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DA Arrear Calculator

DA or pensioner DR hike on your basic — monthly increase, arrear and a month-by-month table

Reviewed by the PaisaTools Editorial Team · Last reviewed September 2026 · Applicable to FY 2026-27 (AY 2027-28)

You are
₹

The pay-matrix cell on your slip — not gross. Level 1 starts at ₹18,000

%

Central rate: 60% from 1 January 2026 (notified). State employees: type your state's rate

%

Default 63% is the expected central rate from 1 July 2026 — PENDING Cabinet approval, not notified. Change it once the order is out

months

Months paid at the old rate, from Jul 2026. Paid with the October salary = 3 (Jul–Sep); with November = 4

Total DA arrear · new rate 63% expected — PENDING Cabinet approval

₹3,186

Increase a month

₹1,062

New monthly DA

₹22,302

Increase a year

₹12,744

Not official yet. 63% from 1 July 2026 is what the AICPI-IW formula gives; the Union Cabinet has not approved it as of 13 October 2026. The arrear above is an estimate until the Department of Expenditure issues the order.

Month by month

MonthPaid (60%)Due (63%)Arrear
Jul 2026₹21,240₹22,302₹1,062
Aug 2026₹21,240₹22,302₹1,062
Sep 2026₹21,240₹22,302₹1,062
Total₹3,186

Jul 2026 – Sep 2026 at the old rate; from Oct 2026 the new DA is normally in the regular salary, with the arrear paid alongside. Before tax and NPS deductions.

Dearness Allowance is revised twice a year, from 1 January and 1 July, but the order usually arrives months later. Until it does, salary keeps being paid at the old rate — and once it lands, the difference for the months in between is paid as a lump sum: the DA arrear. Pensioners receive the same revision as Dearness Relief.

This calculator works the arrear out on your own basic pay or basic pension: the monthly increase, the new monthly DA and a month-by-month table. The current central rate is 60% from 1 January 2026. The rate for 1 July 2026 is not notified yet; the default is the figure the price-index formula points to, and the result says so on the figure itself. Every rate is editable, so state employees can use their own.

For where pay goes at the next commission, use the 8th Pay Commission calculator; to see a raise in percentage terms, the salary hike calculator.

Current rate: DoE Office Memorandum No. 1/1(i)/2026-E.II(B), 22 April 2026 (60% from 1 January 2026), with the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare memorandum of 24 April 2026 for DR. Expected rate: the 7th CPC formula — twelve-month average of the All-India CPI-IW (Labour Bureau, base 2016 = 100, linked to the 2001 series with factor 2.88) over 261.42, rounded down — using the Labour Bureau's June 2026 index of 151.9. Status checked 13 October 2026. Monthly DA is rounded to the rupee as the memorandum specifies.

The expected rate is not an order; the Cabinet can approve a different figure or a later date. Defaults are central-government rates; state, bank, PSU and autonomous-body rates differ. Income tax, NPS and any other deduction on the arrear are not subtracted.

What is the DA rate for central government employees in 2026?
60% of basic pay from 1 January 2026, notified by the Department of Expenditure on 22 April 2026 (up from 58%). Pensioners get the same 60% as Dearness Relief on basic pension. The revision due from 1 July 2026 had not been approved as of 13 October 2026.
What is the expected DA hike from July 2026?
The 7th Pay Commission formula averages the All-India CPI for Industrial Workers over the twelve months to June 2026. With June's index published at 151.9, that average puts DA at about 63.7%, and DA is rounded down to a whole number — so 63%, a 3-point rise. It is an expectation, NOT an order: it becomes official only when the Union Cabinet approves it and the Department of Expenditure issues the memorandum. Until then the calculator labels the result as pending.
How is the DA arrear calculated?
DA is a percentage of basic pay, worked out each month and rounded to the rupee. The arrear for one month is the DA at the new rate minus the DA actually paid at the old rate. Multiply by the number of months paid at the old rate — usually July, August and September when the hike arrives with the October salary — and that is the arrear.
Do pensioners get DR arrears too?
Yes. Dearness Relief for central pensioners and family pensioners moves by the same percentage from the same date as DA, and the arrear is paid by the bank or pension disbursing office. DR is worked out on the basic pension before the commutation deduction. Choose Pensioner in the calculator and enter your basic pension from the PPO.
Can I use this for West Bengal or other state employees?
Yes, by typing your state's rates. State governments set their own DA, on their own dates, and many run well behind the central rate — so the defaults here are central rates only. Enter the old and new rate from your state's order and the number of months it covers.
Is the DA arrear taxable?
Yes. DA and its arrear are part of salary and are taxed in the year you receive them; TDS is usually deducted with that month's pay. If arrears push your income into a higher slab in the year of receipt, relief for salary paid in arrears can be claimed. Employees under NPS also see their 10% contribution deducted on the DA arrear, with the government's share added.

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