Frequently Asked Questions

The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (BOCW Act) is a central legislation enacted to regulate the employment and service conditions of building and construction workers in India.

Under Section 7 of the Act, every establishment that employs 10 or more building workers in any building or construction work is required to be registered with the registering officer. Registration ensures that workers are entitled to welfare benefits, safety measures, and other protections provided under the Act.

Failure to register is an offence under the Act and can attract penalties. The Online Labour & Cess System digitises this registration process, making it faster and more transparent.

Two types of users can register:

• Architects / Applicants: Any architect or authorised representative of an establishment that employs building workers can create an Architect account and submit a labour registration application. No special key is required.
• Officers: Government officers (DEO, BOCW, LEO, RDC) who are authorised to review and process applications. Officer accounts require the Admin Key provided by the system administrator.

See the Account Registration guide for step-by-step instructions.

A challan is an official payment instrument generated by the system after you submit Form 1. It represents the registration fee payable under the BOCW Act.

The challan amount is determined by the maximum number of workers you declare in Form 1:

• Up to 100 workers → ₹ 100
• 101 to 500 workers → ₹ 500
• More than 500 workers → ₹ 1,000

The challan is generated automatically — you do not need to calculate the amount yourself. See Challan & Payment for more details.

No. Once you click "Submit to DEO", the application is locked and you cannot make any direct edits. This is by design to maintain the integrity of the review process.

If you need to make corrections after submission, you have two options:

• Wait for a shortfall: If the DEO or BOCW finds an issue, they will send a shortfall notice. You can then respond with corrections and additional documents.
• Contact the administrator: For critical errors (e.g., wrong project selected), contact the system administrator who may be able to assist.

This is why it is important to review all details carefully on the submission page before clicking Submit. See Submit to DEO.

A shortfall is a notice sent by a reviewing officer (DEO or BOCW) when they find that your application is incomplete, contains errors, or requires additional documentation. The application is returned to you so you can address the issues.

When you receive a shortfall:

• An amber Respond button appears on your dashboard next to the project.
• You will also receive an email notification.
• Click Respond to open the shortfall page, read the officer's comment, enter your response, optionally upload additional documents, and click Re-submit.

The application then returns to the officer who sent the shortfall for further review. See Responding to Shortfall for full instructions.

The project dropdown on Form 1 only shows projects that have been scrutinised and added to the system by the administrator. If your project does not appear, it means it has not yet been entered into the database.

Steps to resolve this:

• Contact the system administrator and provide your project details (project name, address, owner name, etc.).
• The administrator will add the project to the database.
• Once added, the project will appear in your dropdown and you can proceed with Form 1.

The approval timeline depends on the workload of each officer and whether any shortfalls are issued. A typical estimate (without shortfalls) is:

• DEO Review: 1–3 working days
• BOCW Review: 2–5 working days
• LEO Review: 2–3 working days
• RDC Approval: 2–5 working days
• Total: approximately 7–16 working days

Each shortfall adds additional time as the application must go back to you and then return to the officer. Submitting a complete, accurate application with all required documents from the start is the best way to minimise delays.

You can track your application's current status at any time on the Architect Dashboard.

The Registration Certificate is the official document issued under the BOCW Act, 1996 upon final approval by the RDC. It certifies that the establishment is registered and compliant with the Act.

The certificate typically contains:

• Certificate number and date of issue
• Name and address of the establishment
• Name of the employer / owner
• Project name and address
• Nature of work
• Maximum number of workers
• Commencement and completion dates
• Issuing officer's name and designation (RDC)

Once approved, the certificate is available for download from your Architect Dashboard by clicking the green View Certificate button.

Officer accounts require a special Admin Key that is issued by the system administrator. The key is BOCW@Admin#2024 (case-sensitive).

To create an officer account:

• Go to the Registration page.
• Enter your name and email.
• Enter the Admin Key in the Admin Key field.
• Select your officer level (DEO / BOCW / LEO / RDC) from the dropdown that appears.
• Set a password and confirm it.
• Click Register.

If you do not have the Admin Key, contact your system administrator. Do not share the key with unauthorised persons.

If you have not received an expected email (payment receipt, submission confirmation, shortfall notification), try the following:

• Check your spam / junk folder: Automated emails from the system may be filtered by your email provider.
• Verify your email address: Log in to your account and confirm that the email address on your profile is correct.
• Wait a few minutes: Email delivery can sometimes be delayed by a few minutes.
• Check the dashboard: The payment receipt and application details are always available on your dashboard regardless of email delivery. You can download the receipt directly from the system.
• Contact the administrator: If the problem persists, contact the system administrator with your registered email address and the date/time of the action.

The system does not currently have a self-service password reset feature. If you have forgotten your password:

• Contact the system administrator directly.
• Provide your registered email address and your role (Architect / DEO / BOCW / LEO / RDC).
• The administrator will reset your password and provide a temporary one.
• Log in with the temporary password and change it immediately.

See the Login guide for more information.

Yes. A single Architect account can manage multiple projects. Each project appears as a separate row in your Dashboard with its own status and action buttons. You can submit, pay, and track each project independently.

There is no limit on the number of projects per account.

You do not have to pay the challan immediately after submitting Form 1. The application will remain in PendingPayment status on your dashboard until you pay.

To pay later, simply log in, go to your Dashboard, and click the orange Pay Challan button next to the project. There is no time limit for payment, but the application cannot proceed to officer review until the challan is paid.