Central Government employees and pensioners are still waiting for the July 2026 Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) revision.
As of 23 October 2026, the Department of Expenditure has not issued the July 2026 DA order. The current official rate remains 60%, after the Government increased DA/DR by 2% from 58% with effect from 1 January 2026.
With Diwali falling on 8 November 2026, many employees and pensioners are asking whether such a delay has happened before. The historical record shows that the timing of the July DA/DR announcement has varied considerably over the years.
Official PIB records confirm the older approval dates and increases, including 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The later records similarly confirm the July-cycle approvals in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
For recent years, the Cabinet approved the July instalment on 21 October 2021, 28 September 2022, 18 October 2023, 16 October 2024 and 1 October 2025.
Approval date and payment date are not the same thing
This is the most important point when comparing DA/DR with Diwali.
A Cabinet announcement only approves the increase. After that, formal orders are issued and salary or pension systems have to process the revised amount and arrears.
For example, the Cabinet approved the July 2024 increase on 16 October 2024, while the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare issued the corresponding DR order for pensioners on 30 October 2024.
Therefore, an announcement before Diwali does not automatically mean that every employee or pensioner will receive the revised amount before the festival.
Why was 2020 different?
The COVID period was an exceptional case.
The additional DA/DR instalments due from 1 January 2020, 1 July 2020 and 1 January 2021 were frozen. When the Government restored the benefit from 1 July 2021, DA/DR was raised from 17% to 28%.
For this reason, 2020 should not be compared with a normal July DA/DR cycle.
How much DA/DR is expected from July 2026?
The Labour Bureau’s official CPI-IW data shows the index reached 151.9 in June 2026. The June figure completes the 12-month period normally used for calculating the July instalment.
Using the usual 7th CPC calculation method, the available CPI-IW figures point to DA/DR of about 63%, compared with the current 60%.
That means an increase of around 3 percentage points is expected.
However:
60% → 63% is still a calculation-based expectation, not an official Government announcement.
The final rate should be treated as confirmed only after Cabinet approval and the formal Government order.
Will July-to-September arrears be lost because of the delay?
Normally, no.
Previous DA/DR orders show that although approval may come later, the additional instalment is made effective from 1 July of the relevant year. For example, the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 orders were all approved later but made effective from 1 July of those years.
Therefore, if the July 2026 increase is eventually approved with effect from 1 July 2026, the applicable arrears would be calculated according to the terms of that order.
The delay in announcement by itself does not mean the arrears have disappeared.
Can the revised DA/DR still come before Diwali?
Yes, an announcement before Diwali is still possible because the festival is on 8 November 2026.
But two things should not be mixed:
Government approval before Diwali
and
actual credit of revised salary, pension and arrears before Diwali.
Even if approval comes before 8 November, the payment date will depend on when the formal orders are issued and how quickly payroll and pension processing is completed.
So any social-media claim guaranteeing payment on a particular date should be treated cautiously until an official order is released.
What is the position as of 23 October 2026?
The situation is simple:
Current DA/DR: 60%
July 2026 revision: Awaited
Expected increase: Around 3%
Likely rate after increase: Around 63%
Diwali: 8 November 2026
Final confirmation: Only after Government approval and notification
The 17-year record shows that the July DA/DR announcement has never followed one fixed September-or-October schedule. The important point now is not speculation about a particular Cabinet date, but the official Government order that will determine the final rate and payment of arrears.
Sources
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1. Press Information Bureau — DA/DR Increased to 60% from 1 January 2026
Read Official PIB DA/DR Announcement
2. Department of Expenditure — Official DA Order
Download Official DA Order (PDF)View Department of Expenditure Order Page
3. Labour Bureau — Official CPI-IW Data, June 2026
View Official Labour Bureau CPI-IW Data
4. Press Information Bureau — COVID-Period DA/DR Freeze and Restoration
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