ESI Applicability As per new wage Code

• ESI applicability depends on ₹21,000 gross salary limit, not Basic + DA

• Wage Code concept does NOT change ESI eligibility yet

• In your case (₹42,000 salary), employee is outside ESI coverage

• Hence, no ESI deduction required at all

ESI applicability under the new Labour Codes is a bit different from what many employers expected.

Quick status: the four Labour Codes were notified effective November 21, 2025. The Code on Social Security 2020 subsumes the ESI Act. But the ESI coverage threshold has NOT changed yet. You still apply the Rs 21,000 gross salary limit.

The main change that affects ESI calculations is the new wage definition: Basic Pay + DA + Retaining Allowance must now form at least 50% of total CTC. If your salary structure has a lot of allowances and a low basic, you may need to rebalance.

Practical impact:
- If an employee receives Rs 42,000 total CTC but their rebalanced wages (basic+DA) are above Rs 21,000, they are outside ESI coverage
- If the rebalanced wages bring them below Rs 21,000, they come under ESI coverage
- The transition for CTC restructuring is generally tied to the April 2026 payroll cycle for most central-rules-compliant employers

This [new wage code implementation guide for Indian employers](https://taxgarden.in/resources/new-wage-code-implementation-guide-india-2026) has the PF recomputation rules, CTC restructuring worksheet, and ESI coverage implications under the new wage definition.