Rs 6,908 bonus for central government employees: Check eligibility rules for 2025-26

The Ministry of Finance has announced the non-productivity-linked bonus (non-PLB), also called the ad hoc or annual bonus, for the accounting year 2025-26. Central government employees who qualify will get a bonus equal to 30 days of their pay. The bonus is calculated using a maximum wage of Rs 7,000. Each eligible employee will receive Rs 6,908 as their bonus. The order, dated October 15, 2026, also covers eligible casual labourers and specifies the service conditions employees must meet.

The bonus applies to:
-Group C central government employees.
-Non-gazetted Group B employees not covered by a productivity-linked bonus scheme.
-Eligible employees of Central Para Military Forces and Armed Forces.
-Workers in Union Territory administrations who get paid according to the central government pay system are eligible, as long as another bonus or ex-gratia scheme does not cover them.

To be eligible for this bonus, employees must have been in service on March 31, 2026, and completed at least six months of continuous service during 2025-26. Eligible employees with six months to less than a full year of service will receive a pro-rata bonus.For this calculation, the eligibility period is expressed in months and rounded to the nearest number of months.

The bonus is calculated using average emoluments or the bonus wage ceiling, whichever is lower. For employees whose average monthly emoluments exceed Rs 7,000, the calculation is:Rs 7,000 X 30/30.4 = Rs 6,907.89 (rounded off to Rs 6,908). After rounding to the nearest rupee, the bonus payable for 30 days is Rs 6,908.

Casual labourers working in government offices can also qualify for the non-PLB bonus if they meet the service requirements.
-Six-day-week offices: At least 240 days of work each year for three years or more.
-Five-day-week offices: At least 206 days of work each year for three years or more.

For eligible casual labourers, the bonus for 30 days is calculated as: Rs 1,200 X 30/30.4 = Rs 1,184.21 (rounded off to Rs 1,184).If a worker's actual monthly emoluments are below Rs 1,200, the bonus is calculated using the actual monthly emoluments instead. The Finance Ministry's order states that all payments under these instructions will be rounded to the nearest rupee.