Last checked: 13 October 2026. Labels: Confirmed = PIB / Prime Minister’s Office release or Railway Board order listed on an official railway website (linked); Reported = order text or figure we saw only in reproduced copies or media; Estimate = our own arithmetic.
PLB for 2025-26: not announced yet (as of 13 October 2026). A letter numbered “RBE No. 101/2026” dated 06.10.2026, claiming 78 days’ PLB and ₹41,149 per employee, is fake. The Railway Board said in a letter dated 07.10.2026 that it never issued it, and PIB Fact Check flagged it [Reported: Economic Times, Financial Express, 8–9 Oct 2026]. We will update this page when the Union Cabinet approves the 2025-26 bonus and the Railway Board issues the order.
Every year, shortly before Durga Puja and Dussehra, the Union Cabinet approves a Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) for non-gazetted railway employees, and the Railway Board then issues the payment order. For several years in a row the bonus has been 78 days’ wages, capped at ₹17,951 per employee. This page explains who gets PLB, how ₹17,951 is arrived at, and what each recent year’s official decision said. It replaces our single-year 2024-25 post, which is now folded into the table below.
PLB at a glance
| Point | Rule | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | All eligible non-gazetted railway employees, excluding RPF/RPSF personnel | Confirmed (PIB; Railway Board orders) |
| Days of bonus | 78 days’ wages for each of 2020-21 to 2024-25 | Confirmed (PIB) |
| Wage calculation ceiling | ₹7,000 per month. Where wages exceed ₹7,000, PLB is worked out as if wages were ₹7,000 | Confirmed (PIB, 01.10.2022) |
| Eligibility ceiling | None. The order sanctions PLB “without any ceiling on wages for eligibility” | Confirmed (Railway Board orders) |
| Maximum amount | ₹17,951 for 78 days | Confirmed (PIB, 24.09.2025) |
| When paid | Before the Durga Puja / Dussehra holidays, in the same mode as salary | Confirmed (PIB; Railway Board orders) |
Year-by-year PLB for railway employees
Only years for which we could trace an official Cabinet decision are listed. “Accounting year” is the financial year whose performance the bonus rewards; payment is made in the following autumn.
| Accounting year | Cabinet decision | Days | Max per employee | Employees (approx.) | Total cost | Railway Board order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Not announced as of 13.10.2026 | – | – | – | – | None issued. “RBE 101/2026” circulating on social media is fake |
| 2024-25 | 24.09.2025 (PIB) – Confirmed | 78 | ₹17,951 | 10,91,146 | ₹1,865.68 crore | RBE No. 101/2025, dated 24.09.2025 (listed by Eastern Railway) – Confirmed |
| 2023-24 | 03.10.2024 (PIB) – Confirmed | 78 | ₹17,951 | 11,72,240 | ₹2,028.57 crore | RBE No. 91/2024 – Reported |
| 2022-23 | 18.10.2023 (PMO India) – Confirmed | 78 | ₹17,951 (per RBE 117/2023 – Reported) | 11,07,346 | ₹1,968.87 crore | RBE No. 117/2023, dated 18.10.2023 – Reported |
| 2021-22 | Approved by the PM on 01.10.2022 (PIB); Cabinet ex-post facto approval 12.10.2022 (PMO India) – Confirmed | 78 | ₹17,951 | about 11.27 lakh | ₹1,832.09 crore | RBE No. 120/2022 – Reported |
| 2020-21 | 06.10.2021 (PMO India) – Confirmed | 78 | ₹17,951 | about 11.56 lakh | ₹1,984.73 crore | RBE No. 71/2021 – Reported |
The ₹7,000 ceiling has applied since the 2014-15 accounting year under Railway Board RBE No. 109/2016, according to the railway employees’ association IRTSA [Reported]. Unions, including IRTSA, have asked the Government to raise it; that remains a demand, not a decision.
How railway PLB is calculated
What the orders say
Each Railway Board PLB order follows the same pattern [Confirmed for 2024-25 via RBE No. 101/2025; same wording in earlier orders, Reported]:
- PLB equal to 78 days’ wages is sanctioned “without any ceiling on wages for eligibility” to all eligible non-gazetted employees, excluding RPF/RPSF.
- Where wages exceed ₹7,000 a month, PLB is calculated as if wages were ₹7,000.
- Employees who were not under suspension and did not quit, retire or die during the year, including those on leave with leave salary not lower than leave on average pay, are paid a flat ₹17,951.
- For everyone else, the amount is worked out “in accordance with the extant instructions”.
Where ₹17,951 comes from
Government bonus orders convert monthly wages to a daily rate using the average number of days in a month, not 30. The Department of Expenditure’s ad-hoc bonus order spells this out: average monthly emoluments are divided by 30.4 and multiplied by the number of bonus days, so 30 days on the ₹7,000 ceiling is ₹7,000 × 30 ÷ 30.4 = ₹6,908 [Confirmed, DoE order as circulated by Puducherry Finance Department, 2016].
For railway PLB, the published maximum of ₹17,951 matches ₹7,000 × 78 ÷ (365 ÷ 12), that is, a 30.42-day month [Estimate: our reconciliation]:
- ₹7,000 ÷ 30.4167 = ₹230.14 per day
- ₹230.14 × 78 days = ₹17,951 (rounded)
Two common shortcuts give the wrong answer. ₹7,000 × 78 ÷ 30 = ₹18,200, and ₹7,000 × 78 ÷ 30.4 = ₹17,961. Neither is the amount the Government pays. If you were eligible for the whole year, just use the official ₹17,951.
If your monthly wages were below ₹7,000
Almost no regular employee is in this position today, because the 7th CPC minimum basic pay alone is ₹18,000. In principle, the bonus would be your average monthly wages × 78 ÷ the same divisor [Estimate].
If you did not serve the full year
Employees who joined, retired, resigned or died during the year, or were suspended, do not get the flat amount. Their PLB is calculated under the Railway Board’s standing instructions, which the annual orders refer to but do not reproduce. We have not been able to read those instructions on an official site, so check the exact amount with your pay bill or accounts section.
Who is eligible, and who is not
| Category | PLB? |
|---|---|
| Non-gazetted (Group C) staff: track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff | Yes. These categories are named in the PIB release [Confirmed] |
| RPF / RPSF personnel | No PLB. Group C RPF/RPSF personnel received an ad-hoc bonus instead for 2024-25 (Railway Board RBE No. 104/2025) [Confirmed, listed by Eastern Railway] |
| Gazetted officers | No. PLB is sanctioned only for non-gazetted employees [Confirmed] |
| Employees with wages above ₹7,000 | Yes. There is no ceiling for eligibility; only the calculation is capped |
| Full year in service, not suspended, on admissible leave | Flat ₹17,951 |
| Part-year service, retirement, death or suspension during the year | Calculated under extant instructions |
The 2024-25 order also let subscribers to the State Railway Provident Fund (SRPF) deposit all or part of their PLB into their SRPF account, as a relaxation of SRPF Rules 905(2), 908 and 909 [Reported, RBE No. 101/2025 text].
Central Government employees outside the Railways who are not covered by any PLB scheme get a separate non-productivity linked (ad-hoc) bonus. See our ad-hoc bonus guide. EPFO staff have their own PLB, covered in our EPFO PLB guide.
How the PLB decision is made each year
- The Railways’ performance for the accounting year is assessed. PIB releases cite freight loading and passenger numbers. For 2024-25 it cited 1,614.90 million tonnes of cargo and nearly 7.3 billion passengers [Confirmed, PIB 24.09.2025].
- The Union Cabinet approves the number of days and the total cost, and PIB publishes the decision.
- The Railway Board issues the payment order (an RBE number) to all General Managers and Production Units.
- Zonal railways pay the bonus with salary, ahead of the festival holidays.
Until step 2 and step 3 happen, any figure circulating for the current year is unofficial. To verify an order, check the Railway Board’s website or the circular index of your zonal railway, not a forwarded image.
Frequently asked questions
Has the railway bonus for 2025-26 been announced?
Not as of 13 October 2026. The only document in circulation, “RBE No. 101/2026” promising ₹41,149, was declared fake by the Railway Board.
How much PLB did railway employees get last year?
For 2024-25, 78 days’ wages, up to ₹17,951 per employee, approved by the Cabinet on 24 September 2025 for about 10.91 lakh employees at a cost of ₹1,865.68 crore.
Why is the bonus ₹17,951 when my salary is much higher?
Because PLB is calculated on a wage ceiling of ₹7,000 a month, whatever your actual pay.
Is PLB taxable?
PLB is paid as part of salary. We have not found a specific official exemption for it, so treat it as taxable salary income and check with your accounts section or a tax adviser.
Do RPF staff get PLB?
No. RPF/RPSF personnel are excluded from PLB; Group C RPF/RPSF staff received an ad-hoc bonus for 2024-25.
Will the 8th Pay Commission change the ₹7,000 ceiling?
Nothing has been announced. The ceiling is set by Government order, not directly by the pay matrix. Any change would need a fresh decision.
Can I put my PLB into SRPF?
The 2024-25 order allowed SRPF subscribers to deposit all or part of the bonus into their SRPF accounts. Check the current year’s order when it is issued.