Punjab TA/DA Rules 2026: Daily Allowance, Mileage, Hotel and Tour Calculation
Learn how Punjab Government TA/DA is calculated for an official tour, including Daily Allowance, mileage, accommodation, tolls, special stations and a practical BPS-16 example.
By Khyrat Hussain · Updated 12 October 2026
Punjab Government employees travelling on authorized official duty may be entitled to Travelling Allowance and Daily Allowance, commonly called TA/DA. The amount is not based on one flat rate. A claim can include Daily Allowance, road mileage, admissible accommodation expenses and eligible toll charges.
The calculation depends on the employee’s Basic Pay Scale, destination, distance from headquarters, duration of absence, mode of transport, hotel evidence and whether government transport was provided.
For a quick estimate, use the Punjab TA/DA Calculator 2026. It calculates Daily Allowance, mileage, accommodation and toll separately so that each part can be reviewed before checking the estimated total.
1.Calculate Your Punjab TA/DA
A reliable estimate begins with accurate information. Keep the employee’s BPS, headquarters, destination, travel times, verified distance, mode of transport and accommodation evidence ready.
Use the Punjab TA/DA Calculator 2026 to review the supported components separately. After calculating, compare the estimate with the official documents and your department’s requirements before preparing the claim.
Important: HisaabKit is an independent information platform and is not affiliated with the Government of Punjab. This guide and calculator provide general guidance and estimates, not an official determination or sanction.
Quick answer: For an ordinary official tour, first confirm that the journey was authorized and reached a point outside the 16-kilometre radius of headquarters. Then determine the applicable ordinary or special Daily Allowance, eligible nights or half-DA period, road mileage, accommodation and toll expenses.
2.What Is TA/DA?
Travelling Allowance is intended to cover admissible expenses incurred by a civil servant while travelling in the interest of public service. It is not additional salary and should not become a source of profit.
For an ordinary domestic official tour, the claim may include the following components:
Component | What it generally covers |
|---|---|
Daily Allowance | Additional expenses arising from absence on official duty |
Mileage allowance | Eligible road travel calculated according to distance and transport mode |
Accommodation | Admissible hotel or lodging expenses |
Toll charges | Eligible toll actually paid during the official journey |
Other authorized fare | Fare or expenditure governed by the applicable rules and journey type |
The controlling officer must examine the necessity, duration, frequency and recorded distance of the journey before countersigning the claim.
3.Who Can Claim TA/DA in Punjab?
The Punjab Travelling Allowance Rules generally apply to Punjab Government civil servants who fall within their scope. A tour normally means an authorized absence on duty from the employee’s headquarters.
A claim should therefore be connected with official duty and supported by the relevant record. Depending on the department and type of journey, this may include:
- An approved tour programme, duty order or movement order
- The employee’s official headquarters
- The tour destination
- Departure and arrival dates and times
- Verified route and distance
- Mode of transport
- Hotel receipt, where accommodation is claimed
- Toll receipt or other evidence where required
- A properly completed and countersigned TA bill
The calculator can estimate supported components, but final admissibility remains subject to departmental scrutiny, the controlling officer and the relevant accounts office.
4.How Punjab TA/DA Is Calculated
A supported official-tour estimate can be understood in five steps:
- Confirm that the journey was duly authorized.
- Check whether the employee reached a point outside the 16-kilometre radius of headquarters.
- Identify the applicable ordinary or special Daily Allowance rate.
- Calculate admissible mileage, accommodation and eligible toll.
- Add the supported components and send any unclear branch for manual review.
The general structure is:
Estimated TA/DA = Daily Allowance + admissible mileage + admissible accommodation + eligible toll
This is only a calculation structure. Every component remains subject to its own eligibility conditions.
5.The 16-Kilometre Eligibility Rule
One of the most important conditions is the destination’s distance from the employee’s headquarters.
Under the Punjab Travelling Allowance Rules, travelling allowance may not ordinarily be drawn for a journey during which the employee does not reach a point outside the 16-kilometre radius of headquarters. The radius is calculated using the nearest practical route.
This means:
- A destination 12 kilometres from headquarters does not meet the condition.
- A destination exactly 16 kilometres away does not satisfy an “outside 16 kilometres” requirement.
- A destination more than 16 kilometres away may qualify, subject to all other rules.
- The one-way radius distance is different from the total journey distance used to calculate mileage.
For example, suppose a destination is 30 kilometres from headquarters and the employee returns by the same route. The destination passes the radius test, while the total road distance may be 60 kilometres.
5.1.Radius Distance Versus Total Journey Distance
These two inputs should not be confused:
Distance | Purpose |
|---|---|
Headquarters-to-destination radius | Checks whether the destination lies outside 16 kilometres |
Total aggregate journey distance | Calculates eligible road mileage for the complete journey |
A claim can be incorrect if the round-trip distance is entered as the one-way radius.
6.Punjab Daily Allowance Rates Applicable in 2026
The rate instrument used by the HisaabKit calculator is the Government of the Punjab, Finance Department notification dated 17 October 2023, No. FD.SR-IV/1-25/2020. The revised rates took effect from 1 July 2023.
Basic Pay Scale | Ordinary DA | Special DA |
|---|---|---|
BPS-1 to BPS-4 | Rs 744 | Rs 1,200 |
BPS-5 to BPS-11 | Rs 936 | Rs 1,320 |
BPS-12 to BPS-16 | Rs 1,680 | Rs 2,160 |
BPS-17 to BPS-18 | Rs 3,000 | Rs 3,840 |
BPS-19 to BPS-20 | Rs 3,720 | Rs 4,920 |
BPS-21 | Rs 4,200 | Rs 6,000 |
BPS-22 | Rs 4,200 | Rs 7,200 |
These figures represent Daily Allowance rates, not the complete TA/DA claim. Admissible mileage, accommodation and toll may be calculated separately.
Before submitting an official claim, employees should confirm whether any later Finance Department order applies to the date of their journey.
7.Ordinary and Special-Rate Stations
The applicable Daily Allowance depends partly on whether the destination is an ordinary station or a station notified for the special rate.
The 17 October 2023 notification identifies the following special-rate destinations:
- Hyderabad
- Islamabad
- Karachi
- Lahore
- Faisalabad
- Multan
- Peshawar
- Quetta
- Rawalpindi
- Muzaffarabad
- Mirpur (AJ&K)
- Sukkur
- Bahawalpur
- D.G. Khan
- Sargodha
- Sialkot
- Gujranwala
- Murree
- Northern Areas, subject to correct identification and departmental verification
A destination should not be assigned the special rate merely because it is a large or expensive city. It must match the applicable notification.
The notified entry is specifically Mirpur (AJ&K). A place simply entered as “Mirpur” should be verified instead of being classified automatically.
The notification also uses the broad expression “Northern Areas.” Because modern geographic names cannot safely be inferred from that expression in every case, the employee should seek departmental confirmation where classification is unclear.
8.How Daily Allowance Is Counted
The employee’s duration of absence determines how many Daily Allowance units may be considered.
For the supported calculation used by HisaabKit:
- Eligible intervening nights are counted for Daily Allowance.
- If no night intervenes but the official absence exceeds four hours, one-half DA may apply.
- If the absence is four hours or less, no DA is added.
- A continuous halt beyond ten nights requires further review and is not automatically calculated as fully admissible.
Mileage is assessed separately. Eligible mileage may still require consideration where no DA is payable, provided that the journey satisfies the applicable authorization, distance and transport conditions.
8.1.Same-Day Tour Example
Suppose a BPS-16 employee leaves headquarters at 9:00 AM and returns at 5:00 PM without an intervening night.
If the destination is an ordinary station and the remaining conditions are satisfied:
- Ordinary DA rate: Rs 1,680
- Supported half DA: Rs 840
Admissible road mileage can then be calculated separately.
8.2.Absence of Four Hours or Less
If the official absence is four hours or less, the calculator does not add Daily Allowance. This does not automatically decide the mileage component. Mileage must still be checked under its own conditions.
9.Punjab Government Road Mileage Rates
The road mileage rates used by the Punjab TA/DA Calculator are:
Travel mode | Mileage rate |
|---|---|
Personal car or taxi | Rs 15 per kilometre |
Motorcycle or scooter | Rs 6 per kilometre |
Bicycle | Rs 3 per kilometre |
Public transport | Rs 3.75 per kilometre |
The mileage calculation is:
Eligible mileage = admissible whole kilometres × applicable mileage rate
For example, if an employee travels 100 eligible road kilometres using a personal car:
100 × Rs 15 = Rs 1,500
The entered distance should represent the admissible complete journey distance. It should not be confused with the headquarters-to-destination distance used for the 16-kilometre test.
10.What Happens When Government Transport Is Provided?
Separate road mileage is not added for a part of the journey covered by government transport.
Daily Allowance and other supported components may still require assessment according to the circumstances. Government transport does not automatically remove every other possible component of a claim.
Similarly, an employee travelling only as a passenger in another claimant’s vehicle should not automatically receive the mileage allowed to the person operating or providing that vehicle.
11.Accommodation With a Hotel Receipt
Accommodation is assessed separately from normal Daily Allowance.
Where an eligible receipt is available, the supported accommodation ceilings are:
- Special-rate station: up to five times the applicable special DA per eligible night
- Ordinary station: up to two-and-a-half times the applicable ordinary DA per eligible night
The supported accommodation amount is the lower of:
- The actual admissible room rent; or
- The applicable accommodation ceiling.
11.1.Special-Station Accommodation Example
A BPS-16 employee stays for one eligible night at a special-rate station.
- Applicable special DA: Rs 2,160
- Accommodation ceiling: Rs 2,160 × 5
- Maximum mathematical ceiling: Rs 10,800
If the supported room rent is Rs 6,000, the accommodation component is limited to the actual Rs 6,000.
If the room rent is Rs 12,000, the mathematical ceiling limits the supported estimate to Rs 10,800, subject to accommodation type, evidence and departmental verification.
11.2.Ordinary-Station Accommodation Example
For the same BPS-16 employee at an ordinary station:
- Applicable ordinary DA: Rs 1,680
- Accommodation ceiling: Rs 1,680 × 2.5
- Maximum mathematical ceiling: Rs 4,200
If the admissible hotel receipt is Rs 3,500, the supported accommodation estimate is Rs 3,500.
The mathematical ceiling does not by itself establish entitlement. BPS-based accommodation restrictions and the permitted accommodation type must also be considered.
12.Accommodation Without a Receipt
No-receipt accommodation should not be treated as an unrestricted hotel claim.
For verified cases supported by the calculator, two applicable Daily Allowances per eligible night may be used in addition to normal DA. However, the available official clarification contains conflicting wording for the specific BPS-1 to BPS-19 special-station, no-receipt combination.
The calculator therefore sends this branch for manual review instead of selecting an interpretation that could produce an incorrect claim.
This is deliberate. When the supporting wording is unclear, a responsible calculator should identify the uncertainty instead of presenting an unsupported result.
13.Fixed or Permanent Travelling Allowance
Some posts carry fixed or permanent Travelling Allowance because their normal duties require extensive touring.
The rules distinguish between journeys within the employee’s ordinary sphere of duty and properly sanctioned journeys beyond that sphere. The Finance Department correction dated 15 November 2018 addresses the treatment of outside-sphere journeys involving employees who receive fixed TA.
An employee receiving fixed or permanent TA should disclose it when preparing a claim. Ordinary tour TA should not automatically be added to fixed TA without checking the applicable conditions.
14.Treatment of Toll Charges
Eligible toll actually paid during the official journey may be entered as a separate component when supported by the applicable evidence.
The toll amount should be the actual eligible expense. It should not be included again in mileage or accommodation.
Where no eligible toll was paid, the amount should remain zero.
15.Complete BPS-16 Punjab TA/DA Example
Suppose a BPS-16 Punjab Government employee is sent on an authorized official tour to a notified special-rate station.
For this illustrative example, assume:
Detail | Example input |
|---|---|
Basic Pay Scale | BPS-16 |
Journey | Authorized domestic official tour |
Destination classification | Special-rate station |
Radius distance | More than 16 kilometres |
Total eligible road distance | 110 kilometres |
Transport | Employee’s personal car |
Eligible nights | One |
Supported hotel receipt | Rs 6,000 |
Eligible toll | Rs 0 |
15.1.Step 1: Calculate Daily Allowance
BPS-16 falls within the BPS-12 to BPS-16 group.
The applicable special DA is Rs 2,160.
Rs 2,160 × 1 eligible night = Rs 2,160
15.2.Step 2: Calculate Road Mileage
The personal-car mileage rate is Rs 15 per kilometre.
110 kilometres × Rs 15 = Rs 1,650
15.3.Step 3: Check the Accommodation Ceiling
The special-station ceiling is five times the applicable special DA:
Rs 2,160 × 5 = Rs 10,800
The actual supported room rent is Rs 6,000. Because it is below the mathematical ceiling, the accommodation amount used in this example is:
Rs 6,000
15.4.Step 4: Add Eligible Toll
No eligible toll was entered:
Toll = Rs 0
15.5.Step 5: Calculate the Estimated Total
Component | Amount |
|---|---|
Daily Allowance | Rs 2,160 |
Road mileage | Rs 1,650 |
Accommodation | Rs 6,000 |
Toll | Rs 0 |
Estimated total | Rs 9,810 |
Rs 2,160 + Rs 1,650 + Rs 6,000 = Rs 9,810
This example explains the calculation method. It does not sanction an actual claim. Official entitlement depends on authorization, verified distance, transport evidence, hotel documentation, applicable restrictions and departmental/accounts scrutiny.
Readers can enter their own information in the Punjab TA/DA Calculator 2026.
16.How to Use the Punjab TA/DA Calculator
Follow these steps:
- Open the Punjab TA/DA Calculator 2026.
- Select the employee’s BPS.
- Enter the official headquarters and tour destination.
- Confirm whether the destination is an ordinary or notified special-rate station.
- Confirm that the journey was duly authorized.
- Enter the departure and return date and time.
- Enter the one-way radius distance from headquarters to the destination.
- Enter the total aggregate road kilometres for mileage.
- Select the mode of transport.
- Select whether the employee operated the vehicle, travelled as a passenger or used government transport.
- Enter eligible toll paid, if any.
- Select the accommodation-evidence option and enter the required details.
- State whether the employee receives fixed or permanent TA.
- Review the separate DA, mileage, accommodation and toll results.
The calculator blocks or flags combinations that require individual review. It does not replace a sanctioned tour programme, verified TA bill or competent-authority decision.
17.What the Punjab TA/DA Calculator Does Not Cover
The current calculator is designed for one uninterrupted, single-destination domestic official tour.
It does not calculate:
- Transfer TA
- TA/DA for a training course
- Foreign-tour TA/DA
- Complex multiple-destination tour chains
- Railway or air-fare entitlements outside its supported inputs
- Automatic entitlement for a continuous halt exceeding ten nights
- Disputed or unclear accommodation cases
- Final sanction by the controlling officer, department or accounts office
Transfer, training and foreign journeys can be governed by different provisions. They should not be calculated by forcing their information into the ordinary-tour calculator.
18.Common Mistakes When Preparing a TA/DA Claim
18.1.Using Round-Trip Distance for the 16-Kilometre Test
The eligibility test concerns the one-way radius from headquarters to the destination by the nearest practical route. A 20-kilometre round trip does not mean the employee reached a point 20 kilometres outside headquarters.
18.2.Claiming Mileage When Government Transport Was Provided
Road mileage should not be duplicated for a journey or journey segment covered by government transport.
18.3.Treating Every Large City as a Special Station
The special rate applies to destinations identified in the relevant notification. A city should not be classified as special merely because accommodation there is expensive.
18.4.Claiming the Hotel Ceiling Instead of Actual Rent
The ceiling is not an automatic payment. With an eligible receipt, the accommodation amount is limited to the lower of the actual admissible rent and the applicable ceiling.
18.5.Ignoring Fixed or Permanent TA
An employee receiving fixed or permanent TA should disclose it and apply the relevant conditions before claiming ordinary tour TA.
18.6.Mixing Ordinary Tour, Transfer and Training Rules
An ordinary official tour, transfer journey and training course may be governed differently. The journey type must be identified before calculating entitlement.
18.7.Treating a Calculator Result as a Sanction
A calculator can explain the arithmetic, but it cannot verify the duty order, route, actual journey, original receipt or competent-authority approval.
19.Documents to Keep With a TA/DA Claim
The exact requirements can vary by department, but an employee should normally keep the relevant official record, such as:
- Approved tour programme or duty order
- Departure and arrival details
- Verified route and distance record
- Transport details
- Hotel receipt where accommodation is claimed
- Toll receipt where required
- Evidence concerning government transport
- Details of fixed or permanent TA
- Completed TA bill
- Required certificate and controlling-officer countersignature
Employees should follow the format and record requirements prescribed by their department and accounts office.
20.Related HisaabKit Calculators and Guides
Government employees reviewing pay, service and retirement matters may also find these resources useful:
- Use the Pakistan Government Pay Fixation Calculator 2026 to estimate basic-pay fixation after a supported promotion or upgradation.
- Check a BPS stage through the Pakistan Basic Pay Scale Calculator 2026.
- Estimate supported leave encashment through the Punjab Leave Encashment Calculator 2026.
- Review retirement figures through the Punjab Pension Calculator 2026.
- Read How to Calculate Pay Fixation on Promotion and Upgradation for worked pay-fixation examples.
- Read the Punjab Leave Encashment and LPR Rules 2026 before estimating retirement-related leave encashment.
- Use the Revised Basic Pay Scale Chart 2026 to understand BPS stages and annual increments.
- Browse all Pay and Allowances guides.
- Browse HisaabKit’s official government resources for notifications and reference documents.
21.Official Sources and Reference Documents
The following readable documents support the rules and calculation branches explained in this guide.
21.1.Punjab Travelling Allowance Rules
Authority: Government of the Punjab, Finance Department
Relevant coverage: official tours, headquarters, controlling officers, the 16-kilometre condition, mileage, Daily Allowance and other journey categories.
Read or download the Punjab Travelling Allowance Rules
21.2.Revision of Daily Allowance, Travelling Allowance and Mileage Allowance
Authority: Government of the Punjab, Finance Department
Date: 17 October 2023
Reference: No. FD.SR-IV/1-25/2020
Effective date: 1 July 2023
Relevant coverage: BPS-wise Daily Allowance, special stations, mileage rates and the applicable revised framework.
Read or download the 2023 Punjab TA/DA rate notification
21.3.Accommodation Ceiling Amendment
Authority: Government of the Punjab, Finance Department
Date: 29 June 2017
Reference: No. FD.SR-1/8-14/2016
Relevant coverage: special-station and ordinary-station accommodation ceilings and supported no-receipt treatment.
Read or download the accommodation ceiling amendment
21.4.Clarification of Revised Daily Allowance Rates
Authority: Government of the Punjab, Finance Department
Date: 25 April 2018
Reference: No. FD.SR-I/8-7/2013
Relevant coverage: BPS-based accommodation treatment and accommodation-type restrictions.
Read or download the accommodation clarification
21.5.Fixed or Permanent Travelling Allowance Correction
Authority: Government of the Punjab, Finance Department
Date: 15 November 2018
Reference: No. FD.SR-I/8-10/2018
Relevant coverage: treatment of properly sanctioned outside-sphere journeys involving recipients of fixed Travelling Allowance.
