Definition of Wages as per the Bonus Act
"Salary or wage" means all remuneration (other than remuneration in respect of overtime work) capable of being expressed in terms of money, which would, if the terms of employment, express or implied, were fulfilled, be payable to an employee in respect of his employment or of work done in such employment. It includes dearness allowance (that is to say, all cash payments, by whatever name called, paid to an employee on account of a rise in the cost of living), but does not include:
- (i) Any other allowance which the employee is for the time being entitled to;
- (ii) The value of any house accommodation or of supply of light, water, medical attendance or other amenity or of any service or of any concessional supply of food grains or other articles;
- (iii) Any traveling concession;
- (iv) Any bonus (including incentive, production, and attendance bonus);
- (v) Any contribution paid or payable by the employer to any pension fund or provident fund or for the benefit of the employee under any law for the time being in force;
- (vi) Any retrenchment compensation or any gratuity or other retirement benefit payable to the employee or any ex gratia payment made to him;
- (vii) Any commission payable to the employee.
Explanation: Where an employee is given in lieu of the whole or part of the salary or wage payable to him, free food allowance or free food by his employer, such food allowance or the value of such food shall, for the purpose of this clause, be deemed to form part of the salary or wage of such an employee.
Payment of Minimum Bonus
Subject to the other provisions of this Act, every employer shall be bound to pay to every employee in respect of the accounting year commencing on any day in the year 1979 and in respect of every subsequent accounting year, a minimum bonus which shall be 8.33 percent of the salary or wage earned by the employee during the accounting year or one hundred rupees, whichever is higher, whether or not the employer has any allocable surplus in the accounting year.
Provided that where an employee has not completed fifteen years of age at the beginning of the accounting year, the provisions of this section shall have effect in relation to such an employee as if for the words "one hundred rupees", the words "sixty rupees" were substituted.
Payment of Maximum Bonus
(1) Where in respect of any accounting year referred to in section 10, the allocable surplus exceeds the amount of the minimum bonus payable to the employees under that section, the employer shall, in lieu of such a minimum bonus, be bound to pay to every employee in respect of...
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