Travelling Allowance Rules on Tour — 7th CPC Complete Guide

Travelling Allowance (TA) is one of the most frequently claimed — and frequently misunderstood — allowances for Central Government employees. Whether you're travelling for an official meeting, an inspection, or a training programme, your entitlement depends entirely on your Pay Level in the 7th CPC Pay Matrix. This article lays out the complete entitlement structure on tour, class by class, mode by mode, along with the conditions and recent clarifications you need to know in 2026.

The Governing Rule

The current framework flows from the Department of Expenditure's Office Memorandum No. 19030/1/2017-E.IV dated 13 July 2017, issued to implement the Travelling Allowance recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. It superseded the earlier 2008 order and took effect from 1 July 2017. Claims for journeys performed on or after this date are governed by the 2017 rules; for journeys before this date, the earlier 2008 order continues to apply.

For TA purposes, "Pay in the Level" means the Basic Pay drawn in the appropriate Pay Level of the Pay Matrix, as defined under Rule 3(8) of the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016. It specifically excludes Non-Practising Allowance (NPA), Military Service Pay (MSP), and any other special pay.

Travel Entitlement Within the Country

⚠️ Note that air travel entitlement under the 7th CPC begins from Pay Level 6 onward — a significant liberalisation compared to the 6th CPC, where air entitlement started only from Pay Level 9.

Premium, Tatkal, Suvidha, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Duronto & Tejas Trains

Recognising that officials often need to travel on short notice, the rules permit travel by Premium Trains, Premium Tatkal Trains, and Suvidha Trains. Reimbursement is allowed for Premium Tatkal booking charges and for Dynamic/Flexi-fare charged on Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Duronto trains while on official tour or training. Tatkal Seva Charges (which have a fixed fare) also continue to be reimbursable. A subsequent clarification from the Department of Expenditure additionally extended this benefit to journeys performed on Tejas Express trains.

International Travel Entitlement

Travel by Sea or River Steamer

For places other than the A&N Group of Islands and Lakshadweep:

For travel between the mainland and the A&N or Lakshadweep Islands by ships operated by the Shipping Corporation of India Limited:

Mileage Allowance for Road Journeys

Where specific local rates for road travel are prescribed by the Directorate of Transport of the State (or a neighbouring State), the entitlements table from the OM applies, broadly allowing actual bus fare, AC taxi (Level 14 and above, and Levels 6-13 in some cases), or auto-rickshaw rates depending on Pay Level. Where no specific rates have been prescribed:

⚠️ These per-km rates are not frozen — they rise by 25% every time Dearness Allowance crosses a cumulative 50% increase. Since DA has already moved well past that threshold (58% effective from 1 July 2025), the rates actually applicable today are higher than the 2017 baseline figures shown above. Always verify the latest circular before filing a claim.

Conditions That Apply Across All Modes

• No reduction in existing entitlement: if the revised rules would lower an individual's, group's, or class's existing entitlement (mode of travel, class of accommodation, etc.), the earlier, higher entitlement continues to apply until the employee becomes eligible, in the normal course, for the higher entitlement.
• Road travel on rail-connected routes: permitted by any means of public transport, provided the total fare does not exceed the train fare of the entitled class.
• Places not connected by rail: travel by AC bus is allowed for those entitled to AC-II Tier and above by train; others may travel by Deluxe/ordinary bus.
• Mileage points: any mileage/loyalty points earned on tickets purchased for official travel must be used by the department for further official travel — using them for personal benefit invites departmental action.
• Non-availability of entitled class: the Government servant may travel in the class immediately below the entitled class without losing eligibility.
• Boarding pass requirement: a later DoE clarification made it mandatory to attach the boarding pass along with the TA bill for claims involving air travel.

Worked Example

Shri Ramesh Kumar, a Level 10 officer, is deputed on official tour from Delhi to Mumbai for a three-day training programme. As a Level 10 officer, he is entitled to Economy class by air, or AC-II by train. He chooses to fly Economy and retains his boarding pass along with the e-ticket/invoice for submission with his TA bill. On arrival in Mumbai, he travels locally by non-AC taxi — also within his entitled limit for local conveyance under the Daily Allowance provisions (covered separately).

Recent Clarifications You Should Know About (Post-2017)

Since the original 2017 OM, the Department of Expenditure has issued a number of clarificatory orders that materially affect how TA claims are processed in practice:

• Permission to travel by Tejas Express trains on official tour, aligned with the Premium/Special train entitlement table.
• Mandatory submission of the boarding pass along with TA bills for air travel claims.
• Specific clarifications on TA entitlement for transfers to/from the North-Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Ladakh — relevant if your tour or transfer touches these regions.
• Clarifications on TA concessions for re-employed Central Government employees.
• Time limits prescribed for submission of TA claims — delayed submission beyond the prescribed period can render a claim time-barred unless condoned by the competent authority.

Because these clarifications are scattered across multiple OMs issued over several years, it's good practice to check the Department of Expenditure's official circular page before filing any high-value or unusual TA claim, rather than relying solely on the 2017 baseline order.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)