Daily Allowance (DA) on Tour — Hotel, Travel & Food Ceilings Explained

Daily Allowance (DA on tour, not to be confused with Dearness Allowance) covers your hotel, local travel, and food expenses while you're away from headquarters on official duty. The 7th CPC changed this system fundamentally in 2017, replacing itemised food bill reimbursement with a lump-sum model. This article explains exactly how it works today, Pay Level by Pay Level.

What Changed Under the 7th CPC

Before 1 July 2017, Daily Allowance reimbursed hotel, local conveyance, and food bills separately against vouchers. From 1 July 2017, under DoE O.M. No. 19030/1/2017-E.IV, the 7th CPC introduced a lump-sum DA system modelled on the methodology Indian Railways already followed — no more separate food bill reimbursement. Instead, a fixed lump-sum amount is paid per day of absence, varying only by Pay Level and length of absence.

DA Entitlement Table by Pay Level (2017 Baseline)

⚠️ These were the 2017 baseline figures notified in the original OM. All ceilings rise automatically by 25% each time DA crosses a 50% increase threshold — and DA has since crossed that mark (58% effective from 1 July 2025). This means the actual current ceilings are higher than this table; always check the latest DoE circular for the applicable multiplier before filing a claim.

Self-Certification vs Vouchers — Who Needs What

• Levels 8 and below: Hotel and travel claims (up to the ceiling) can be paid purely on self-certification — no vouchers required — provided the claim clearly states the period of stay/travel, the name of the dwelling, and the vehicle number used.
• Stay in Class 'X' cities (Levels up to 8): Capped at ₹1,000/day (2017 baseline, subject to the 25% DA-linked escalation), but reimbursable only against actual vouchers — self-certification is specifically disallowed for Class 'X' city stays even for these levels.
• Levels 9 and above: Vouchers are generally required for hotel and local travel reimbursement; self-certification is not an option at these levels.

Food Charges — No More Separate Bills, At All

This is the single biggest change from the pre-2017 system. Food reimbursement has been entirely replaced by the fixed lump-sum component shown in the table above. There are no vouchers required for food at any Pay Level — but the amount actually payable depends on how long you were away from headquarters, governed by the timing slabs below.

Timing-Based Payment Slabs

Absence is reckoned strictly on a midnight-to-midnight basis, and is calculated on a per-day basis — so a multi-day tour is broken into separate 24-hour blocks for the purpose of this calculation, with each block's absence duration determining the slab applicable to that day.

Travel on Foot — An Additional Allowance

For journeys performed on foot — relevant for fieldwork, remote postings, or hilly/inaccessible terrain — an allowance of ₹12/- per km (2017 baseline) is payable in addition to the regular DA. Like all other monetary figures in these rules, this rate also rises by 25% each time DA crosses a 50% increase threshold.

Special Case: Scientific Fieldwork Organisations

Employees of organisations such as the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Survey of India, or the Geological Survey of India (GSI), who must travel or stay on Government ships, boats, or remote terrain on foot/mules for scientific or data-collection purposes, are paid DA at the food-bill-equivalent rate irrespective of the actual expenditure incurred, subject to sanction by the Head of Department or controlling officer. This recognises that normal hotel/taxi/food infrastructure may simply not exist at such locations.

Worked Example

Smt. Anjali Verma, a Level 7 officer, travels from her headquarters to attend a two-day workshop in another city. She is absent from headquarters for a total of 30 hours, spanning two calendar days. For Day 1, her absence (from departure to midnight) totals 14 hours — qualifying for 100% of the lump-sum food component (Level 7: ₹800/day baseline, subject to current DA-linked enhancement). For Day 2, her remaining absence is 16 hours before she returns — also qualifying for 100%. She stays in a guest house within the ₹750/day ceiling (2017 baseline) on self-certification, since she is below Level 9, and uses a non-AC taxi for local travel, claiming up to ₹225/day, again on self-certification.

Why This Matters for Your TA Bill

Many TA bills get delayed or returned for re-submission simply because employees mix up the rules — submitting food vouchers that aren't needed, missing the self-certification declaration, or not splitting multi-day absence correctly across the midnight-to-midnight slabs. Understanding this structure clearly, and checking the current DA-linked enhancement percentage applicable in your ministry, can save significant back-and-forth with your DDO.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)