HR software in Karnataka for small companies
Offrd is HR software for small companies across Karnataka. It generates offer and appointment letters, runs payslips with EPF, ESI and Karnataka professional tax computed, tracks attendance by QR code or GPS, and produces relieving letters and full and final settlements. Rs 99 per document or Rs 50 per active employee per month, with 50 free credits on signup. Pages for 15 cities are listed below.
Karnataka's employment is lopsided. Bengaluru dominates the numbers, and the rest of the state employs in a different rhythm, engineering units in Belagavi, garment floors in Ballari, institutions along the coast, seasonal intakes in the north. Each page below is written for how that place actually employs rather than repeating the same copy with a city name swapped in.
What is the professional tax slab in Karnataka?
| Monthly gross salary | Professional tax |
|---|---|
| Below Rs 25,000 | Nil |
| Rs 25,000 and above | Rs 200 a month |
There is no partial deduction just under the threshold. Alongside professional tax, payslips carry EPF at 12% from the employee and 12% from the employer with the Rs 15,000 wage ceiling, and ESI at 0.75% and 3.25% where gross wages fall within Rs 21,000 a month. There is no different amount in February, which several payroll summaries get wrong. Deducting the tax is the employer's job. Depositing it and filing the returns stays with your accountant.
When do most Indian companies run increments?
April, aligned to the financial year, is the most common cycle, with a smaller number running in October or on the employee joining anniversary. The cycle matters less than the consistency. A company in Karnataka that revises salaries when people ask, rather than on a cycle, ends up with pay that reflects who negotiated hardest.
Whatever the cycle, the letter should be issued before the revised salary appears in the bank account, not after.
What HR records does an inspector ask for first?
The registration certificate under the state Shops and Establishments Act, the attendance register, the wage register, the leave record, and proof that provident fund and employee state insurance contributions were deposited. Appointment letters and the bonus register follow.
Most states now accept a digital register in place of paper, provided it captures the same particulars. What matters is that the record was maintained as the month went by rather than reconstructed the week before an inspection.
Why do leave balances go wrong?
Because the policy and the spreadsheet drift apart. Accrual is monthly, approvals arrive by message, loss of pay is applied in payroll but not in the leave record, and nobody reconciles the two until someone resigns. Then the encashment figure is argued over.
One record, updated when leave is approved rather than at the end of the year, removes most of it. For a team of thirty in Karnataka that is a small amount of discipline with a direct effect on the exit settlement.
What should a small employer do about the labour codes now?
Three things. Make sure exits can be settled within two working days, which is a data problem rather than a legal one. Look at the salary structure against the new wage definition. And keep following the state Shops and Establishments Act for leave, hours and registration, because those continue to apply.
Everything else can wait for the rules to settle. These three have an effect on the next employee who resigns.
Frequently asked questions
Can an increment be given without a letter?
It happens often and it causes trouble. Without a letter there is no record of the effective date or the revised breakup, so the next revision, the gratuity base and the settlement all start from a number nobody can evidence.
What does Offrd do in every one of these cities?
The same jobs, everywhere. Offer and appointment letters generated from templates that hold your own clauses, the appointment letter being mandatory under the Labour Codes since 21 November 2025. Onboarding with Aadhaar, PAN and bank details collected at joining. Payslips with the statutory lines computed per employee. Attendance by QR code, GPS or CSV import from a biometric device, through the Atndnz app that is included for paying customers. Relieving letters and full and final settlements that pull from the same salary heads as the payslips. Policies, POSH included, built from a guided questionnaire.
What it leaves out is as fixed as what it does. No return filing, no performance reviews, no expense claims, no asset register, no salary disbursal. More than 4,000 Indian companies use the platform across 350 or more cities. Pricing is on the pricing page, and the wider library sits at HR tools and guides for India.
Which Karnataka page should you read first?
If you are deciding whether to spend anything at all, start with Davangere, which argues both sides. If you want the number before the pitch, Mysuru has the cost worked out with a calculator. If you already know you are buying and want the sequence, Hubballi-Dharwad sets out the setup order and Tumakuru covers the first month.
For a specific problem, the pages are lanes rather than duplicates. Attendance across sites is on Kolar, payslip content on Udupi, the full document trail on Mangaluru, and shop floor against office on Belagavi.
Statutory figures on this page are taken from government sources: Karnataka professional tax schedule, EPF rate and wage ceiling, PIB, ESI contribution rates, ESIC, ESI coverage wage limit, ESIC, Labour Codes commencement, PIB. Rates change, so confirm anything you are relying on with your accountant.
Questions Karnataka employers ask
Does professional tax differ between Karnataka cities?
No. The slab is set by the state, so Bengaluru and Bidar deduct the same amount. Karnataka professional tax is nil below Rs 25,000 of monthly gross and Rs 200 a month at or above it. What differs by city is salary levels, which decide who crosses the threshold.
My company is registered in one city with staff in three. Which page applies?
The state rules are identical everywhere, so the statutory content on any of these pages applies. One Offrd account covers all locations, and attendance from each site feeds one payroll.
Is the interface available in Kannada?
No. The interface is English only. The documents you generate use your own templates, so their wording is under your control.
What does Offrd cost in Karnataka?
Rs 99 per document, or Rs 50 per active employee per month. Signup includes 50 free credits and needs no card. There is no setup fee and no implementation phase.
Does Offrd file EPF or ESI returns for us?
No. It computes and documents, and your accountant deposits and files. That split is deliberate, and it is why the price is what it is.
Can we start with documents and add attendance later?
Yes, and most firms do. Documents and payroll deliver value on day one, while attendance involves a change employees have to get used to.
Start with one real employee
Signup is free, needs no card, and includes 50 credits. Generate an appointment letter and a payslip for somebody you actually employ, and judge it on the output.