🇮🇳 India

Statutory Bonus Calculator India — Payment of Bonus Act

Calculate your statutory bonus under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. Minimum 8.33%, maximum 20% of basic + DA. Salary ceiling ₹21,000/month (2015 amendment). Check eligibility, above-ceiling impact, and how bonus affects your income tax for FY 2025-26.

Basic pay + Dearness Allowance only. Do NOT include HRA or other allowances.
months
Number of months worked during the financial year (min 30 days = ~1 month)

Try another scenario

How to Use This Calculator

My Bonus tab

Enter your monthly salary (basic + DA only) and the number of months worked during the financial year. The calculator shows your statutory bonus range — minimum 8.33% and maximum 20% — under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. If your salary exceeds ₹21,000/month, the calculation is automatically capped at the ceiling. "Salary" means basic pay + Dearness Allowance only — do NOT include HRA, overtime, or other allowances.

Above Ceiling tab

Enter your actual monthly salary (even if above ₹21,000) and months worked. The calculator shows your statutory bonus calculated on the ₹21,000 ceiling versus what it would be on your full salary. This helps you understand the impact of the salary cap and whether you should negotiate ex-gratia bonus with your employer.

Bonus Tax Impact tab

Enter your bonus amount, annual salary (without bonus), and choose your tax regime. The calculator computes your income tax with and without the bonus to show the marginal tax on bonus — how much extra tax you pay and what you effectively take home after tax.

Share your result

All inputs are encoded in the URL. Click Share to send your exact bonus calculation to a colleague, HR, or bookmark it for reference.

The Formula

The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 (as amended in 2015) provides the framework for statutory bonus calculation:

Statutory Bonus Calculation:
Bonus = Salary × Rate × Months Worked / 12

Where:
Salary = Basic Pay + Dearness Allowance (per month)
Rate = 8.33% (minimum) to 20% (maximum)
Salary for calculation = min(Actual Salary, ₹21,000)

Minimum Bonus (Section 10):
Minimum Bonus = Salary × 8.33% × Months / 12
This is mandatory regardless of profit or loss.

Maximum Bonus (Section 11):
Maximum Bonus = Salary × 20% × Months / 12
Actual rate depends on allocable surplus of the establishment.

Salary Ceiling (Section 12):
If actual salary > ₹21,000/month: bonus calculated on ₹21,000
If actual salary ≤ ₹21,000/month: bonus calculated on actual salary

Eligibility (Section 8):
Employee must have worked ≥ 30 days in the accounting year.
Establishment must have ≥ 20 employees (10 for factories).

The actual bonus rate between 8.33% and 20% depends on the allocable surplus of the establishment. The employer calculates available surplus from profits, and excess or shortfall is managed through set-on and set-off provisions (Sections 15 & 16) over a 4-year rolling window.

Example

Priya — factory worker in Pune, ₹18,000 basic + DA, 12 months worked

Priya (28) works at a manufacturing unit in Pune with 150 employees. Her monthly basic pay is ₹14,000 and DA is ₹4,000, totalling ₹18,000/month. She has worked the full financial year (12 months). She wants to know her statutory bonus entitlement.

Step 1: Determine calculation base

Monthly salary (basic + DA)₹18,000
Salary ceiling₹21,000
Effective salary for bonus₹18,000 (within ceiling)
Total salary for bonus period₹18,000 × 12 = ₹2,16,000

Step 2: Calculate bonus range

Minimum bonus (8.33%)₹2,16,000 × 8.33% = ₹17,993
Maximum bonus (20%)₹2,16,000 × 20% = ₹43,200
Bonus range₹17,993 — ₹43,200

Step 3: What Priya actually receives

If employer pays minimum₹17,993 (≈ ₹18,000)
If employer pays maximum₹43,200
Due date30 November 2026

Priya is guaranteed at least ₹17,993 as minimum statutory bonus. The actual amount (up to ₹43,200) depends on her employer's allocable surplus for the year. The bonus must be paid within 8 months of the financial year closing (by 30 November 2026). The bonus is fully taxable as salary income.

FAQ

Statutory bonus is a mandatory annual payment by employers to employees under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. Every establishment with 20 or more employees (10 or more for factories) must pay bonus at a minimum rate of 8.33% and up to a maximum of 20% of the employee's salary (basic + DA). The minimum 8.33% is compulsory regardless of whether the company makes a profit or loss. The actual rate between 8.33% and 20% depends on the allocable surplus — the profits available for distribution as bonus after accounting for prior adjustments, depreciation, and reserves.
The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 (effective 1 January 2016) set the salary ceiling at ₹21,000 per month. This ceiling affects bonus in two ways: (1) Eligibility: employees earning up to ₹21,000/month in basic + DA are entitled to statutory bonus under the Act; (2) Calculation: even if eligible, bonus is calculated on a maximum of ₹21,000/month, regardless of actual salary. Prior to the 2015 amendment, the eligibility ceiling was ₹10,000 and the calculation ceiling was ₹3,500. No further amendment has been made as of March 2026 — the ₹21,000 ceiling remains current. Employees earning above ₹21,000 may still receive ex-gratia bonus based on company policy or contractual agreement.
Under Section 2(21) of the Payment of Bonus Act, "salary" or "wage" means basic pay plus Dearness Allowance (DA) only. It specifically excludes House Rent Allowance (HRA), overtime wages, any other allowances, employer contributions to provident fund, and gratuity payable on discharge. This is a narrower definition than "gross salary" or "CTC". For example, if your gross salary is ₹30,000/month but your basic + DA is ₹18,000, the bonus is calculated on ₹18,000, not ₹30,000. Always use your basic + DA component when calculating statutory bonus.
Yes, statutory bonus is fully taxable as salary income under Section 17(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Bonus is added to your total salary for the financial year and taxed at the applicable income tax slab rate. Your employer deducts TDS on bonus at the time of payment. There is no separate exemption or deduction available for statutory bonus. The standard deduction (₹75,000 under new regime, ₹50,000 under old regime) applies on total salary including bonus. For most employees in the lower salary brackets (where statutory bonus is relevant), the effective tax rate on bonus is relatively low — often 0% to 5% due to the nil/low tax slabs.
Under Section 19 of the Payment of Bonus Act, bonus must be paid within 8 months from the close of the accounting year. For a company with an accounting year ending 31 March 2026, bonus must be paid by 30 November 2026. The employer can apply to the appropriate government authority for an extension of time in special circumstances. Failure to pay bonus on time is a punishable offence — the employer can face imprisonment up to 6 months, a fine up to ₹1,000, or both under Section 28. Employees can file a complaint with the Labour Commissioner if bonus is not paid within the prescribed time.

Related Calculators

Add This Calculator to Your Website

Embed the sum.money Statutory Bonus Calculator on your site. Free, responsive, always up-to-date.

<iframe src="https://sum.money/embed/in/bonus-calculator" width="100%" height="600"></iframe>