DA hiked by 3% to 63%: Know the impact of hike on salaries of Level 1-10 central government employees

Central government employees will get 63% dearness allowance (DA) applicable for the July-December 2026 period. The Centre today (Wednesday, October 28, 2026) announced that DA for employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners will rise by 3% each from its current rate of 60%.

A 3% DA hike also means that a Level 1 employee who was getting approximately Rs 11,340 as DA at 60% will now get Rs 11,340, a hike of Rs 540.

Government employees will also get arrears for the delay in the announcement of the DA.

Dearness Allowance Hike: AICPI index from July 2025 to June 2026

Month	Index Value
Jul-25	146.5
Aug-25	147.1
Sep-25	147.3
Oct-25	147.7
Nov-25	148.2
Dec-25	148.2
Jan-26	148.6
Feb-26	148.5
Mar-26	149.1
Apr-26	149.9
May-26	150.8
Jun-26	151.9
Average	148.65
DA	63.76%= 63%

DA is based on the average 12-month retail inflation measured through the All India Consumer Price Index (AICPI-IW) for the July 2025-June 2026 period.

63% DA rate applicability

The DA rate of 63% will be applicable for the July-December 2026 period. Employees are likely to get DA arrears for the July-October period along with their salary at the end of November. This is because pay is calculated from the 15th of one month to the 15th of the next month.

DA hike: Impact on Level 1-10 employees' salaries as Dearness Allowance reaches 63%

Pay Level	Minimum Basic Pay (₹ per month)	DA amount (at 60%)	DA amount (at 63%)	Salary hike per month
Level 1	₹ 18,000	₹ 10,800	₹ 11,340	₹ 540
Level 2	₹ 19,900	₹ 11,940	₹ 12,537	₹ 597
Level 3	₹ 21,700	₹ 13,020	₹ 13,671	₹ 651
Level 4	₹ 25,500	₹ 15,300	₹ 16,065	₹ 765
Level 5	₹ 29,200	₹ 17,520	₹ 18,396	₹ 876
Level 6	₹ 35,400	₹ 21,240	₹ 22,302	₹ 1,062
Level 7	₹ 44,900	₹ 26,940	₹ 28,287	₹ 1,347
Level 8	₹ 47,600	₹ 28,560	₹ 29,988	₹ 1,428
Level 9	₹ 53,100	₹ 31,860	₹ 33,453	₹ 1,593
Level 10	₹ 56,100	₹ 33,660	₹ 35,343	₹ 1,683