Everyday tasks

Complaint about unpaid wages or pay below the minimum wage

Where and how to complain to the Labour Department when your wages are not paid, are late or are below the minimum wage, and how to claim what you are owed.

For whom: Anyone working in Telangana: in shops, factories, construction, homes, security, or through a contractor.

Published on 30-10-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.

Answer a few questions to see which steps apply to you. The whole guide is below.

Documents you need

•

Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

copy

Wage slips, bank statements showing wages paid in, the appointment letter, an ID card, attendance records

Not confirmed: The online complaint form requires one file to be uploaded; it does not say which file, in what format or of what size.

Steps

Only if

What is the problem? Wages not paid, or paid late

Check when wages are due: daily wages at the end of the shift; weekly wages on the last working day before the weekly holiday; fortnightly wages within 2 days after the fortnight; monthly wages before the 7th of the next month.

✋ You do this yourself

Only if

What is the problem? Dues not paid after I left or was dismissed

If you were dismissed or laid off, resigned, or the establishment closed, your wages due must be paid within 2 working days.

✋ You do this yourself

Only if

Where do (or did) you work? A shop, factory, construction work, a household, a private office, the State government or anywhere else · What is the problem? Paid less than the minimum wage

From 1 June 2026, the basic minimum wage a month in Telangana (municipal corporation / municipality / village and other areas) is: unskilled ₹16,000 / ₹15,000 / ₹14,000; semi-skilled ₹17,000 / ₹16,000 / ₹15,000; skilled ₹18,500 / ₹17,500 / ₹16,500; highly skilled ₹20,000 / ₹19,000 / ₹18,000. A cost of living allowance (VDA) is added on top. A day's wage is the monthly wage divided by 26. Compare your pay with this.

✋ You do this yourself

Not confirmed: The order says wages for power looms, garments, spinning mills, brick kilns, beedi and handloom weaving will be fixed separately by a committee; we did not find them. The Commissioner of Labour announces the cost of living allowance every six months; we have not seen the current amount. The order is subject to the outcome of cases pending in the High Court. Ask a Labour Department officer which rate applies to your work.

Only if

Where do (or did) you work? The central government, railways, a mine, an oil field, a major port, an air transport service, telecom, a bank, an insurance company, a central public sector company, or a contractor working for one of them · What is the problem? Paid less than the minimum wage

For establishments under the central government, minimum wages are set by the central government, not the State. Ask the office of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Hyderabad, which rate applies to your work.

✋ You do this yourself

Not confirmed: We have not seen the current rates set by the central government.

For everyone

Keep proof of your work and pay. The employer must give you wage slips, and must put up a notice with the wage rates, the pay day and the name and address of the inspector. Write these down.

✋ You do this yourself

📎 Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

Only if

Where do (or did) you work? A shop, factory, construction work, a household, a private office, the State government or anywhere else

On the Labour Department website, open "Grievances / Complaints" and choose "Register New Complaint". Fill in your details and the employer's; choose "Employee Grievances" as the Complaint Category and "Wages" as the Subcategory. Write what happened and upload one proof file. Keep the Application Reference Number you get.

💻 Labour Department complaints page

Open the official page ↗

labour.telangana.gov.in · opens in a new tab

📎 Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

💰 Fee: Free

⏱️ within 14 days · Under the citizen's charter: 14 days for complaints that labour laws are not enforced; 7 days for complaints that minimum wages are not paid.

Not confirmed: Nothing on the form asks for a fee. The form asks for your circle (mandal); find it in the "To Know Your Circle" list linked from the form.

If you cannot complain online, meet your circle's Assistant Labour Officer (ALO), or the Deputy or Assistant Commissioner of Labour at the district headquarters, and give a written complaint. The officers' phone numbers are under "Contact Us" on the Labour Department website.

🏛️ Office of your circle's Assistant Labour Officer (ALO), or the Deputy / Assistant Commissioner of Labour at the district headquarters

📎 Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

Not confirmed: The citizen's charter does not say in so many words that a written complaint is taken at the office; it says the information is available from those officers.

Only if

Workers of establishments under the central government can file a complaint or claim on the Labour Ministry's "SAMADHAN 2.0" portal. Sign up with your mobile number and an OTP (the number cannot be changed later). It is free if you file it yourself or through the UMANG app; a Common Service Centre charges ₹30.

💻 SAMADHAN portal (Ministry of Labour & Employment)

Open the official page ↗

samadhan.labour.gov.in · opens in a new tab

📎 Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

💰 Fee: Free · Free if you file it yourself; ₹30 at a Common Service Centre.

Not confirmed: The SAMADHAN 2.0 website did not open while we wrote this. These details are from the old SAMADHAN portal's FAQs and may have changed on the new portal.

Or contact the office of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Hyderabad: NSTI Campus, Shivam Road, Vidyanagar, Hyderabad 500007; phone 040-27427290.

🏛️ Office of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Hyderabad

📎 Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

For everyone

10.

If the employer still does not pay, you can file a claim for the dues before the authority appointed under the Code on Wages. You, a registered trade union you belong to, or the Inspector-cum-Facilitator can file it, and one application can cover many workers. Besides the dues, the authority can order compensation of up to ten times the claim, and should try to decide within 3 months.

🏛️ The claims authority under the Code on Wages (ask a Labour Department officer which officer it is)

📎 Proof of your work and pay (whatever you have)

⏱️ within 1095 days · File within 3 years of the date the dues arose; the authority may accept it later if you show good reason for the delay.

Not confirmed: We did not find which officer is the authority under the Code on Wages in Telangana, or the claim form: the State rules were still drafts in 2026. The central government said the old Acts' rules continue during the change. The Labour Department's citizen's charter says cases under the old Minimum Wages and Payment of Wages Acts are to be decided within 6 months. Ask a Labour Department officer.

Fees and time limits

Step 6

💰 Free

⏱️ within 14 days · Under the citizen's charter: 14 days for complaints that labour laws are not enforced; 7 days for complaints that minimum wages are not paid.

Step 8

💰 Free · Free if you file it yourself; ₹30 at a Common Service Centre.

Step 10

⏱️ within 1095 days · File within 3 years of the date the dues arose; the authority may accept it later if you show good reason for the delay.

If something goes wrong

If it is late

If nothing happens within the time limit, complain to the officer above: about an ALO, to the Assistant Commissioner of Labour (ACL); about an ACL, to the Deputy Commissioner of Labour (DCL); about a DCL, to the zone's Joint Commissioner of Labour (JCL); about a JCL, to the Commissioner of Labour. You can follow an online complaint under "Track Status of Complaint" with the Application Reference Number.

Labour Department officers (Contact Us)

Open the official page ↗

labour.telangana.gov.in · opens in a new tab

If it is rejected

If you disagree with the authority's order on your claim, you can appeal to the appellate authority (an officer at least one rank above the authority) within 90 days of the order. A late appeal may be accepted for good reason; it should be decided within 3 months.

Appellate authority (Code on Wages)

Not confirmed: We did not find which officer is the appellate authority in Telangana, or the form. Ask a Labour Department officer.

Also

If the employer does not pay even after the authority's order, the authority sends a recovery certificate to the District Collector, who recovers it like land revenue arrears and has it paid to you. Ask at the authority's office.

Office of the claims authority

Also

The SAMADHAN portal does not take PF or ESI problems. PF complaints go to the EPFO grievance portal (EPFiGMS); ESI complaints go to ESIC.

EPFO grievance portal (EPFiGMS)

Open the official page ↗

epfigms.gov.in · opens in a new tab

Also

If you need free legal help, go to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in your district court complex. Toll-free number: 15100.

District Legal Services Authority (DLSA)

Open the official page ↗

telangana.nalsa.gov.in · opens in a new tab

📞 15100