Labour Codes Implementation Status by State (2026): Which States Have Notified Rules

By Dec 2025 the counts sat at 34 or 35 for every Code, so the gap between the busiest and slowest Code had closed to one State/UT. These are drafts put out for comment, not final notified rules.

In Jul 2025, 32 of the 36 States/UTs had drafts under all four Codes. The holdouts were Delhi and Tamil Nadu (partial) and West Bengal and Lakshadweep (none).

The Code on Wages had a head start. It was passed in 2019, a year before the other three. It reached 34 States/UTs by 13 Mar 2025 and stayed there through Dec 2025.

The Industrial Relations Code, which covers layoffs, strikes and standing orders, started slower at 20 in Dec 2021 and caught up to 35 by 15 Dec 2025.

Social security rules lagged the wage rules for years. The count climbed from 18 in Dec 2021 to 34 by Dec 2025.

The safety and working conditions Code had the slowest start, at 13 in Dec 2021, then posted the biggest gain to reach 35 by Dec 2025.

Central Government milestones for each Labour Code

Source: Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, Labour Codes: Codes, implementation notifications, Central Rules 2026 and FAQs; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5322(E): commencement of the Code on Wages, 2019; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5320(E): commencement of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5319(E): commencement of the Code on Social Security, 2020; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5321(E): commencement of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 343(E): Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 342(E): Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 344(E): Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026; Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 345(E): Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 319: Rules for Labour Codes; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 218: Implementation of Four Labour Codes. Download as image

States/UTs with pre-published draft rules under each Code, as reported to Parliament

Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 218: Implementation of Four Labour Codes; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4051: Four Labour Codes; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 207: Implementation status of labour codes (statement); Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1377: Labour codes; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1686: Delay in implementation of Labour Code; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1849: Publication of rules under various Labour codes; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2019: Status of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2021: Implementation of Social Security Code, 2020; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2170: Implementation status of labour codes; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2814: Implementation of labour code; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 576: Implementation of New Labour codes and their impact. Download as image

States/UTs named as having pre-published draft rules by 16 Dec 2021

Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 207: Implementation status of labour codes (statement). Download as image

Key dates in rolling out the Labour Codes

Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1379: Implementation of labour codes; Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government Makes the Four Labour Codes effective to Simplify and Streamline Labour Laws (Release ID 2192463); Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 319: Rules for Labour Codes; Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), Gazette of India, The Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Act, 2026; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1242: Status of Labour Code Implementation; Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2186: Delay in implementation of labour codes. Download as image

Draft State/UT rules under the four Labour Codes (as of 24 Jul 2025) by State

• 32Draft rules under all 4 Codes
• 2Draft rules under some Codes
• 2No draft rules under any Code

Are the new labour codes in force in every state?

Yes. The Codes are central laws, and the commencement notifications brought all four into force across the country on 21 Nov 2025. A worker in Kolkata and a worker in Pune are covered by the same Code on Wages.

The difference is in the detail. A Code sets the rule, such as who counts as a worker or when wages must be paid. The rules fill in the how: the forms, the registers, the thresholds, the inspection steps. Labour is a shared subject, so the Centre writes rules for the establishments it oversees and each State/UT writes rules for the rest. Most private offices, shops and factories fall under their state's rules.

So when people ask whether a state has implemented the labour codes, the real question is whether that state has notified final rules. That is where the progress is uneven.

What is the difference between draft rules and notified rules?

Rules go through two stages. First a government pre-publishes draft rules and invites comments. At the central level that window was 45 days for three of the Codes and 30 days for the Industrial Relations Code. Then, after reading the comments, the government notifies final rules in its gazette. Only final rules carry full legal force.

The Ministry's counts in Parliament track the first stage. When you read that 35 States/UTs had rules under the Industrial Relations Code in Dec 2025, that means draft rules had been put out, not that 35 sets of final rules were in force.

The Centre itself took this path. Its draft Central Rules came out on 30 Dec 2025 and the final versions were notified on 8 May 2026. Each state runs the same two steps on its own timetable.

Why should you care about the stage? Because a draft can change. A threshold, a deadline or a form in a state's draft may look different in the final notification. A business that rewrites its handbook against a draft may have to do it twice.

Which states have not published labour code rules?

The last time the Ministry named names was its Rajya Sabha answer of 24 Jul 2025. At that point, 32 States/UTs had draft rules under all four Codes. Delhi had drafts only under the Code on Wages. Tamil Nadu had drafts under every Code except the Code on Social Security. West Bengal and Lakshadweep had none.

By 15 Dec 2025 the code-wise counts had risen to 34 or 35, which means some of those four moved. The Ministry did not say which. In Jul-Aug 2026 it told Parliament that most States/UTs have finalised, published or pre-published their rules, while a few are still pre-publishing or finalising.

If you work in West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu or Lakshadweep, do not assume either way. Check your state labour department's website and the state gazette before relying on a specific rule.

How to read the state map and counts

The map colours each State/UT by where it stood in the Ministry's 24 Jul 2025 answer, the most recent one that named individual states. There are three groups: draft rules under all four Codes, under some, or under none.

Two cautions. First, most states in the all-four group were not named one by one. The Ministry gave a total, and the page counts a state in that group because it was not listed as an exception. Treat those rows as a strong signal, not a gazette reference.

Second, the map is a snapshot of drafts. A state shown in the top group may have finalised its rules since, or may still be sitting on drafts. The column for Dec 2021 shows who started early. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Odisha had drafts under all four Codes even then, while Kerala and Andhra Pradesh had none on that list.

What this means for employees and workers

Your rights under the Codes apply from 21 Nov 2025 wherever you work. A missing state rule does not switch off a Code. It can, however, leave the paperwork unclear, such as which form to file or which authority hears a complaint.

The bigger risk for most people is an old contract. Offer letters and appointment letters written before the Codes often cite the Payment of Wages Act, the Industrial Disputes Act or the Payment of Gratuity Act. Those Acts have been repealed, and clauses built on them, like how your salary is split or how your gratuity is worked out, may not match the new definitions.

If your employer sends a revised letter, read it slowly. Look at how wages are defined, what counts toward gratuity and leave, and whether any term quietly gives you less than before. A good test: put the old letter and the new one side by side and mark every change in pay, leave or notice. If something shrank and nobody explained why, ask in writing before you sign.

Contract and gig workers should keep an eye on final state rules, since much of the registration and welfare procedure runs through the states. Keep copies of your contracts, payslips and any registration numbers you are given.

What should businesses and freelancers do now?

• Work out which government regulates you. A private company with one office usually follows that state's rules. A multi-state business may answer to several.
• Check each relevant state's gazette for final notified rules under all four Codes, not just drafts. Save the notification number and date.
• Where a state's rules are not final, follow the Code itself and the Central Rules as your guide, and watch for the state's final version.
• Update offer letters, consultant agreements and policies so they cite the Codes, not the 29 laws they replaced.
• If you hire freelancers or gig workers, review how your contracts describe the relationship. The Code on Social Security brings gig and platform workers into the frame, and a contract that reads like employment invites questions.
• Freelancers should check that a client's contract does not push employer-style obligations onto them, like fixed hours, exclusivity or long notice, without employee protections.

Sources and method

Every number on this page comes from the sources below, each opened and read on or before October 18, 2026. A second, independent review checked every figure against its source and corrected anything that did not match. 36 of 36 State entries were confirmed; any that could not be are marked "Not yet confirmed" and left out of every count and chart.

1. Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government Makes the Four Labour Codes effective to Simplify and Streamline Labour Laws (Release ID 2192463) (21 Nov 2025)
2. Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, Labour Codes: Codes, implementation notifications, Central Rules 2026 and FAQs (Page as accessed October 2026)
3. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5322(E): commencement of the Code on Wages, 2019 (21 Nov 2025)
4. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5320(E): commencement of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (21 Nov 2025)
5. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5319(E): commencement of the Code on Social Security, 2020 (21 Nov 2025)
6. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), S.O. 5321(E): commencement of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (21 Nov 2025)
7. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 343(E): Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026 (8 May 2026)
8. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 342(E): Industrial Relations (Central) Rules, 2026 (8 May 2026)
9. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 344(E): Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 (8 May 2026)
10. Ministry of Labour & Employment (Gazette of India, Extraordinary), G.S.R. 345(E): Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 (8 May 2026)
11. Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), Gazette of India, The Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Act, 2026 (16 Feb 2026)
12. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1242: Status of Labour Code Implementation (Answered 27.07.2026)
13. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2186: Delay in implementation of labour codes (Answered 06.08.2026)
14. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 319: Rules for Labour Codes (Answered 02.02.2026)
15. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 218: Implementation of Four Labour Codes (Answered 15.12.2025)
16. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Lok Sabha), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4051: Four Labour Codes (Answered 18.08.2025)
17. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1377: Labour codes (Answered 31.07.2025)
18. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1379: Implementation of labour codes (Answered 31.07.2025)
19. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 588: Implementation of labour codes (Answered 24.07.2025)
20. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1686: Delay in implementation of Labour Code (Answered 13.03.2025)
21. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2814: Implementation of labour code (Answered 19.12.2024)
22. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2021: Implementation of Social Security Code, 2020 (Answered 08.08.2024)
23. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2019: Status of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (Answered 08.08.2024)
24. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2170: Implementation status of labour codes (Answered 04.08.2022)
25. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 576: Implementation of New Labour codes and their impact (Answered 21.07.2022)
26. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1849: Publication of rules under various Labour codes (Answered 17.03.2022)
27. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Rajya Sabha), Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 207: Implementation status of labour codes (statement) (Answered 16.12.2021)