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Dearness Allowance (DA) Calculation for PSU Employees – Q2 2026–27 (July 2026 to Sep 2026)

As we know, Dearness Allowance (DA) is paid as a fixed percentage of the basic salary. For instance, if an employee’s basic salary is ₹50,000 per month and the DA rate is 30%, then the DA payable will be ₹15,000 per month. This amount is paid in addition to the basic salary and other allowances such as House Rent Allowance (HRA).

The Ministry of Labour and Employment publishes the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is used as the benchmark for determining the applicable Dearness Allowance (DA) rate. The Ministry has released the CPI-IW figures for September 2025, October 2025, and November 2025 (copy of the circular attached).

Month CPI-IW index
March 2026 149.10
April 2026 149.90
May 2026 150.80

Based on the CPI-IW indices published by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Dearness Allowance (DA) for the 2nd quarter of the financial year 2026-27 (i.e., July 2026 to Sep 2026) has been computed at 55.70%, as against 54.10% for the 1st quarter of 2026-27, reflecting an increase of 1.60%.

DA (Dearness Allowance) for recent quarters:

FY Quarter Period DA rate Change (%)
2023-24 Q1 Apr 2023 – Jun 2023 37.70%
2023-24 Q2 Jul 2023 – Sep 2023 39.20% 1.50%
2023-24 Q3 Oct 2023 – Dec 2023 43.80% 4.60%
2023-24 Q4 Jan 2024 – Mar 2024 43.70% -0.10%
2024-25 Q1 Apr 2024 – Jun 2024 44.30% 0.60%
2024-25 Q2 Jul 2024 – Sep 2024 44.80% 0.50%
2024-25 Q3 Oct 2024 – Dec 2024 47.70% 2.90%
2024-25 Q4 Jan 2025 – Mar 2025 49.60% 1.90%
2025-26 Q1 Apr 2025 – Jun 2025 48.70% -0.90%
2025-26 Q2 Jul 2025 – Sep 2025 49.00% 0.30%
2025-26 Q3 Oct 2025 – Dec 2025 51.80% 2.80%
2025-26 Q4 Jan 2026- Mar 2026 53.40% 1.60%
2026-27 Q1 Apr 2026 – Jun 2026 54.10% 0.70%
2026-27 Q2 July 2026 – Sep 2026 55.70% 1.60%

The relevant CPI and DA% can be shown with the help of below diagram:

The relevant CPI and DA% diagram

The methodology for calculation of DA for Q2 2026-27 is explained below:

For the purpose of Dearness Allowance (DA) computation, the adjusted CPI (i.e., Multiplied CPI) is taken as 2.88 times the published CPI. The average of the CPI for the last three months (immediately preceding the applicable quarter) is considered for the calculation.

Month CPI-IW index Adjusted CPI Remark
March 2026 149.10 429.41 CPI-IW index * 2.88
April 2026 149.90 431.71 CPI-IW index * 2.88
May 2026 150.80  434.30 CPI-IW index * 2.88
Average adjusted CPI  431.81

Hence, the DA applicable for the 2ND quarter of the financial year 2026-27 (i.e., July 2026 to Sep 2026) is computed as:

[(431.81-277.33)/277.33]*100 = 55.70139% ~ 55.70%

This DA of 55.70% is higher than the corresponding DA of 54.10% in the 1st quarter of 2026–27, resulting in an increase of 1.60% in DA for Q2 2026–27.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT
LABOUR BUREAU

Shram Bureau Bhawan, Block No. 2,
Institutional Area, Sector 38 (West),
Chandigarh – 160036
Dated: 30.06.2026

F.No. 5/1/2021-CPI

Press Release

Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – March, 2026

1. Labour Bureau, an attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment, has been compiling Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. The index for the month of March, 2026 is being released in this press release.

2. The All-India CPI-IW for March, 2026 increased by 0.6 points and stood at 149.1 points (one hundred forty-nine point one).

3. Year-on-year inflation for the month of March, 2026 stood at 4.27% as compared to 2.95% in March, 2025.

Y-o-Y Inflation based on CPI-IW (General)

Y-o-Y Inflation based on CPI-IW (General)

4. All-India Group-wise CPI-IW for February, 2026 and March, 2026:

Sr. No. Groups February, 2026 March, 2026
I Food & Beverages 151.1 151.6
II Pan, Supari, Tobacco & Intoxicants 171.7 172.9
III Clothing & Footwear 155.0 155.5
IV Housing 140.6 140.6
V Fuel & Light 152.9 158.0
VI Miscellaneous 146.2 146.4
General Index 148.5 149.1

CPI-IW: Groups Indices

CPI-IW-Groups Indices

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT
LABOUR BUREAU

Shram Bureau Bhawan, Block No. 2,
Institutional Area, Sector 38 (West),
Chandigarh – 160036
Dated: 30.06.2026

F.No. 5/1/2021-CPI 

Press Release

Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – May, 2026

1. Labour Bureau, an attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment, has been compiling Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. The index for the month of May, 2026 is being released in this press release.

2. The All-India CPI-IW for May, 2026 increased by 0.9 points and stood at 150.8 points (one hundred fifty point eight).

3. Year-on-year inflation for the month of May, 2026 stood at 4.72% as compared to 2.93% in May, 2025.

Y-o-Y Inflation based on CPI-IW (General)

Y-o-Y Inflation

4. All-India Group-wise CPI-IW for April, 2026 and May, 2026:

Sr. No. Groups April, 2026 May, 2026
I Food & Beverages 153.1 154.9
II Pan, Supari, Tobacco & Intoxicants 175.0 175.7
III Clothing & Footwear 156.2 156.9
IV Housing 140.6 140.6
V Fuel & Light 159.4 159.6
VI Miscellaneous 146.7 147.3
General Index 149.9 150.8

CPI-IW: Groups Indices

Groups Indices

Author Bio

I am a working professional having more than 13 years of experience in field of Income Tax, TDS, VAT, Sales tax, GST and accounting. Can be contacted at srikant.agarwal@gmail.com View Full Profile

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