The Shops & Establishments Registration

The Shops and Establishment Act is important a state based labourlicense legislation enacted the respective state in which the shop or establishment set-up,Shops & Establishment registration helps the State Government to provide minimum benefits and relief to unorganizaed sector employees.Which is to regulate employment work conditions by prescribing payment of wages, opening and closing hours of the shop/establishment and to provide for statutory obligations of the employers with rights of the employees in un-organized sector of employment, which is essentially the welfare of the employeesin the unorganized sector? This is issued per premises and does not have a centralised registration concept.

Shops & Establishments Act Registration Applicable if you are opening a shop or commercial establishment.

A Commercial Establishment including:

• An establishment or administrative service in which persons employed or mainly engaged in office work, or
• A hotel, restaurant, boarding or eating house, a cafe or any other refreshment house or
• A commercial or trading or banking or insurance establishment, or
• A theater, cinema or any other place of public amusement or entertainment.etc. where a commercial activity is conducted.

While setting up a commercial entity there are many compliances to be followed, one suchimportant compliance is the Shop and Establishment license.

The licenses are important for shop and establishment registration. Sometimes, employers are unaware/ignore this important labour compliance while setting up an entity. In this section we give you an overview about this license.

Shops & Establishments Act Registration

• State based license. Applicable if you are opening a shop or commercial establishment.
• Specified records and registers need to be maintained
• Fees vary based on no. of people employed
• Annual returns need to be filed. In few states the renewals are also done on annual basis

Any commercial establishment- any office, cafe, restaurant, or any other commercial establishment would be covered under the legislation and hence is require to apply for the registration of the such establishment, usually within 30 days of commencing work in such establishment.

Registration of Shops & Establishments: As a business owner are compulsorily required to get the registered under the Shops and Establishment Act.

Features Import Export Code Registration

Process of registration mention as below:

Step 1: Submit an application in the prescribed form to the Inspector of the area within 30 days of starting any work in your shop/establishment. The application is to be submitted along with the prescribed fees and should contain the following information:

• Your name as the employer and the name of a manager, if any;
• The postal address of your establishment;
• The name of your establishment;
• Such other particulars as may be prescribed.

Step 2: the Inspector shall verify the accuracy and correctness of the application.

Step 3: Once suitably satisfied, he shall enter the details in the Register of Establishments and issue a registration certificate of your establishment. Once this registration certificate is issued, it will be valid for 5 years and has to be renewed thereafter.

Documents required the Shop and Establishment License:

All you are required to do is fill a form prescribed under the Act which requires the applicant to fill in details such as the total number of employees, name and address of the employer and manager, etc. An application form and fees detailing:

• Name of the establishment, the employer and the manager, if any;
• Postal address of the establishment;
• Such other particulars as may be prescribed.
• Other document required to be attached -depends on the type of the establishment-
  • A proprietary firm needs to give an undertaking,
  • A partnership firm would have to additionally attach the deed or partnership, etc.

Every business has to be maintaining the following records under Shops and Establishments act:

• Approval from Department of Labor.
• Various registers giving details of employment, fines, deductions and advances, salary, holidays, etc.
• Files related to annual holidays, number of employees need to be submitted at the Office of the Municipal Corporation annually.

Closing of Establishment to be communicated to Inspector: In case you are planning to close down your establishment, within 15 days of closing the establishment, notify to the Inspector in writing the date of such closure and return the registration certificate. After due verification, the Inspector shall remove the name of your establishment from the Register of Establishments and cancel your registration certificate.