Train Ticket Refund Calculator
Cancelling a train ticket? The refund and charge under the 2026 rules, by class, status and hours left
Reviewed by the PaisaTools Editorial Team · Last reviewed September 2026
Rules checked: 7 Nov 2026 · Source: Railway Refund Rules, 2015; Ministry of Railways 72/24/8-hour windows (PIB, 24 Mar 2026)
How to use: Pick the ticket status and class, enter the total fare, passengers and hours left before departure.
Example3AC confirmed, ₹2,400 for 2, cancelled 30 hours before → ₹600 + ₹30 GST cut, ₹1,770 back
The fare on your ticket, without IRCTC's convenience fee
Until the train's scheduled departure. Type 0.5 for 30 minutes
Refund you get
₹1,770
Cancellation charge
₹630
Fare per passenger
₹1,200
How it's worked out
Rule applied: Confirmed, between 72 and 24 hours before departure: 25% of the fare, at least ₹180 per passenger (AC 3-tier / AC Chair Car / AC 3 Economy).
Not refunded: IRCTC's convenience fee and any payment-gateway charge. If the train is cancelled, or runs more than 3 hours late and you don't travel, you get the full fare back instead (file a TDR for an e-ticket).
AC 3-tier / AC Chair Car / AC 3 Economy. An estimate: check the exact refund on IRCTC or your PRS counter receipt.
Official cancellation charges (2026)
| Class | More than 72 h | 72 h to 24 h | Under 24 h to 8 h | Under 8 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC First / Executive | ₹240 | 25% (min ₹240) | 50% (min ₹240) | No refund |
| AC 2-tier / First Class | ₹200 | 25% (min ₹200) | 50% (min ₹200) | No refund |
| AC 3-tier / AC Chair Car / 3E | ₹180 | 25% (min ₹180) | 50% (min ₹180) | No refund |
| Sleeper | ₹120 | 25% (min ₹120) | 50% (min ₹120) | No refund |
| Second Class | ₹60 | 25% (min ₹60) | 50% (min ₹60) | No refund |
- RAC and waitlisted tickets (including Tatkal WL/RAC): ₹60 clerkage per passenger, up to 30 minutes before departure.
- Confirmed Tatkal: no refund.
- AC classes and First Class: 5% GST is added to the charge. Sleeper and Second Class: no GST.
- IRCTC's convenience fee and payment-gateway charges are not refunded.
How much refund on train ticket cancellation? Ticket cancel karne par kitna paisa wapas milega depends on three things: the class, the ticket status and how many hours are left before the train leaves. Cancel a confirmed ticket more than 72 hours early and only a small flat charge is cut, ₹180 per passenger in 3AC for example. Leave it to the last day and half the fare goes, and under 8 hours nothing comes back.
Waitlisted and RAC tickets are much cheaper to cancel: only ₹60 clerkage per passenger, up to 30 minutes before departure. Confirmed Tatkal tickets are the exception the other way: no refund at all.
The calculator uses the windows the Railways ministry announced in March 2026 (72, 24 and 8 hours, up from 48, 12 and 4), with the per-class charges of the 2015 refund rules. It runs fully in your browser, no signup. Travelling on LTC or claiming LTA? Read the LTC and LTA rules (Hindi). Planning the whole trip budget? Try the monthly budget planner; paid for a cancelled booking that never came back? See the failed transaction checker.
This is an estimate. Check the exact refund on IRCTC or your PRS counter receipt before you cancel.
Charges per class, clerkage and the RAC/waitlist 30-minute limit: Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015, in force from 12 Nov 2015 (indianrail.gov.in; Tatkal rules on IRCTC's cancellation page).
Time windows 72 / 24 / 8 hours: Ministry of Railways, “Indian Railways Announces Five New Reforms Under ‘Reform Express’”, PIB release 2244597, 24 Mar 2026. IRCTC's own cancellation page still shows the older 48 / 12 / 4-hour windows, and no gazette notice for the change was found, so treat the refund shown on IRCTC or your ticket as final. GST on cancellation charges at the class's rate: CBIC Circular No. 178/10/2022-GST, 3 Aug 2022 (cbic-gst.gov.in). Rules checked 7 Nov 2026.
Covers reserved tickets on regular trains. Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat II trains have their own schedule (25% / 50% / no refund, Railway Board Commercial Circular 08 of 2026), and unreserved tickets, partly confirmed family tickets and TDR claims follow separate rules. Railways may round the final amount; the IRCTC or PRS figure is the one that counts. Not legal advice.
- How much refund do I get if I cancel a confirmed train ticket?
- It depends on how early you cancel. More than 72 hours before departure, only a flat charge per passenger is cut (₹60 to ₹240 by class). Between 72 and 24 hours, 25% of the fare is cut; between 24 and 8 hours, 50%; in both cases at least the flat charge. Under 8 hours, a confirmed ticket gets no refund.
- Did the cancellation rules change in 2026?
- Yes. On 24 March 2026 the Ministry of Railways moved the windows from 48, 12 and 4 hours to 72, 24 and 8 hours, because charts are now prepared 9 to 18 hours before departure. The flat charges per class stayed the same. The change was rolled out in April 2026.
- What is cut on a waitlisted or RAC ticket?
- Only clerkage of ₹60 per passenger (plus GST on AC classes), if you cancel at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure. A fully waitlisted e-ticket that is still waitlisted when the chart is made is cancelled automatically and refunded the same way.
- Is a Tatkal ticket refundable?
- A confirmed Tatkal ticket gets no refund on cancellation. A waitlisted or RAC Tatkal ticket is refunded under the normal rules, so only clerkage is cut.
- Is GST charged on train ticket cancellation?
- On AC classes and First Class, yes: 5% GST is added to the cancellation charge, the same rate as the ticket. Sleeper and Second Class tickets carry no GST, so there is none on their cancellation charge either.
- When do I get the full fare back?
- If Railways cancels the train, or the train runs more than 3 hours late and you do not travel, the full fare is refunded with no charge. For an e-ticket, cancel it or file a TDR on IRCTC before the train leaves.
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