Section 19: Fines
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Regulates fines: only approved acts or omissions may attract a fine, procedural safeguards apply and collected amounts must be used as required.
Principal remaining provisions commenced on 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5322(E), read with the earlier partial commencement; check section-specific footnotes in the current India Code text.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- (1) No fine shall be imposed on any employee save in respect of those acts and omissions on his part as the employer, with the previous approval of the appropriate Government or of such authority as may be prescribed, may have specified by notice under sub-section (2).
- (2) A notice specifying such acts and omissions shall be exhibited in such manner as may be prescribed, on the premises in which the employment is carried on.
- (3) No fine shall be imposed on any employee until such employee has been given an opportunity of showing cause against the fine or otherwise than in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed for the imposition of fines.
- (4) The total amount of fine which may be imposed in any one wage-period on any employee shall not exceed an amount equal to three per cent. of the wages payable to him in respect of that wage-period.
- (5) No fine shall be imposed on any employee who is under the age of fifteen years.
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.
Thresholds and timelines in the text
- (4) The total amount of fine which may be imposed in any one wage-period on any employee shall not exceed an amount equal to three per cent. of the wages payable to him in respect of that wage-period.
- (5) No fine shall be imposed on any employee who is under the age of fifteen years.
- (6) No fine imposed on any employee shall be recovered from him by installments or after the expiry of ninety days from the day on which it was imposed.
- (7) Every fine shall be deemed to have been imposed on the day of the act or omission in respect of which it was imposed.
Actors expressly appearing in the text
Employer, Employee / worker, Appropriate Government, Authority / officer
Full statutory text — Section 19
19. Fines.—(1) No fine shall be imposed on any employee save in respect of those acts and omissions
on his part as the employer, with the previous approval of the appropriate Government or of such
authority as may be prescribed, may have specified by notice under sub-section (2).
(2) A notice specifying such acts and omissions shall be exhibited in such manner as may be
prescribed, on the premises in which the employment is carried on.
(3) No fine shall be imposed on any employee until such employee has been given an opportunity of
showing cause against the fine or otherwise than in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed
for the imposition of fines.
(4) The total amount of fine which may be imposed in any one wage-period on any employee shall
not exceed an amount equal to three per cent. of the wages payable to him in respect of that wage-period.
(5) No fine shall be imposed on any employee who is under the age of fifteen years.
(6) No fine imposed on any employee shall be recovered from him by installments or after the expiry
of ninety days from the day on which it was imposed.
(7) Every fine shall be deemed to have been imposed on the day of the act or omission in respect of
which it was imposed.
(8) All fines and all realisations thereof shall be recorded in a register to be kept in such manner and
form as may be prescribed; and all such realisations shall be applied only to such purposes beneficial to
the persons employed in the establishment as are approved by the prescribed authority.How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) No fine shall be imposed on any employee save in respect of those acts and omissions on his part as the employer, with the previous approval of the appropriate Government or of such authority as may be prescribed, may have specified by notice under sub-section (2).
- Additional operative limb — (2) A notice specifying such acts and omissions shall be exhibited in such manner as may be prescribed, on the premises in which the employment is carried on.
- Numerical or timing control — (4) The total amount of fine which may be imposed in any one wage-period on any employee shall not exceed an amount equal to three per cent. of the wages payable to him in respect of that wage-period.
- Central Rule mapping — 14, 15, 16, 51. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Employee / worker, Appropriate Government, Authority / officer.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Forms mapped
No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.
Other sections cited in this text
Related Labour Hub resources
A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.
Worked example
An employer configuring payroll for fines should first identify the employee and wage period, then apply the exact provision and any linked rule. The system rule should be tested against a sample payslip and bank/payment record. A text point to test is: “(4) The total amount of fine which may be imposed in any one wage-period on any employee shall not exceed an amount equal to three per cent. of the wages payable to him in respect of that wage-period.” Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 14, 15, 16, 51.
Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.
Q&A — Section 19
What does Section 19 of the Code on Wages cover?
Regulates fines: only approved acts or omissions may attract a fine, procedural safeguards apply and collected amounts must be used as required.
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 19?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) No fine shall be imposed on any employee save in respect of those acts and omissions on his part as the employer, with the previous approval of the appropriate Government or of such authority as may be prescribed, may have specified by notice under sub-section (2).” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 19 contain a proviso or explanation?
No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.
What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 19?
The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “(4) The total amount of fine which may be imposed in any one wage-period on any employee shall not exceed an amount equal to three per cent. of the wages payable to him in respect of that wage-period.” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 19?
The current concordance maps Section 19 to Central Rule(s) 14, 15, 16, 51.
Is Section 19 currently operative?
Principal remaining provisions commenced on 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5322(E), read with the earlier partial commencement; check section-specific footnotes in the current India Code text.
Source & verification trail
Act: Code on Wages, 2019 — official India Code PDF ↗
Central Rules: Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 343(E), 8 May 2026 ↗
Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗
Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.