Where DR stands on 28 October 2026
| Instalment | DR rate | Status | Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| From 1 July 2025 | 58% | Official | DoPPW OM No. 42/02/2024-P&PW(D) dated 08.10.2025 (as cited in the 24.04.2026 OM) |
| From 1 January 2026 | 60% | Official — current rate | Cabinet decision 18.04.2026; DoPPW OM No. 42/02/2024-P&PW(D)/E-9475 dated 24.04.2026 |
| From 1 July 2026 | Not announced (about 63% by press / CPI-IW estimates) | Estimate | No order on pib.gov.in as of about 2:00 pm IST, 28.10.2026 |
The DoPPW order of 24 April 2026 raised DR "from the existing rate of 58% to 60% of the basic pension/family pension (including additional pension/additional family pension)" with effect from 1 January 2026, for all central government pensioners and family pensioners, including armed forces, railway and All India Services pensioners. It also says that a fraction of a rupee in DR is rounded up to the next rupee.
The July 2026 instalment was still awaited when this page was last updated. The calculator pre-fills 63% only so you can see the likely effect; it is clearly marked as an estimate until the Government announces the real figure, and this page will be updated the same day.
How DR and DR arrears are calculated
DR = (basic pension + additional pension for age) × DR %, rounded up to the next rupee
Monthly increase = DR at new rate − DR at old rate
Arrears = monthly increase × number of months from the date of effect up to the month before the new rate is first paid
- Commutation does not reduce DR. DR is paid on the full basic pension; the commuted amount is deducted separately.
- Fixed Medical Allowance (₹1,000 outside CGHS areas) does not attract DR.
- Additional pension for pensioners aged 80 and above does attract DR.
- Arrears are paid in the first month the new rate is credited, so that month's credit looks unusually high. Do not use it to work out your basic pension.
Ready reckoner: what a 3-point rise would mean (estimate)
If DR goes from 60% to 63% from 1 July 2026 and the new rate is first paid in November 2026, arrears would cover four months (July to October). This table is a hypothetical illustration for pensioners below 80 years; it is not an announcement.
| Basic pension | DR at 60% | DR at 63% | Extra per month | Arrears for 4 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹9,000 | ₹5,400 | ₹5,670 | ₹270 | ₹1,080 |
| ₹15,000 | ₹9,000 | ₹9,450 | ₹450 | ₹1,800 |
| ₹20,000 | ₹12,000 | ₹12,600 | ₹600 | ₹2,400 |
| ₹30,000 | ₹18,000 | ₹18,900 | ₹900 | ₹3,600 |
| ₹50,000 | ₹30,000 | ₹31,500 | ₹1,500 | ₹6,000 |
| ₹1,00,000 | ₹60,000 | ₹63,000 | ₹3,000 | ₹12,000 |
DR and the 8th Pay Commission
When the 7th CPC was implemented, the DR built up by then (125%) was absorbed into the new basic pension through the 2.57 fitment factor, and DR restarted from zero. If the 8th CPC follows the same pattern, every DR instalment granted until implementation (60% now, and the July 2026 and January 2027 instalments) raises the break-even fitment factor: at 60% DR, a factor of 1.60 merely keeps total pension unchanged; at 63%, 1.63. That is why the main 8th CPC calculator lets you change the DR box, and why the July 2026 decision matters for every estimate. The Government told Parliament in December 2025 that there was no proposal to merge DA with basic pay.
Not sure of your basic pension? Use the basic pension finder. For our formulas and the official orders behind each rate, see How we calculate; every rate change is recorded in the changelog.
यह पेज हिंदी में पढ़ें — महंगाई राहत (DR) और एरियर की पूरी गणना हिंदी में।
Who should use this calculator and how
Any central government pensioner or family pensioner — civil, railway, defence or All India Services — who wants to check the DR in their credit or estimate the effect of a new instalment.
- Enter your basic pension (before commutation) and age.
- Keep 60% as the old rate. The new rate is pre-filled at 63% only as an estimate; change it when the official rate is announced.
- Choose the month the new rate takes effect (1 July for the July instalment) and the month you expect it to be credited.
- Read the monthly increase and arrears. If you entered a commutation deduction, the net credit is shown too.
Common mistakes
- Calculating DR on the reduced pension. DR is paid on the full basic pension before commutation.
- Adding DR on FMA. Fixed Medical Allowance does not attract DR.
- Believing a "DA hike" headline before the order. The Cabinet decision appears on pib.gov.in; DoPPW then issues the DR order for pensioners.
Worked example: a pensioner aged 85
Additional pension also attracts DR, so older pensioners gain a little more from each instalment. For a basic pension of ₹20,000 at age 85, additional pension is 30% (₹6,000). DR at 60% on ₹26,000 is ₹15,600; at a hypothetical 63% it would be ₹16,380 — ₹780 more a month, or ₹3,120 for four months of arrears. The same pensioner below 80 would gain ₹600 a month. Only the 60% rate is official.