The muster roll, and what a reconstructed register looks like
The statutory record of who worked and when — which an inspector reads not only for its contents but for the manner of its keeping.
What it is
The statutory attendance record: who worked, on which day, for how long.
What goes with it
Wage and overtime registers, produced together on inspection.
The trap
Writing up the register weekly from memory. The uniform ink and handwriting say so at a glance.
A muster roll is the statutory record of attendance — who worked, on which day, for how long. Indian labour legislation requires employers to maintain it, along with wage and overtime registers, and to produce it on inspection.
How it works in practice
A register maintained in pencil, updated weekly from memory, is technically a muster roll and practically an admission.
What to watch for
Registers reconstructed after the fact rarely survive scrutiny, because the handwriting and the ink are the same for every day.
How Klok handles it
Klok builds the register from punches as they happen, and the timestamps cannot be edited afterwards.
Muster roll / attendance register FAQs
Can the muster roll be kept electronically?
Yes — electronic maintenance is permitted under the applicable rules, and is generally easier to defend than paper because entries carry timestamps. What matters is that it is available for inspection and cannot be silently rewritten.
How long must registers be retained?
Retention periods are set by the applicable central and state rules and vary by register. Since the periods differ, the practical answer for most employers is to retain everything for the longest applicable period.
What does an inspector actually look for?
Agreement. The muster roll, the wage register, the overtime register and the payslips should tell one consistent story. Discrepancies between them are far more damaging than an untidy entry.
Is a muster roll still required if we keep digital attendance?
The obligation is to maintain the record in the prescribed form, and electronic maintenance is generally acceptable. What matters is that it can be produced on demand and has not been retrospectively edited.
How long must it be kept?
Retention periods run to several years under the applicable rules, and outlive the employment. Deleting on exit is a mistake people make once.
Who is responsible for keeping it accurate?
The employer, whoever fills it in. Delegating entry to a supervisor does not delegate the consequence of a register that does not match what happened.
Stop calculating this by hand
Klok computes it from your own attendance and salary data, every month, with the working shown.