Skip to content

Independent. Unsponsored. Built for India.

Live rates Repo rate 5.50% USD/INR ₹96.73 Gold 24K (10g) ₹1,49,430 All rates
Advertiser disclosure. Some links on this page are partner links. They never change our rankings. Read how

Credsir earns money when you apply for a product through some of the links on this site. That revenue funds the research. It does not buy a placement: our rankings come from a published scoring method that runs on the same data for every product, partner or not. Products we do not earn from appear in these lists whenever they win on the numbers — and several currently do.

Government Services

Labour Card vs e-Shram: Construction Worker Registration Explained

A labour card is BOCW board registration for construction workers aged 18–59 with 90 days' work a year; it pays state benefits e-Shram does not.

VD

Written by Vikram Desai

Published 7 October 2026·6 min read

On this page9 sections
Credsir Government Services guide cover with a id card icon

A labour card is registration with your state’s Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Board. You qualify if you are 18 to 59 and did at least 90 days of construction work in the past 12 months. It gives you the board’s cash schemes for marriage, education and death. The e-Shram card is a separate national ID that does not pay these.

Key facts

Item Detail
Issued by Your state or UT BOCW Welfare Board
Age Completed 18 years, not yet completed 60
Work test At least 90 days of building or other construction work in the preceding 12 months
Law now Section 106, Code on Social Security, 2020 (in force from 21 November 2025); earlier Section 12, BOCW Act, 1996
Ends when You turn 60, or you do not do 90 days of construction work in a year
Fee Set by each board; Maharashtra charges ₹1 to register and ₹1 a year
Identity Aadhaar is required to register or claim a benefit under the Code (Section 142)

What a labour card is

Builders pay a welfare cess on construction costs, and state boards spend that money on registered workers. Registering as a beneficiary is how you get a share. The card or registration certificate carries your registration number, which you quote on every benefit claim and renewal.

The rule used to sit in Section 12 of the BOCW Act, 1996. The four labour codes took effect on 21 November 2025, and the Code on Social Security, 2020 absorbed the BOCW Welfare Cess Act. Section 106 of the Code keeps the same test: age 18 to 59 and 90 days of construction work in the preceding 12 months. Section 107 adds that a person who was a beneficiary for three continuous years before turning 60 can get benefits the Centre prescribes, such as a pension where a board runs one.

A migrant worker can register where they work. The labour ministry told Parliament in 2023 that it had advised boards not to let domicile stop a worker registering outside their home state.

Labour card vs e-Shram card

Point Labour card (BOCW) e-Shram card
Who issues it State or UT BOCW Welfare Board Ministry of Labour and Employment
Who can get it Construction workers only Any unorganised worker aged 16 or more
Work proof 90 days in the last 12 months Self-declaration
Validity Must be renewed; lapses without 90 days’ work Permanent 12-digit UAN
Money benefits Board schemes paid from the cess fund Links you to central schemes such as PM-SYM, PMSBY and PMJJBY

Get both if you qualify. PIB says e-Shram shares construction workers’ data with the relevant BOCW board to help them register there, but that sharing does not replace applying to the board. Our e-Shram card guide covers the national card step by step.

Eligibility and documents

Construction work is read widely. Maharashtra’s board lists 53 kinds of work, including masonry, roads, plumbing, electrical fitting, carpentry, glass work and solar panel installation.

Boards ask for broadly the same papers:

  • Aadhaar, preferably with a linked mobile number
  • Proof of age and proof of address
  • A 90-day work certificate from your employer, contractor or an authorised officer, in the board’s format
  • Bank passbook for an Aadhaar-linked account
  • Passport-size photographs and nominee details

Assam’s board also asks for your e-Shram UAN. Its page gives an age band of 18 to 55, narrower than the Code, so check your own board’s page before you apply.

How to register with your state board

  1. Find your state’s BOCW Welfare Board portal. Examples are iwbms.mahabocw.in in Maharashtra and bocw.punjab.gov.in in Punjab; in Delhi the application is a service on e-District Delhi.
  2. Check the eligibility questions and download the board’s 90-day certificate format.
  3. Get the certificate signed by your employer or contractor.
  4. Sign in with your Aadhaar number and mobile number, and verify the OTP.
  5. Fill in the form with your personal, work, bank and nominee details. In Maharashtra this is Form V.
  6. Upload the documents and pay the fee, if your board charges one.
  7. Note the acknowledgement or temporary number and keep it for tracking.

If you cannot apply online, a Common Service Centre or the district labour office can file it for you. Assam made form filling, scanning and card printing free at CSCs from 23 November 2025 to 30 June 2026.

Labour card status check and download

Most boards let you check status and print the card from the same portal. Punjab’s Check Worker File Status page takes your registration number or mobile number and an OTP. Other boards search by Aadhaar number or acknowledgement number. Once approved, download the card or registration certificate from your login.

No single national site downloads a labour card by Aadhaar number. Use your own board’s portal; the e-Shram site only downloads the e-Shram UAN card.

Benefits and how to claim them

Each board sets its own schemes and amounts, and they change. Two examples, as listed on the boards’ websites on 16 September 2026:

Scheme Maharashtra Punjab
Daughter’s marriage ₹51,000 ₹31,000 per daughter, up to two
Accidental death ₹5,00,000 to legal heirs ₹5 lakh
Natural death ₹2,00,000 ₹3 lakh
Funeral help ₹10,000 ₹20,000
Children’s education ₹2,500 to ₹1,00,000 a year by course, first two children ₹3,000 to ₹70,000 a year
Pension Not listed ₹2,000 a month after 60, with three years’ membership

To claim, log in to your board’s portal, choose the scheme and upload the proof it asks for, such as a marriage certificate, school fee receipt or death certificate. Your registration must be live on the date of the event, so renew on time. Keep paying the subscription where your board charges one; Assam’s renewal rules bar workers who have defaulted on it.

Boards also push central schemes. The ministry’s model scheme names Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, PMJJBY, PMSBY and the PM-SYM pension. Our page on government financial schemes explains those in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Who can get a labour card?

A construction worker aged 18 to 59 who has done at least 90 days of building or other construction work in the past 12 months. Your state board may add its own conditions.

Is the e-Shram card the same as a labour card?

No. e-Shram is a national ID for all unorganised workers, while the labour card is registration with your state’s construction workers’ board, which pays its own schemes.

How do I download my labour card by Aadhaar number?

Log in to your state BOCW board’s portal with Aadhaar and OTP and print the card from your profile. Search options differ by state.

How do I check labour card status?

Use the status page on your board’s portal with your registration, acknowledgement or mobile number. Punjab, for example, verifies you by OTP.

Does a labour card expire?

Registration stops when you turn 60 or when you no longer do 90 days of construction work in a year. Renew it each period your board sets, with a fresh 90-day certificate.

Can a migrant worker get a labour card in another state?

Yes. The labour ministry has advised boards that domicile should not stop a worker registering in the state where they work.

Sources

Related articles