DA hike ALERT! 2% increase plus arrears coming in April salary for central employees
The dearness allowance has been increased by 2% for central government employees and pensioners. The arrears will also be included in the April salary. This will increase monthly income.

Good news from the Central Government:
The central government has announced a 2 per cent increase in dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) for its employees and pensioners. This increase will be effective from January 1, 2025. This decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held on March 28, 2025, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This move by the central government will benefit more than one crore employees and pensioners. Now employees and pensioners are waiting for the increased amount.

When will the dearness allowance arrears be received?
Government employees' April 2025 salary will also include the increased dearness allowance arrears. The arrears for the months of January, February, and March will be received together.
That is, employees will get the full arrears of 3 months of dearness allowance along with their salary. This will increase the income of employees in the month of April.
Also Read | 7th Pay Commission: BIG April boost as MP govt employees may get promotion, other perks

How much will the salary increase in the month of April?
If the minimum basic salary is ₹18,000, then there will be an increase of ₹360 per month due to dearness allowance, making the total arrears ₹1,080. If the basic pension is ₹9,000, then there will be an increase of ₹180 every month. Accordingly, the total arrears for three months will be ₹540.
The central government's recent dearness allowance hike will benefit approximately 48.6 lakh central employees and 66.5 lakh pensioners. This will put an additional financial burden of ₹6,614.04 crore per annum on the central government.

When will the next dearness allowance increase?
The next dearness allowance will be available for July-December 2025. It is expected to be announced in October or November 2025.
Apart from this, after the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission are implemented, the dearness allowance will be added to the basic salary. This will change the salary structure of the employees. And the dearness allowance will start from zero again.
To check the increase in dearness allowance and arrears, employees can check the salary slip, bank statement, and online portal for employees.