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DA Calculator for Central Government Employees

Dearness allowance on any basic pay, the extra you get from a DA hike, arrears, and what a DA merger would do to your basic pay.

Your details

₹
DA rate
%
DA hike

DA hike & arrears

%

The 60% DA from January 2026 was approved in April, so it came with 3 months of arrears.

DA per month at 60%

₹26,940

Basic + DA = ₹71,840 · ₹3,23,280 a year

Hike from 58%
+₹898/month
Arrears for 3 months
+₹2,694
Hike per year
+₹10,776
Basic if DA merged
₹71,800

A merger only moves DA into basic pay; take-home stays the same until HRA and future DA are paid on the bigger basic. The 8th CPC does this through the fitment factor.

Fitment factor calculator

DA rates under the 7th Pay Commission

DA/DR as a percentage of basic pay or pension, from each effective date.

FromDA rateNotes
Jul 202663%Expected from CPI-IW; awaiting Cabinet
Jan 202660%Approved Apr 2026
Jul 202558%
Jan 202555%
Jul 202453%
Jan 202450%HRA rose to 30/20/10%
Jul 202346%
Jan 202342%
Jul 202238%
Jan 202234%
Jul 202131%
Jan 202128%Paid at 17%. Frozen; restored Jul 2021
Jul 202024%Paid at 17%. Frozen
Jan 202021%Paid at 17%. Frozen
Jul 201917%
Jan 201912%
Jul 20189%
Jan 20187%
Jul 20175%
Jan 20174%
Jul 20162%
Jan 20160%7th CPC starts; DA reset

How dearness allowance works

DA protects pay against inflation. The government revises it twice a year, from 1 January and 1 July, using the All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW). Decisions usually come two to four months late, so each hike is paid with arrears. Pensioners get the same rate as Dearness Relief.

DA after the 8th Pay Commission

On the day the 8th CPC matrix starts, the DA you were getting is built into the new basic pay through the fitment factor and DA drops to 0%. Because the new basic pay is larger, each later DA point is worth more rupees, and HRA also resets to its lowest slab. See the full effect on take-home pay with the 8th Pay Commission salary calculator.

DA calculator FAQs

What is the current DA for central government employees?
DA is 60% of basic pay from 1 January 2026, approved by the Cabinet in April 2026. The July 2026 instalment has not been announced yet; CPI-IW data points to 63%.
How is DA calculated on basic pay?
DA = basic pay × DA rate. For example, ₹44,900 × 60% = ₹26,940 a month. DA is also paid on transport allowance, and pensioners get the same rate as Dearness Relief (DR) on basic pension.
How is the DA rate decided?
Under the 7th CPC formula, DA % = [(12-month average of AICPI-IW, base 2001=100 − 261.42) ÷ 261.42] × 100. The Labour Bureau’s CPI-IW is now published on base 2016=100 and converted with a linking factor. DA is revised every January and July, usually announced a few months later with arrears.
What happens to DA in the 8th Pay Commission?
DA earned under the 7th CPC is expected to be merged into the new basic pay through the fitment factor, and DA restarts at 0% on the revised pay. It then rises twice a year again.
Will 50% DA be merged with basic pay?
The 5th CPC recommended merging DA once it crossed 50%, and part of it was merged as Dearness Pay in 2004. The 6th and 7th CPCs did not carry that rule forward, and the government has told Parliament it has no proposal to merge DA with basic pay. DA is instead absorbed when the 8th CPC pay matrix starts.

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