Your Rights as a Home-Based Worker in Punjab: Contract, Wages and Appeal
Work from home on piece rates in Punjab? The 2023 Act gives you a written contract, wages even from a contractor, benefits and a 30 day Labour Court appeal.
If you stitch, pack, embroider or assemble goods at home in Punjab for a contractor or a firm, the Punjab Home-Based Workers Act 2023 gives you the right to a written contract, to be paid by the person who hires you, and to social security benefits once you are covered. Disputes go to a settlement committee, and an appeal goes to the Labour Court within 30 days.
Millions of people work this way, often on piece rates with no paper. This guide reads the Act itself, which the Punjab government hosts on its Women Development Department site, and explains what you can ask for today. It also says what the Act leaves to rules that we could not confirm.
Know who counts as a home-based worker
The Act covers a person who makes goods or provides services at home, or at other premises of their choice, for wages under a written contract. The work can be for an employer directly or through a contractor or middleman.
Two limits matter. Workers in explosives, toxic or noxious chemicals are excluded. And a regular employee who occasionally works from home does not count, because that person is already covered by another law.
The Act uses the word "home" to mean the place where the worker lives with family. A worker without family at that place may face a question about the definition, so keep proof of where you work.
Demand a written contract and your wages
Section 4 says every employer must sign a written contract of employment with a home-based worker. The employer includes a contractor and an intermediary, and each of them is responsible for paying your wages.
That second point is the one workers need most. A middleman cannot say "the factory has not paid me". The Act makes the contractor and intermediary answerable for your wages too.
You also cannot be forced to work in a way that goes against your contract. And nobody may discriminate against you in hiring, in continuing your job or in setting your pay because of religion, race, caste, creed, gender, ethnic background or place of birth.
- Ask for a written contract that states the work, the rate and the payment day.
- Keep a daily record of what you made and handed over.
- Take photos of the goods, the delivery slip or the bag count.
- Save every message about rates and deadlines.
- Ask the contractor and the firm in writing for payment.
Claim social security benefits as a secured worker
A "secured" home-based worker is one for whom contributions are payable and whose wages are within the limit the government sets. Such a worker is entitled to sickness and maternity benefits, medical care for self and family, injury benefit, disablement pension and survivor's pension.
The Act says the employer and the worker both pay contributions to a Punjab Home-based Workers Welfare Fund. If an employer does not pay, the amount can be recovered as arrears of land revenue. If a worker stops paying for a full year, benefits are suspended until the dues are cleared.
| Right under the Act | Section |
|---|---|
| No work under age 15 | 3 |
| Written contract and wages from contractor too | 4 |
| Welfare Fund and benefits for secured workers | 4 and 5 |
| Registration of workers and employers | 7 |
| Settlement committee for disputes | 8 and 9 |
| Appeal to Labour Court within 30 days | 10 |
The Act leaves rates, wage limits and the registration method to rules and regulations. We could not confirm from a government page that every part of the fund is working today. For how social security cards work in practice, see our guides to the PESSI social security card and PESSI benefits.
Take a pay dispute to the settlement committee
If you are not paid, you can send a written complaint to a settlement committee. It can inquire, call witnesses and documents, keep a record and decide the dispute through a written award. The Act allows the committee's work to be given to the District Vigilance Committee.
An award can be challenged. Anyone unhappy with it may appeal to the Labour Court within 30 days, and the Labour Court's decision is final. So keep the date of the award and file in time.
Where the Act's committees are not yet working in your district, other routes exist. Our guides to claiming unpaid salary in Punjab and unpaid wages and the Labour Court explain them. Ask a labour lawyer or a labour office which one fits a piece-rate worker.
Register, and protect children from work
Section 7 says the Governing Body will lay down how employers and home-based workers register. It does not give the form or the office. Ask the Punjab labour or social security office in your district what the current procedure is.
No employer may hire anyone under 15 as a home-based worker. A person aged 15 to 17 may not be given work that the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act 2016 prohibits. See our guide to the child labour complaint route if a child is working.
Pay still matters at home. Check the Punjab minimum wage and, if you work in other people's homes instead, see the guide to domestic worker rights, which is a different category.
Common questions about home-based worker rights in Punjab
Is the Punjab Home-Based Workers Act in force?
Yes. The Act was passed on 17 February 2023 and came into force at once. Some practical details depend on rules and regulations that we could not confirm.
Does the Act cover a worker paid by the piece?
It covers work done for wages under a written contract. A piece rate is a wage if it is in the contract, so ask for the rate in writing.
Can a contractor refuse to pay because the factory has not paid?
No. The Act says every employer, including a contractor and an intermediary, is responsible for paying wages under the contract.
Who hears a pay dispute?
A settlement committee hears a written complaint and issues a written award. An appeal lies to the Labour Court within 30 days.
Can a 14 year old do home-based work?
No. No employer may hire a person under 15 as a home-based worker. Workers aged 15 to 17 may not do work banned under the 2016 child employment law.
Does this law apply in Sindh or other provinces?
This Act extends to Punjab only. Other provinces have their own laws, and we did not check them for this guide.
Last checked 8 October 2026 against the Act's text as hosted by the Punjab Women Development Department. This is general information, not legal advice.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
