information.
Read definition →