UP outsourced and samvida salary in 2026: UPCOS pay, minimum wages and the ₹25,000 EPF ceiling

2026 has been an unusually busy year for the pay of Uttar Pradesh's contract and outsourced workers. A new state corporation began managing outsourced staff, the EPF ceiling moved for the first time since 2014, minimum wages were revised twice, and the four new labour codes changed the deadline by which wages must be paid.

If you are a samvida or outsourced employee — a data entry operator, computer operator, office assistant, driver, security guard, sanitation worker, pump operator or similar — this guide brings all of it together: how much you should be paid, what may legally be cut from it, when it must reach your account, and how to check your pay slip.

What changed, and when

The UPCOS honorarium: ₹16,000 to ₹20,000

When the state cabinet approved the outsourcing corporation on 2 September 2025, it fixed the monthly honorarium for outsourced staff at ₹16,000 to ₹20,000, for up to 26 working days a month. The corporation — not individual departments — selects agencies through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), workers are engaged for three-year terms, and salary is to be credited directly to the employee's account between the 1st and 5th of each month. EPF and ESI contributions are deposited to the worker's own account instead of passing through the service provider.

At the launch on 2 September 2026, the state said about 3.5 lakh outsourced workers across departments would be covered first (figures in different reports range up to 5 lakh, with a stated aim of reaching 20 lakh). It also said the honorarium would be reviewed periodically.

Two things are not yet clear from public reports: exactly which posts fall in which part of the ₹16,000–₹20,000 band, and whether a given department pays the full band amount as gross wages. Your appointment letter and pay slip should state your category and gross monthly honorarium. If they don't, ask your agency in writing.

Minimum wages in UP from 1 October 2026

Minimum wages are the legal floor. No honorarium, whether paid through UPCOS or any agency, may be lower than the minimum wage for your skill category and area. UP's labour department revises the variable dearness allowance (VDA) twice a year, from 1 April and 1 October. Since the April 2026 notification, rates also differ by area.

The daily rate is the monthly rate divided by 26 — for example ₹481.93 a day for an unskilled worker in a Category III district. These are the rates reported by labour-compliance publishers from the October 2026 notification; confirm them on the UP Labour Department website (uplabour.gov.in) before relying on them in a dispute.

Compare the two numbers: the lowest UPCOS honorarium (₹16,000) is above the minimum wage for every category except skilled workers in Category I (₹17,106) and Category II (₹16,251) areas. If you do skilled work in Noida, Ghaziabad or another municipal-corporation city and are paid ₹16,000, raise it with your agency in writing.

What can be deducted from your pay

EPF — 12% of PF wages, now up to ₹25,000

The employee's provident fund share is 12% of PF wages. The big change is the ceiling. Under a notification dated 17 September 2026, the wage ceiling for compulsory EPF, EPS (pension) and EDLI (insurance) coverage went up from ₹15,000 — where it had stood since September 2014 — to ₹25,000.

• If your PF wages are up to ₹25,000, EPF membership is compulsory and 12% is deducted on the whole amount.
• Earlier, a worker on ₹20,000 often had PF cut only on ₹15,000 (₹1,800). Now it is 12% of ₹20,000 — ₹2,400. Your take-home falls by ₹600 a month, but that money goes into your own PF account, earning interest (8.25% for 2025-26).
• The employer pays another 12% on top (8.33% to your pension account, 3.67% to EPF) plus small EDLI and admin charges. That employer share must not be taken out of your pay.

Our guide to checking your EPF balance and UAN shows how to confirm deposits month by month.

ESIC — 0.75% when gross pay is up to ₹21,000

If your gross monthly wage is ₹21,000 or less, you are covered by the Employees' State Insurance scheme. You contribute 0.75% of wages and the employer 3.25%. In return you get free treatment at ESIC hospitals and dispensaries for yourself and your family, and cash benefits during sickness, maternity and injury. See ESIC benefits explained. Reports from the UPCOS launch add that cases outside the ESI network are to be linked with Ayushman Bharat cover.

No professional tax in UP

Several states deduct a small “professional tax” from salaries. Uttar Pradesh is not one of them, so there should be no professional-tax line on a UP pay slip.

Income tax — almost certainly nil

Under the new income-tax regime, salaried income up to about ₹12.75 lakh a year (₹12 lakh plus the ₹75,000 standard deduction) attracts no tax because of the rebate. An honorarium of ₹20,000 a month is ₹2.4 lakh a year, far below that. No TDS should normally be deducted.

What should not be deducted

Agency “commission”, uniform charges, registration or “joining” fees, and the employer's own EPF/ESIC share are not lawful deductions from your honorarium. Under the Code on Wages, total permitted deductions also cannot exceed 50% of wages in any month.

Worked examples: what reaches your account

Real pay slips can differ slightly: ESIC is rounded up to the next rupee, unpaid leave reduces the wage for that month, and some departments add or deduct allowances. Use our salary calculator to try your own figures.

When your salary must arrive

Two rules now overlap, and both point the same way:

• UPCOS framework: honorarium credited directly to your account between the 1st and 5th of the month.
• Code on Wages, 2019 (in force since 21 November 2025): for a monthly wage period, wages must be paid before the 7th day of the following month, and if you leave or are removed, final dues must be settled within two working days.

Late payment used to be the most common complaint of outsourced staff — sometimes months late, because an agency had not been paid by a department. The corporation model is meant to end that. If your pay is late, first ask your agency or department in writing, then file a complaint on the UPCOS grievance system. Our grievance filing guide explains how to write one that gets tracked.

Reading your pay slip: a five-point check

1. Gross honorarium matches your appointment letter and category.
2. Days paid match your attendance; unpaid days are explained.
3. EPF is 12% of PF wages (up to ₹25,000), and the same amount appears in your EPFO passbook for that month.
4. ESIC is about 0.75% of gross if your gross is ₹21,000 or less, and your IP number is printed.
5. No other cuts — no commission, “service charge” or uniform fee.

Keep every pay slip and bank statement. They are also the evidence you will need for any later claim, from gratuity to regularisation.

Not on UPCOS? Other honorarium workers

Many people called samvida workers are paid under schemes rather than through UPCOS, and their honorarium is fixed separately. In 2026, for example, shiksha mitras moved to ₹18,000 and part-time instructors (anudeshaks) to ₹17,000 a month from 1 April, and the honorarium of school cooks went from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000. Our article on the shiksha mitra and anudeshak honorarium hike has the details.

Sources

• Amar Ujala — UP cabinet approves Outsource Sewa Nigam (2 September 2025)
• Free Press Journal — UPCOS launched; 3.5 lakh employees to get timely salaries (2 September 2026)
• ANI — UPCOS launch in Lucknow
• Labour Law Help — Uttar Pradesh minimum wages from 1 October 2026
• CAclubindia — EPF wage ceiling raised to ₹25,000 from 17 September 2026
• Aparajitha — wage payment timelines and contract labour under the labour codes
• News On AIR — Shiksha mitra and instructor honorarium raised (7 April 2026)