Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Board: how to register

The Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Board is a state Government board for people who do household work in other people’s homes. Registered members can claim help such as accident relief, maternity assistance, education support for their children, marriage assistance and a monthly pension in old age, according to the Labour Department’s pages. Registration is free.

You register online at tnuwwb.tn.gov.in or through the Assistant Commissioner of Labour (Social Security Scheme) office in Coimbatore. Everything below comes from Tamil Nadu Government websites. Rules and amounts change, so confirm with the office before you apply.

What the board is

Under the Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Work) Act, 1982, the Government has set up 18 welfare boards for unorganised workers. The Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Board is one of them; an older Labour Department page dates it to 22.01.2007.

All 18 boards share one online portal, tnuwwb.tn.gov.in, for registration, renewal and claims. On the portal’s “Board & Nature of Work” list, “Domestic Work” sits under the Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Board. In each district, the Assistant Commissioner of Labour (Social Security Scheme) handles registration, renewal and payment of assistance. The Labour Department says assistance is paid straight into the worker’s bank account.

Who can register

• People who do domestic work in homes: sweeping and mopping, dishes, washing clothes, cooking assistance, child care or elder care.
• Age: the Tiruvarur district Labour Department page says a worker must have completed 18 years and not be over 60 to register. That is one district’s page, so confirm the rule in Coimbatore.
• Renewal: the same page says registration is renewed once every 5 years.

Documents the portal asks for

1. Work certificate, in the Government’s format, showing you do this work. The portal lists who can sign it, including the president or general secretary of a registered trade union for that work, an Assistant Inspector of Labour, or the Village Administrative Officer (VAO). Ask the office who can sign for domestic work.
2. Identity proof: driving licence, school certificate, voter ID, or a doctor’s certificate in the given format.
3. Family card (ration card or smart card)
4. First page of your bank passbook
5. Aadhaar card
6. A document showing your relationship to your nominee

To start, you need your own mobile number and your family card number.

How to register online

1. On tnuwwb.tn.gov.in, choose “New Registration”.
2. Enter your mobile number and family card number, then the OTP you receive.
3. Fill in the form. Enter family members’ details and ages carefully: the portal says education and marriage assistance depend on age.
4. Upload the documents and submit. Your application number comes by SMS.
5. If the officer needs more information, you get an SMS. Log in again, correct the form and resubmit.
6. Once approved, your permanent registration number and password come by SMS, and you can download your registration certificate.

The portal says there is no fee for registration, renewal or claims. If someone asks for money to register you, go to the office directly instead.

If you cannot do it online, visit the Office of the Assistant Commissioner of Labour (Social Security Scheme), 1847, Trichy Road, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore – 641045, phone 0422-2324988 (as listed on the Coimbatore district website).

What the board gives

The state Labour Department page lists the assistance for workers registered with boards other than the construction and drivers’ boards, as announced in September 2021. The Coimbatore district page, under its “Manual Workers Welfare Board” column, shows some higher amounts:

Assistance	State Labour Department page	Coimbatore district page
Accidental death	₹1,25,000	₹1,25,000
Accidental disability (by extent)	up to ₹1,00,000	up to ₹1,00,000
Natural death	₹30,000	₹30,000
Funeral	₹5,000	₹5,000
Children’s education, Class 6–9 (a year)	₹1,000	₹1,000
Marriage (men / women)	₹3,000 / ₹5,000	₹3,000 / ₹5,000
Maternity	₹6,000	₹6,000
Spectacles	up to ₹500	up to ₹750
Monthly pension	₹1,000	₹1,200

There is also education assistance for Class 10, Class 12, college and professional courses. An older Labour Department page says registered workers become eligible for the pension at 60.

Still to confirm: the two official pages were updated at different times and some amounts differ. Some benefits may carry conditions, such as a minimum period of membership. Ask the Coimbatore office for today’s amounts and rules.

For families who employ house help

If your helper wants to register, give them a day off to visit the office, and help with the online form if they ask. It is a small thing for you and a real safety net for their family.

Be clear about pay, too. The Government’s minimum basic wage for domestic work in Corporation areas is ₹45.50 an hour for cleaning and similar work, plus a dearness allowance (G.O.(2D) No.99, 2022). Our post on what a part-time maid costs in Coimbatore explains the full table. A few habits that help:

• Pay on a fixed date each month.
• Agree a weekly rest day at the start.
• When you add a task, talk about pay again.
• Don’t hold your helper back past the agreed hours.

A helper who is paid fairly and gets rest tends to stay. That means fewer sudden gaps for you, too; for those days, see what to do when your maid didn’t come today.

How Trice can help

Trice does not register anyone with the welfare board; registration is done through the Labour Department. If you need help at home on the day your helper goes to the labour office, you can book same-day backup help. If you want the same helper on fixed days, ask about our Regular help plan.