"How much does a security guard cost per month?" is the first question we get on almost every enquiry from Pune, Satara and Baramati. The honest answer is that the rate is a formula, not a price tag, and once you understand the formula you can compare quotations properly and spot the ones that are too good to be legal.
The building blocks of a monthly guard rate
A compliant monthly rate for one guard on one post is made up of:
- Minimum wage — Maharashtra notifies minimum wages for the security industry (under the Shops & Establishments / Security Guards schedule) by zone and skill category. Zone I (Pune Municipal Corporation, PCMC) is higher than Zone II and III towns such as Satara, Phaltan or Karad. Wages are revised with a special allowance (dearness allowance) every six months.
- Statutory contributions — employer's PF (12% of basic + DA, subject to the wage ceiling), ESIC (3.25% of gross), annual bonus (8.33% minimum), leave wages and gratuity provision. Together these add roughly 20–25% to the wage.
- Uniform, ID card and equipment — typically amortised into the monthly rate.
- Supervision and relievers — the cost of the supervisor's visits, night rounds and the reliever who covers weekly offs and leave. A single 12-hour post, 30 days a month, needs more than one guard's wages to remain lawfully staffed.
- Agency service charge — usually 8–15% on the above, covering recruitment, training, verification, control room and administration.
- GST at 18% — payable under reverse charge by many corporate clients.
Indicative ranges for 2026
Rates change with every minimum-wage revision, so treat these as ranges rather than a price list. For a single unarmed guard, 12-hour shift, including PF, ESIC, bonus, uniform and reliever cover, before GST:
| Category | Pune / PCMC (Zone I) | Satara, Phaltan, Karad (Zone II–III) |
|---|---|---|
| Unarmed security guard | ₹19,000 – ₹24,000 | ₹16,000 – ₹20,000 |
| Security supervisor | ₹22,000 – ₹28,000 | ₹19,000 – ₹24,000 |
| Gurkha guard | ₹21,000 – ₹27,000 | ₹18,000 – ₹23,000 |
| Bouncer (per 8–10 hr day) | ₹1,500 – ₹3,000 | ₹1,200 – ₹2,500 |
| Event steward (per day) | ₹900 – ₹1,500 | ₹800 – ₹1,300 |
Eight-hour shifts cost less per post but need three guards for round-the-clock cover, so the monthly cost per 24×7 post is what you should compare, not the per-guard figure.
What pushes the rate up or down
- Number of posts and contract length — larger, longer deployments spread supervision and reliever costs across more posts.
- Location — remote sites need travel allowances or on-site accommodation; sites close to an agency's base (for OSS, Phaltan and Baramati) are cheaper to supervise.
- Risk profile — jewellers, bank branches, high-value warehouses and sites with a history of incidents justify Gurkha or supervisor-grade personnel.
- Skills — fire-warden training, CCTV monitoring, computer literacy for visitor-management software, English-speaking front-desk roles.
- Statutory changes — every minimum-wage revision flows through to the rate. A good contract states this mechanism explicitly.
How to read a cheap quotation
If a quote for a 12-hour post in Pune comes in at ₹13,000–₹14,000 all-inclusive, do the arithmetic: minimum wage plus PF, ESIC and bonus alone exceeds that. The gap is being closed by one of the following:
- Guards paid below minimum wage or in cash without PF/ESIC.
- No reliever — the same guard works 30 days, or the post is quietly unmanned on his weekly off.
- Overtime not paid for 12-hour shifts.
- No supervision, no training, no verification.
Each of these transfers legal and operational risk to you as the principal employer under the Contract Labour Act.
What a transparent quotation looks like
Ask the agency for an itemised rate card showing wage, DA, PF, ESIC, bonus, leave, uniform, reliever, service charge and GST as separate lines. That is how OSS quotes every contract after a site survey — it lets your finance and HR teams see exactly what is being paid to the person standing at your gate.
For a rate specific to your site in Pune, Satara or Baramati, request a free site survey and we will send an itemised quotation within two working days.
Disclaimer: figures are indicative for 2026, based on Maharashtra minimum-wage notifications and typical statutory loadings. They are not an offer; final rates depend on the site survey and the prevailing wage notification.
About the author
Written by the operations team at Om Sai Siddhanath Security & Services, a PSARA-licensed security agency headquartered in Phaltan (Licence PSA/L/2/MH/2022/SEP/3/2372) serving Phaltan, Satara, Pune, Solapur and across Maharashtra. Information is general guidance, not legal advice.
