Eligible members of the Indian Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces are set to receive an ad-hoc bonus after the Central Government approved a Non-Productivity Linked Bonus for the financial year 2025–26. The payment has been sanctioned as 30 days’ emoluments for qualifying personnel, with the maximum amount worked out at ₹6,908 under the prescribed ceiling.
The approval comes through an official memorandum issued by the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Expenditure on October 15, 2026. It states that the President has sanctioned the bonus for 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 memorandum also extends the benefit to eligible employees of the Central Paramilitary Forces and Armed Forces. As a result, the order covers qualifying defence and security personnel, though it is not framed as a blanket payment for everyone in uniform.
How the Bonus Amount Has Been Worked Out
The Ministry of Finance has fixed the monthly emoluments calculation ceiling at ₹7,000 for determining the ad-hoc bonus. Although the benefit is described as 30 days’ emoluments, the calculation uses a standard formula based on the average number of days in a month.
Using the official method, ₹7,000 is multiplied by 30 and divided by 30.4. This produces ₹6,907.89, which is rounded off to ₹6,908. Employees whose average monthly emoluments are ₹7,000 or more for the purpose of calculation may therefore receive the full amount, while lower emoluments or shorter service can lead to a reduced payout.
The bonus is separate from regular salary and is payable only under the eligibility conditions laid down in the government order.
Who Can Receive the Payment
The memorandum specifically says the ad-hoc bonus is admissible to eligible employees of the Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces. However, it does not give a rank-wise or force-wise beneficiary list.
Eligibility depends on the category of employee, service conditions and whether the person is already covered under another PLB scheme. The scheme mainly applies to Group C and non-gazetted Group B Central Government employees who are outside PLB coverage.
That means the announcement should not be read as a universal bonus for every soldier, officer or paramilitary employee. Actual entitlement will depend on the government’s conditions and the relevant departmental rules.
Service Conditions and Proportionate Benefit
One of the key requirements is completion of at least six months of continuous service during the financial year 2025–26. The memorandum also says the employee must have been in service on March 31, 2026, subject to certain exceptions.
Those who completed six months or more but less than a full year of qualifying service will receive a proportionate bonus. The qualifying period is to be counted by the number of months of continuous service, rounded to the nearest month.
For example, an otherwise eligible employee with six months of qualifying service would receive roughly half of the full-year amount.
Rules for Retired or Deceased Employees
The Ministry of Finance has also clarified the position for 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 on a proportionate basis, provided they completed at least six months of regular service during the accounting year.
This means the benefit is not automatically denied simply because service ended before the close of the financial year. However, employees who resigned before March 31, 2026, are not included in this exception.
Casual Labourers and Other Service Categories
The order also covers eligible casual labourers working in government offices. Those in offices with a six-day working week must have completed at least 240 days of work in each year for three years or more, while offices with a five-day working week require at least 206 days in each year for three years or more.
Eligible casual labourers can receive ₹1,184 as an ad-hoc bonus, calculated from a prescribed monthly amount of ₹1,200. The actual amount may be lower if the applicable monthly emoluments are below ₹1,200.
The memorandum further explains how leave, suspension, deputation and transfers between departments will be handled for bonus purposes. Certain leave periods may count toward qualifying service, while extraordinary leave without pay and periods treated as dies non will usually be excluded.
For employees transferred between eligible Central Government departments without a break in service, combined service may be considered. Specific provisions are also mentioned for deputation cases, including situations where the borrowing organisation is responsible for payment.
Payment Timeline and Budget Source
The memorandum sanctions the bonus for the accounting year 2025–26, and the expenditure will be met from the sanctioned budget allocations of the respective ministries and departments for financial year 2026–27.
No single payment date has been announced for all eligible employees. The actual disbursement will depend on implementation by the concerned ministries, departments and authorities.
The official order, issued under File No. 7/24/2007-E.III(A) on October 15, 2026, contains the full eligibility criteria and calculation method for the Non-Productivity Linked Bonus.
