Centre Approves ₹6,908 Ad-Hoc Bonus for Armed Forces and Paramilitary Personnel

New Delhi, October 28, 2026: The Central Government has approved a Non-Productivity Linked Bonus, or ad-hoc bonus, equivalent to 30 days’ emoluments for eligible government employees, including personnel of the Indian Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces, for financial year 2025–26. Under the calculation ceiling prescribed by the Ministry of Finance, the maximum bonus works out to ₹6,908.

According to an official memorandum issued by the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance on October 15, 2026, the President has sanctioned payment of the bonus to eligible Group C employees and non-gazetted Group B employees of the Central Government who are not covered under any Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) scheme. The government has also clarified that the benefit will extend to eligible employees of the Central Paramilitary Forces and the Armed Forces, bringing qualifying defence and security personnel within its scope.

The announcement provides an additional payout to eligible personnel serving in government departments, defence establishments and paramilitary organisations. The order, however, does not create a blanket entitlement for every soldier, officer or paramilitary employee. Eligibility will depend on the employee category, service conditions and whether the individual is already covered under another PLB arrangement.

How the bonus amount has been calculated

The Ministry of Finance has fixed the monthly emoluments ceiling at ₹7,000 for calculating the ad-hoc bonus. Although the government has sanctioned a bonus equivalent to 30 days’ emoluments, the amount is derived using the standard formula based on the average number of days in a month.

As per the official calculation, ₹7,000 is multiplied by 30 and divided by 30.4, which gives ₹6,907.89. The figure is rounded off to ₹6,908. Employees whose average monthly emoluments are ₹7,000 or more for the purpose of this calculation can receive the full amount, subject to eligibility. Those with lower average emoluments, or shorter qualifying service, will receive a proportionately reduced bonus.

The bonus is separate from regular monthly salary and will be paid only in accordance with the conditions laid down in the government order.

Who is eligible among Armed Forces and paramilitary personnel?

The memorandum specifically states that the ad-hoc bonus will be admissible to eligible employees of the Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces. However, it does not provide a force-wise or rank-wise list of beneficiaries.

Instead, eligibility is tied to the applicable employee category and the service rules in force. The scheme primarily covers Group C and non-gazetted Group B Central Government employees who are not covered under a PLB scheme.

That means the announcement should not be read as a universal bonus for all serving personnel. The actual entitlement will be determined by the government’s prescribed conditions and the relevant departmental rules.

Six months of continuous service required

One of the key conditions laid down by the Ministry of Finance is that eligible employees must have completed at least six months of continuous service during financial year 2025–26. Employees must also have been in service on March 31, 2026, subject to exceptions specified in the memorandum.

Those who have completed six months or more but less than a full year of qualifying service will get a proportionate bonus. In practice, an otherwise eligible employee who completed six months of service would receive about half of the full-year amount. The government has directed that the qualifying period be worked out on the basis of continuous service, rounded to the nearest month.

Provision for retired and deceased employees

The Ministry of Finance has also clarified the position of employees who retired or died before March 31, 2026. According to the memorandum, employees who retired on superannuation, retired on medical invalidation grounds, or died before that date may still qualify for the ad-hoc bonus on a proportionate basis, provided they completed at least six months of regular service during the accounting year.

This means qualifying employees, and applicable cases involving deceased personnel, are not automatically excluded merely because their service ended before the close of the financial year. Employees who resigned before March 31, 2026, are not covered under this special exception.

Casual labourers also covered

The order also extends bonus benefits to eligible casual labourers working in government offices. Casual labourers in offices that follow a six-day working week must have completed at least 240 days of work in each year for three years or more. In offices with a five-day working week, the requirement is at least 206 days in each year for three years or more.

Eligible casual labourers will receive ₹1,184 as an ad-hoc bonus, calculated on the basis of a prescribed monthly amount of ₹1,200. Where the applicable monthly emoluments are below ₹1,200, the actual payment may be lower.

Rules for leave, suspension and deputation

The memorandum also gives specific guidance for employees who were on leave, under suspension, on deputation, or transferred between government departments during the accounting year.

Certain types of leave may count towards qualifying service. However, extraordinary leave without pay and periods treated as dies non will generally be excluded from the bonus calculation.

Employees moved between eligible Central Government departments without a break in service may have their combined service counted for determining eligibility. The government has also provided specific rules for deputation cases, including situations where the borrowing organisation is responsible for paying the bonus.

Payment timeline and funding

The memorandum dated October 15, 2026, sanctions the bonus for accounting year 2025–26. The expenditure will be met from the sanctioned budget allocations of the respective ministries and departments for financial year 2026–27.

The order does not prescribe a common payment date for all eligible employees. Disbursement will depend on implementation by the concerned ministries, departments and authorities.

Issued under File No. 7/24/2007-E.III(A), the memorandum sets out the complete eligibility conditions and calculation method for the Non-Productivity Linked Bonus for 2025–26. The Ministry of Finance has directed all Central Government ministries and departments to implement the order in line with the prescribed eligibility requirements and financial provisions.

The decision gives eligible Central Government personnel, including qualifying members of the Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces, an additional financial benefit for the year, with the maximum bonus amount capped at ₹6,908 under the current calculation ceiling.