.-(1) Gratuity shall be payable to an employee on the termination of his employment after he has rendered continuous service for not less than five years,-(a)on his superannuation, or(b)on his retirement or resignation, or(c)on his death or disablement due to accident or disease:Provided that the completion of continuous service of five years shall not be necessary where the termination of the employment of any employee is due to death or disablement:[Provided further that in the case of death of the employee, gratuity payable to him shall be paid to his nominee or, if no nomination has been made, to his heirs, and where any such nominees or heirs is a minor, the share of such minor, shall be deposited with the controlling authority who shall invest the same for the benefit of such minor in such bank or other financial institution, as may be prescribed, until such minor attains majority.] [ Substituted by Act 22 of 1987, Section 4 (w.e.f. 1.2.1991).]Explanation .-For the purposes of this section, disablement means such disablement as incapacitates an employee for the work which he was capable of performing before the accident or disease resulting in such disablement.(2)For every completed year of service or part thereof in excess of six months, the employer shall pay gratuity to an employee at the rate of fifteen days' wages based on the rate of wages last drawn by the employee concerned:Provided that in the case of a piece-rated employee, daily wages shall be computed on the average of the total wages received by him for a period of three months immediately preceding the termination of his employment, and, for this purpose, the wages paid for any overtime work shall not be taken into account:Provided further that in the case of [an employee who is employed in a seasonal establishment and who is not so employed throughout the year] [ Substituted by Act 25 of 1984, Section 3, for " an employee employed in a seasonal establishment" (w.e.f. 1.7.1984).], the employer shall pay the gratuity at the rate of seven days' wages for each season.[ Explanation .-In the case of a monthly rated employee, the fifteen days' wages shall be calculated by dividing the monthly rate of wages last drawn by him by twenty-six and multiplying the quotient by fifteen.] [ Inserted by Act 22 of 1987, Section 4 (w.e.f. 1.2.1991).](3)The amount of gratuity payable to an employee shall not exceed [such amount as may be notified by the Central Government from time to time]. [ Substituted 'ten lakh rupees' by Act No. 12 of 2018, dated 28.3.2018.](4)For the purpose of computing the gratuity payable to an employee who is employed, after his disablement, on reduced wages, his wages for the period preceding his disablement shall be taken to be the wages received by him during that period, and his wages for the period subsequent to his disablement shall be taken to be the wages as so reduced;(5)Nothing in this section shall affect the right of an employee to receive better terms of gratuity under any award or agreement or contract with the employer.(6)Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1),-(a)the gratuity of an employee, whose services have been terminated for any act, willful omission or negligence causing any damage or loss to, or destruction of, property belonging to the employer, shall be forfeited to the extent of the damage or loss so caused;(b)the gratuity payable to an employee [may be wholly or partially forfeited] [ Substituted by Act 25 of 1984, Section 3, for " shall be wholly forfeited" (w.e.f. 1.7.1984).]-(i)if the services of such employee have been terminated for his riotous or disorderly conduct or any other act of violence on his part, or(ii)if the services of such employee have been terminated for any act which constitutes an offence involving moral turpitude, provided that such offence is committed by him in the course of his employment.[* * *] [ Sub-Section (7) omitted by Act 34 of 1994, Section 3 (w.e.f. 24.5.1994).][4-A. Compulsory insurance.-(1) With effect from such date as may be notified by the appropriate Government in this behalf, every employer, other than an employer or an establishment belonging to, or under the control of, the Central Government or a State Government, shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), obtain an insurance in the manner prescribed, for his liability for payment towards the gratuity under this Act, from the Life Insurance Corporation of India established under the Life Insurance Corporation of India Act, 1956 (31 of 1956) or any other prescribed insurer:Provided that different dates may be appointed for different establishments or class of establishments or for different areas.(2)The appropriate Government may, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, exempt every employer who had already established an approved gratuity fund in respect of his employees and who desires to continue such arrangement, and every employer employing five hundred or more persons who establishes an approved gratuity fund in the manner prescribed from the provisions of sub-section (1).(3)For the purpose of effectively implementing the provisions of this section, every employer shall within such time as may be prescribed get his establishment registered with the controlling authority in the prescribed manner and no employer shall be registered under the provisions of this section unless he has taken an insurance referred to in sub-section (1) or has established an approved gratuity fund referred to in sub-section (2).(4)The appropriate Government may, by notification, make rules to give effect to the provisions of this section and such rules may provide for the composition of the Board of Trustees of the approved gratuity fund and for the recovery by the controlling authority of the amount of the gratuity payable to an employee from the Life Insurance Corporation of India or any other insurer with whom an insurance has been taken under sub-section (1), or as the case may be, the Board of Trustees of the approved gratuity fund.(5)Where an employer fails to make any payment by way of premium to the insurance referred to in sub-section (1) or by way of contribution to an approved gratuity fund referred to in sub-section (2), he shall be liable to pay the amount of gratuity due under this Act (including interest, if any, for delayed payments) forthwith to the controlling authority.(6)Whoever contravenes the provisions of sub-section (5) shall be punishable with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees and in the case of a continuing offence with a further fine which may extend to one thousand rupees for each day during which the offence continues.Explanation .-In this section "approved gratuity fund" shall have the same meaning as in clause (5) of section 2 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961).] [ Added by Act 22 of 1987, Section 3 (w.e.f. 1.10.1987).]
