Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees: 7th CPC Rates at 60% DA

Transport allowance at a glance

Item	Details
Order	DoE OM No. 21/5/2017-E.II(B), 7 July 2017 (7th CPC)
Effective from	1 July 2017
Who gets it	All civilian central government employees, including civilians paid from Defence estimates
DA on TA now	60% from 1 January 2026
Lowest rate	₹900 + DA = ₹1,440 (Level 1–2, other places)
Highest normal rate	₹7,200 + DA = ₹11,520 (Level 9+, TPTA cities)
Divyang employees	Double the normal rate
Not paid when	Government transport is given, or a full calendar month is spent on leave, tour or suspension

What is the transport allowance rate under 7th CPC?

The 7th CPC fixed three slabs by pay level. Each slab has one rate for the 19 higher TPTA cities and one for all other places. DA is added on top at the current rate.

Pay level	TPTA cities (base + DA 60%)	Other places (base + DA 60%)
Level 9 and above	₹7,200 + ₹4,320 = ₹11,520	₹3,600 + ₹2,160 = ₹5,760
Level 3 to 8	₹3,600 + ₹2,160 = ₹5,760	₹1,800 + ₹1,080 = ₹2,880
Level 1 and 2 (pay ₹24,200 or more)	₹3,600 + ₹2,160 = ₹5,760	₹1,800 + ₹1,080 = ₹2,880
Level 1 and 2 (pay below ₹24,200)	₹1,350 + ₹810 = ₹2,160	₹900 + ₹540 = ₹1,440

The ₹24,200 rule matters for senior MTS and Level 2 staff. Once your basic pay reaches ₹24,200, you move to the Level 3–8 rate. Check your basic on the 7th CPC pay matrix.

Which cities get the higher transport allowance?

These 19 cities (urban agglomerations, Census 2011) get the higher rate. The list is the Annexure to the 7 July 2017 OM.

Higher TPTA cities
Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Nagpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Patna, Indore, Kochi, Kozhikode, Coimbatore

The city list is not the same as the HRA X/Y/Z list. Many Y-class cities for HRA, such as Bhopal or Bhubaneswar, are “other places” for transport allowance. For HRA rates, see our HRA calculator.

How is transport allowance calculated? Worked examples

Formula: TA = base rate + (base rate × DA%). At DA 60%, multiply the base rate by 1.6. Our calculation

Employee	Working	Per month	Per year
MTS, Level 1, basic ₹18,000, Lucknow	₹1,350 + ₹810	₹2,160	₹25,920
MTS, Level 1, basic ₹24,200, Patna	₹3,600 + ₹2,160	₹5,760	₹69,120
Assistant, Level 6, basic ₹35,400, Bhopal	₹1,800 + ₹1,080	₹2,880	₹34,560
Officer, Level 10, basic ₹56,100, Delhi	₹7,200 + ₹4,320	₹11,520	₹1,38,240
Divyang clerk, Level 4, Chennai	2 × ₹3,600 = ₹7,200 + ₹4,320	₹11,520	₹1,38,240
Level 14 officer, TA in lieu of staff car	₹15,750 + ₹9,450	₹25,200	₹3,02,400

Want the full salary with TA, DA and HRA together? Use our 7th CPC salary calculator or the 8th Pay Commission salary calculator.

Do divyang employees get double transport allowance?

Yes. The DoE compendium of 15 September 2022 gives double TA to employees with benchmark disabilities under the RPwD Act, 2016. The categories are:

• Blindness
• Locomotor disability, including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy and spinal deformity
• Deaf and dumb, and hearing impairment
• Autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability
• Multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease
• Haemophilia, thalassemia and sickle cell disease
• Multiple disabilities from the above

Apply to your administrative office with the disability certificate from the certified medical authority. Double TA is paid from the date the office receives the certificate, or from joining if you gave it at appointment. It is paid even if you live on campus or within 1 km of office.

Note: an officer at Level 14 and above who takes ₹15,750 TA instead of a staff car gets ₹15,750 + DA only, not double.

Can Level 14 officers take transport allowance instead of a staff car?

Yes. Officers at Level 14 and above who are entitled to an official car can choose either the car or TA of ₹15,750 + DA. At DA 60% that is ₹25,200 a month. Once you choose TA, you cannot switch back during the current posting.

When is transport allowance not paid?

TA is meant for the daily trip between home and office. So the OM stops it in these cases:

• Government transport: not paid if the office gives you transport.
• Leave: not paid for any calendar month that is fully covered by leave.
• Tour: not paid only if you are away for a full calendar month.
• Training: paid during training treated as duty, if no transport, TA or DA is given for it.
• Suspension: not paid for full months of suspension. For a part month, TA is cut in proportion.
• Deputation abroad: not paid.
• Vacation staff: paid, unless the vacation and leave cover the whole calendar month.

Does transport allowance go up with every DA hike?

Yes. The order says “+ DA thereon”, so TA rises each time DA is revised. The base rates (₹7,200, ₹3,600, ₹1,800, ₹1,350, ₹900) stay fixed until the next pay commission. Track the next revision on our DA hike tracker and see past rates in the DA history table.

The July 2026 DA is not yet notified. Until the Department of Expenditure issues the order, the 60% figures above apply.

What will happen to transport allowance in the 8th Pay Commission?

Nothing is decided yet. The 8th CPC will review allowances, and its report is still awaited. When the new pay matrix comes, DA will restart from zero, so TA will be the new base rate only. Read more on fitment factor and DA merger.

Do railway and defence staff get the same transport allowance?

The DoE OM covers central government civilians and Defence civilians. For railway employees and armed forces personnel, the OM says the Railway Board and the Ministry of Defence issue separate orders. Check your own department’s order. Defence and CAPF staff can use our defence and CAPF salary calculator.

Transport allowance: frequently asked questions