The document explains the income tax exemptions available to personnel of the Armed Forces and other eligible salaried employees under Section 10(14) read with Rule 2BB of the Income-tax Rules for various compensatory allowances granted for serving in risky, difficult, remote, hilly, high-altitude, border, disturbed, tribal, and uncongenial locations. These allowances are generally fixed in nature and are not linked to the actual expenditure incurred by the employee. The Income-tax Act provides specified exemption limits for each allowance, including Special Compensatory (Hilly Areas) Allowance, Border Area Allowance, Remote Locality Allowance, Difficult Area Allowance, Tribal Area Allowance, Compensatory Field Area Allowance, Modified Field Area Allowance, Counter Insurgency Allowance, Underground Allowance, High Altitude Allowance, Special Compensatory Highly Active Field Area Allowance, and Island Duty Allowance for service in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. The applicable exemption varies according to the type of allowance, designated location, and prescribed conditions. Overall, the document serves as a practical guide to the tax-exempt allowances available to Armed Forces personnel, recognizing the hardships and unique challenges associated with serving in demanding operational environments.
Armed Forces – Benefits available
Personnel of the Armed forces is allowed various allowances for working in risky, uncongenial, and difficult situations. These allowances are generally fixed and don’t depend on the actual expenditure incurred by the personnel. Get the details of all these allowance under this document
Allowances available to armed forces [Section 10(14) r.w.r. 2BB]
Personnel of the Armed forces is allowed various allowances for working in risky, uncongenial, and difficult situations. These allowances are generally fixed and don’t depend on the actual expenditure incurred by the personnel. The Income-tax Act allows a full exemption for these allowances up to a certain limit, which is explained below.
| S. No. | Section | Particulars | Exemption limit | Exemption available to |
| 1. | Section 10(14) | Special Compensatory Allowance (Hilly Areas) (Subject to certain conditions and locations) | Varies from Rs. 300 per month to Rs. 7,000 per month. | Individual – Salaried employee |
| 2. | Section 10(14) | Border Area Allowance, or Remote Locality Allowance, or Disturbed Area Allowance, or Difficult Area Allowance (Subject to certain conditions and locations) | Varies from Rs. 200 per month to Rs. 1,300 per month. | Individual – Salaried employee |
| 3. | Section 10(14) | Tribal Area or Special Compensatory or Scheduled Area or Agency Area Allowance (Subject to certain locations) | Up to Rs. 200 per month | Individual – Salaried employee |
| 4. | Section 10(14) | Compensatory Field Area Allowance. (Subject to certain conditions and locations) | Up to Rs. 2,600 per month | Individual – Salaried employee |
| 5. | Section 10(14) | Compensatory Modified Field Area Allowance. (Subject to certain conditions and locations) | Up to Rs. 1,000 per month | Individual – Salaried employee |
| 6. | Section 10(14) | Counter Insurgency Allowance granted to the members of armed forces operating in areas away from their permanent locations. | Up to Rs. 3,900 per month | Individual – Members of the Armed Forces |
| 7. | Section 10(14) | Underground Allowance granted to employees working in uncongenial, unnatural climates in underground mines | Up to Rs. 800 per month | Individual – Salaried employee |
| 8. | Section 10(14) | High Altitude Allowance granted to the armed forces operating in high altitude areas | a) Up to Rs. 1,060 per month (for an altitude of 9,000 to 15,000 feet) b) Up to Rs. 1,600 per month (for an altitude above 15,000 feet) |
Individual – Members of the Armed Forces |
| 9. | Section 10(14) | Special Compensatory Highly Active Field Area Allowance granted to members of the armed forces | Up to Rs. 4,200 per month | Individual – Members of the Armed Forces |
| 10. | Section 10(14) | Island Duty Allowance granted to members of the armed forces in Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep group of Island | Up to Rs. 3,250 per month | Individual – Members of the Armed Forces |
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Disclaimer: The contents of this document are for information purposes only. This aims to enable public to have a quick and an easy access to information and do not purport to be legal documents. Viewers are advised to verify the content from Government Acts/Rules/Notifications etc.
“This document contains the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961, as amended by the Finance Act, 2026.”
[As amended by Finance Act, 2026]
(Republished with amendments)
