DA Hike 2026: Pensioners along with central employees across the country were looking forward to a big gift during the festive season. It seemed to everyone that the government will announce a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for the half year to July 2026 in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, October 21. It’s time to get a bonus with the Dussehra festival. In such a situation, there were many expectations that the government would give some big good news on this occasion. But no decision was taken regarding the dearness allowance in this meeting. Due to which the hopes of lakhs of employees have been dashed.

What date is everyone’s eye on now?

After the October 21 meeting was cancelled, all eyes are now on the Cabinet meeting to be held next week. It is believed that this next meeting may be held on Wednesday, October 28. Cabinet meetings of the central government are usually held on Wednesdays. However, if necessary, the government also postpones it to another day. Often meetings are called more than once a week. In such a situation employees have to be a little more patient.

Why is there delay in announcement of allowances?

Delay in announcement of dearness allowance is not new. Earlier, the January cycle allowance hike was also announced with a delay of more than a month. This was announced after the Cabinet meeting on Saturday, April 18. At that time, the government increased the allowance from 58 percent for the July 2025 cycle to 60 percent for the January cycle.

At the time, pension experts said that apart from administrative procedures, the delay was due to changes in the structure of the 8th Pay Commission (CPC). Under this framework, the new pay structure of the employees is required to be set in sync with inflation figures. Experts believe that this time the delay is not due to any structural changes, but only due to paperwork.

How much will the allowance increase, what is the formula?

The revision of dearness allowance works on a fixed formula. The formula is linked to the 12-month average of the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW). The figures for the 12 months required to increase the allowance in July 2026 have already been met.

According to these figures, dearness allowance (DA) or dearness relief (DR) is likely to increase by 3 to 4 percent for the next half year. If this happens, the current dearness allowance will increase from 60 per cent to 63 or 64 per cent.

How much will the salary increase every month?

Based on the AICPI-IW data, if the allowance is increased by 2 to 3 percent, the monthly salary will increase significantly. To understand this easily, you can see basic salary math. The employees whose basic salary is Rs. 18,000, his salary per month is Rs. 360 to Rs. May increase up to 540. While the basic salary of the employee is Rs. 29,200, then his monthly salary is Rs. 584 to Rs. 876 can increase between Now only the official seal from the government is awaited.