DA hike history: every central government DA order since 2024
Dearness allowance for central government employees now stands at 60% of basic pay, in force from 1 January 2026. It reached that from 46% in 5 revisions since 1 January 2024. This page lists each order with its number and date, the rise it made, and how many days after its effective date it was issued.
Researched by Mirza Seraj BaigFacts last checked against official sources on 21 September 2026Every DA order since 2024
Each row is a Department of Expenditure office memorandum for employees on the 7th CPC Pay Matrix. The last column, in rupees, is our own arithmetic: the monthly DA on an example basic pay of ₹50,000, rounded to the rupee. The days column counts from the effective date to the date of the order. The 46% in the first row is the rate the 12 March 2024 order says it replaced.
| Effective from | DA rate | Rise | Monthly DA on ₹50,000 basic | Order | Days to order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Until 31 December 2023 | 46% | — | ₹23,000 | Before the orders below | — |
| 1 January 2024 | 50% | +4 points | ₹25,000 | OM 1/1/2024-E.II(B), 12 March 2024 | 71 |
| 1 July 2024 | 53% | +3 points | ₹26,500 | OM 1/5/2024-E.II(B), 21 October 2024 | 112 |
| 1 January 2025 | 55% | +2 points | ₹27,500 | OM 1/1(1)/2025-E.II(B), 2 April 2025 | 91 |
| 1 July 2025 | 58% | +3 points | ₹29,000 | OM 1/4(i)/2025-E.II(B), 6 October 2025 | 97 |
| 1 January 2026 | 60% | +2 points | ₹30,000 | OM 1/1(i)/2026-E.II(B), 22 April 2026 | 111 |
DA rate over time
What the orders say DA is
All five orders use the same wording. The rate applies to Basic Pay, which they define as the pay drawn in the prescribed Level of the Pay Matrix under the 7th CPC recommendations accepted by the Government, and which does not include any other type of pay, such as special pay. So DA is worked out on basic pay alone, not on allowances.
Each order also says DA continues to be a distinct element of remuneration and is not treated as pay within the ambit of FR 9(21), and that the payment may be rounded to the next higher rupee where the fraction is 50 paise or more, with smaller fractions ignored. The two most recent orders add that they apply to civilian employees paid from the Defence Services Estimates, and that separate orders for Armed Forces personnel and Railway employees are issued by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Railways.
The Department of Expenditure also lists separate orders of the same date for employees still drawing pay in 6th and 5th CPC scales. This page covers only the 7th CPC Pay Matrix rates in the table above.
The latest revision: 58% to 60% from 1 January 2026
The Union Cabinet approved an additional instalment of DA to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief to pensioners on 18 April 2026, an increase of 2% over the existing 58% of basic pay or pension, with effect from 1 January 2026. The Press Information Bureau says the combined cost to the exchequer is ₹6,791.24 crore a year and that it benefits about 50.46 lakh Central Government employees and 68.27 lakh pensioners, and describes it as in accordance with the accepted formula based on the 7th Central Pay Commission's recommendations. The Department of Expenditure issued the order on 22 April 2026, 111 days after the date it takes effect from.
On the example basic pay of ₹50,000, that 2-point rise is ₹1,000 a month more DA. Over the 5 revisions since January 2024 the same basic pay went from ₹23,000 a month of DA to ₹30,000.
The 1 July 2026 revision
As of 21 September 2026, the Department of Expenditure's DA orders page shows the 22 April 2026 order as the latest for the 7th CPC Pay Matrix. No order with effect from 1 July 2026 is listed. In the five orders above, the order came 71 to 112 days after the date it took effect from; that is a record of the past, not a date for the next one. When an order is issued it will be added here and to the calculators, with its number and date.
Once it is, the DA arrears calculator works out the difference for the months already gone, and the 8th Pay Commission calculator reads the current rate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current DA rate for central government employees?
60% of basic pay, with effect from 1 January 2026. The Department of Expenditure's office memorandum No. 1/1(i)/2026-E.II(B) of 22 April 2026 raised it from 58%.
Has DA from 1 July 2026 been announced?
Not as of 21 September 2026. The Department of Expenditure's DA orders page lists the 22 April 2026 order as the latest, and no order effective 1 July 2026 is on it. Past orders have come 71 to 112 days after their effective date, so the wait so far is not unusual by that record, but it does not tell you when an order will arrive.
How many times was DA revised between January 2024 and January 2026?
Five times, always with effect from 1 January or 1 July: to 50%, 53%, 55%, 58% and 60%. Together that is 14 percentage points above the 46% in force before 1 January 2024.
Is dearness allowance part of basic pay?
No. Each order says DA continues to be a distinct element of remuneration and is not treated as pay within the ambit of FR 9(21). Basic pay for DA purposes is the pay drawn in the prescribed Level of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, and it does not include any other type of pay, such as special pay.
How is a month's DA rounded?
The orders say that where the DA amount has a fraction of 50 paise or more it may be rounded up to the next rupee, and a fraction of less than 50 paise may be ignored.
Do pensioners get the same increase?
Dearness Relief to pensioners was raised with effect from 1 January 2026 by the same 2 percentage points, from 58% to 60% of pension, according to the Press Information Bureau's release on the Cabinet decision. It says about 50.46 lakh employees and 68.27 lakh pensioners benefit.
Why are DA arrears paid?
Because the order comes after the date it takes effect from. A 1 January revision issued in April is paid from January, so the months in between are settled as arrears. The gap between the effective date and the order has been 71 to 112 days across the five orders here. The 12 March 2024 and 2 April 2025 orders each add that arrears are not to be paid before the date of disbursement of the March salary. Use the DA arrears calculator for your own figure.