Registers a labour contractor must keep: the new forms and the old CLRA list
Since the Labour Codes took effect (21 November 2025) and the central rules under them were notified (8 May 2026), an employer in the central sphere keeps three registers: an employee register (Form XIII), an attendance register-cum-muster roll (Form XIV), and a register of wages, overtime and deductions (Form XV). They can be kept electronically and must be preserved for five years. Contractors in the state sphere follow their state's rules, which may still use the old CLRA forms.
Part of our guide: Compliance checklist for labour contractors in India
By HaazriPro Team · Last updated
What changed in 2025 and 2026?
For fifty years, contractors kept the registers listed in the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Central Rules, 1971: a separate form for workmen, muster roll, wages, deductions, fines, advances and overtime. Three things changed that:
- 21 November 2025: the four Labour Codes came into force, replacing 29 labour laws. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (the OSH Code) repeals the Contract Labour Act, 1970, and the Code on Wages, 2019 repeals the Payment of Wages and Minimum Wages Acts.
- Transition: the government said the old rules would stay in force, where they agree with the Codes, until new rules were notified.
- 8 May 2026: the OSH (Central) Rules, 2026 and the Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026 were published and came into force. The OSH rules expressly supersede the 1971 Contract Labour Central Rules.
Which registers do the 2026 central rules require?
Rule 72 of the OSH (Central) Rules, 2026 asks every employer to keep three registers, electronically or otherwise:
| Register | Form | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Employee register | Form XIII | Every person employed, with personal details and a photo field |
| Attendance register-cum-muster roll | Form XIV | Day-by-day attendance for days 1–31, including shift, in and out times, and overtime hours |
| Register of wages, overtime and deductions | Form XV | What each person earned, what was deducted, and what was paid |
The same rules also say:
- entries are made in English or Hindi and in the local language;
- registers are preserved in original for five calendar years from the last entry;
- a wage slip is issued electronically in Form XVI;
- registers kept under the Code on Wages rules count as kept under these rules, so you do not need two sets;
- an annual return is uploaded on the government portal by the end of February.
The Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026 have matching registers: an employee register (Form I), a register of wages, overtime, advances, fines and deductions for damage and loss (Form IV), and an attendance register-cum-muster roll (Form IX), also kept for five years.
What were the old CLRA registers?
Many contractors, inspectors and principal employers still think in the old form numbers, and state rules may still use them. Under the Contract Labour Central Rules, 1971, a contractor kept:
| Form | Register or document | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| XIII | Register of workmen employed by contractor | 75 |
| XIV | Employment card, within three days of employment | 76 |
| XV | Service certificate on termination | 77 |
| XVI | Muster roll | 78 |
| XVII | Register of wages | 78 |
| XVIII | Combined register of wages-cum-muster roll (wage period of a fortnight or less) | 78 |
| XIX | Wage slip | 78 |
| XX, XXI, XXII | Registers of deductions for damage or loss, fines, and advances | 78 |
| XXIII | Register of overtime | 78 |
| XXIV | Half-yearly return to the licensing officer | 82 |
Those registers had to be kept at the work site or within three kilometres, and preserved for three years from the last entry. Note that the same form numbers mean different things in the new rules: Form XIII is still an employee register, but Form XIV is now the muster roll, not an employment card.
Do you need a contractor licence?
Under the old Contract Labour Act, a contractor needed a licence from 20 contract workers. The OSH (Central) Rules, 2026 say no licence is needed up to 49 contract labour, and the Ministry of Labour's FAQ confirms the threshold rose from 20 to 50. A licence under the 2026 central rules is valid for five years. Security agencies also need a separate PSARA licence.
HaazriPro works this out every month from your attendance, for every staff member and site. Start 30-day free trial
Central sphere or state sphere: which rules apply to you?
The central rules apply where the central government is the "appropriate government", for example many central government and PSU establishments. Most private security, housekeeping and construction contracts with private businesses fall under the state government, and follow that state's rules under the Codes. States are notifying their own rules on their own timetable. Until your state's rules are in force, the old state rules continue where they agree with the Codes. Ask your labour consultant which applies to each of your sites.
Worked example: a 60-person agency across three sites
An agency supplies 60 staff to three client sites. Under the 2026 central rules it would keep one employee register for all 60 staff, one attendance register-cum-muster roll and one wages register for each wage period, all of which can be electronic, plus a wage slip for each person each month. At 60 contract labour it is above the 49 threshold, so it would also need a contractor licence. Every one of these records starts from the same thing: who was present, on which day, at which site. Get that wrong and every register built on it is wrong too.
How do you keep registers without double work?
- Record attendance once, per site, per day, and build everything else from it. Our monthly attendance sheet is a simple start.
- Work out wages from that attendance, not from memory. The wages register template takes days worked straight from the sheet.
- Record advances and deductions when they happen, not at month end.
- Keep the records for five years, backed up if they are electronic.
Sources
- PIB, 21 Nov 2025: the four Labour Codes made effective
- OSH and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026 (eGazette)
- Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 343(E), 8 May 2026 (eGazette)
- Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 and Central Rules, 1971 (Ministry of Labour)
- OSH Code, 2020 (Ministry of Labour)
- Ministry of Labour: FAQs on the OSH Code
- Ministry of Labour: FAQs on the Labour Codes, transition of rules
This guide explains the rules in plain language. It is not legal or tax advice. Laws and rates change, so check which rules apply to your establishment with your labour consultant or lawyer before you act on it.
Turn daily attendance into salary sheets and client bills
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