TA on Transfer — Composite Transfer Grant & Entitlements

A transfer in public interest brings with it a distinct set of Travelling Allowance benefits, separate from TA on tour. The Composite Transfer Grant (CTG), in particular, is meant to cover the genuine cost and disruption of relocating — packing, incidental travel, settling in. This article breaks down all four components of Transfer TA under the 7th CPC rules.

The Four Components of TA on Transfer

TA on Transfer, as laid out in DoE O.M. No. 19030/1/2017-E.IV, consists of:

1. Travel entitlement for self and family
2. Composite Transfer and Packing Grant (CTG)
3. Reimbursement of charges for transportation of personal effects
4. Reimbursement of charges for transportation of conveyance

1. Travel Entitlements on Transfer

Travel entitlements as prescribed for tour (covered in our companion article on TA on Tour) apply equally to transfer journeys, by Pay Level — except the International Travel entitlement table, which does not apply on transfer. The general conditions of admissibility prescribed in S.R. 114 continue to apply.

The provisions relating to small family norms, as contained in the relevant Ministry of Finance Office Memorandum, continue to apply — meaning TA for family members on transfer is restricted in line with these norms, regardless of the actual family size.

2. Composite Transfer Grant (CTG) — The Core Benefit

⚠️ NPA and MSP are specifically excluded from Basic Pay while determining CTG entitlement — this is a common point of confusion in bill preparation.

The Husband-Wife Transfer Rule

A specific and often-overlooked provision applies when both spouses are Government employees and are transferred around the same time:

• If both transfers occur within 60 days of each other, no transfer grant is admissible to the spouse transferred later.
• If the second transfer happens after 60 days but within six months of the first, the spouse transferred later is entitled to 50% of the transfer grant.
• If the transfers are more than six months apart, the existing (full) provisions continue to apply normally to both spouses.
• Other rules that preclude transfer grant — such as for transfers made at the employee's own request, or for reasons other than public interest — continue to apply unchanged in such cases.

3. Transportation of Personal Effects

These rates (2017 baseline) rise by 25% every time DA crosses a 50% increase threshold — exactly as with other TA/DA components. The rate for transporting the entitled weight by steamer is aligned with the prevailing rates of the Shipping Corporation of India. Reimbursement is admissible only on production of actual receipts/vouchers — this is mandatory even for transfers involving the North Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. Note also that road transportation of personal effects is purely on a per-km basis, and the older "classification of cities/towns" distinction for this purpose has been done away with.

4. Transportation of Conveyance

General conditions of admissibility under S.R. 116 continue to apply to this component as well.

Worked Example

Shri Vijay Sharma, a Level 9 officer with last-drawn Basic Pay of ₹65,000, is transferred from Chennai to Pune — a distance well over 20 km, and not within the Island Territories. His CTG works out to 80% of ₹65,000 = ₹52,000 (subject to the latest DA-linked enhancement, if applicable at the time of his transfer). He also claims personal effects transportation of up to 6,000 kg by goods train (against actual vouchers), and reimbursement for transporting his motor car, since he holds Level 9 and above eligibility for conveyance transport.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Transfer TA Claims

• Including NPA/MSP in the Basic Pay figure while calculating CTG — leads to over-claiming and possible recovery later.
• Forgetting that personal effects claims need actual vouchers — unlike DA on tour, self-certification is not an option here.
• Not checking the spouse-transfer timing rule when both partners are Government servants — this can significantly affect CTG eligibility.
• Assuming road transportation of personal effects follows the old city-classification system, which has since been discontinued in favour of a flat per-km rate.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)