DA/DR History Under the 7th Pay Commission (2016–2026): All Rates with Official Orders

This page lists every Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) rate for Central Government employees and pensioners since the 7th Central Pay Commission (7th CPC) took effect on 1 January 2016. For each instalment you get the effective date, the rate, the change, the date the Union Cabinet approved it, and the Department of Expenditure (DoE) Office Memorandum (OM) that made it official. The whole table is available as a free CSV file.

For the latest DA news and the expected July 2026 rate, see our DA hike tracker. To see what DA means for your salary, use the 8th CPC salary calculator.

7th CPC DA/DR rates, 2016 to 2026

All rates Confirmed. “Announced” is the date of the Union Cabinet decision as published by PIB (for 1 January 2016, the Cabinet’s approval of the 7th CPC; for the 2020–21 freeze, the DoE OM). DR for pensioners was revised at the same rate and from the same date each time. The PIB releases cover both DA and DR, and the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare issues a separate DR order.

What the table tells you

• 2016 reset. The 7th CPC pay matrix absorbed the 125% DA paid under the 6th CPC, so DA in the new structure started at 0% from 1 January 2016 and 2% from 1 July 2016. Confirmed (DoE OM 1/2/2016-E.II(B), 4 Nov 2016, para 2)
• COVID-19 freeze. The instalments due from 1 January 2020, 1 July 2020 and 1 January 2021 were not paid. DA/DR stayed at 17% until 30 June 2021, with no arrears. Confirmed
• Two orders for July 2021. DA went from 17% to 28% from 1 July 2021, restoring the three frozen instalments for the future only. A second order later raised it to 31% from the same date. Confirmed
• Size of each rise. Every instalment since July 2016 has been between 1 and 5 points, apart from the one-off 11-point restoration in July 2021.
• Timing. DA takes effect on 1 January and 1 July but is approved months later, usually between February and April for the January instalment and between August and October for the July one. Arrears from the effective date are paid with salary after the order.

How DA is calculated from AICPI-IW

PIB releases say each rise follows “the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission”. Confirmed The OMs do not print the formula. The method below is the one in common use, and it reproduces the official rates.

1. Take the 12-month average of the All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW), published monthly by the Labour Bureau. Use January–December for the January revision and July–June for the July revision.
2. The index has used base 2016 = 100 since September 2020. Convert the average to the old 2001 = 100 base by multiplying by the Labour Bureau linking factor of 2.88. Confirmed (Labour Bureau)
3. DA % = (converted average − 261.42) ÷ 261.42 × 100, where 261.42 is the 2015 average index the 7th CPC pay matrix was built on. Drop the decimals.

Check against January 2026: the January–December 2025 average is 145.54. Multiplied by 2.88 that gives 419.16, which works out to 60.34%, or 60% after dropping decimals. This matches the official order. Estimate (our calculation from Labour Bureau monthly releases)

The month-by-month index and the formula estimate for July 2026 are on our DA hike tracker.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current DA rate for Central Government employees?
60% of basic pay from 1 January 2026, under DoE OM 1/1(i)/2026-E.II(B) dated 22 April 2026. DR for pensioners is also 60%. Confirmed

Has the July 2026 DA hike been announced?
No. As of 14 October 2026 there is no Cabinet decision and no DoE order for the instalment due from 1 July 2026. Any figure you see for it is an estimate until the order is issued.

Will DA be merged with basic pay when the 8th CPC comes?
When the 7th CPC took effect, the DA then being paid was built into the new pay matrix and DA restarted at 0%. The 8th CPC has not reported yet, so how it treats DA is not decided. See how different fitment factors would work in our salary calculator and pension calculator.