Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees is one of some important allowances available to them.
Transport allowance also known as TPTA (TPT allowance full form – Transport Allowance) is also the part of salary like Dearness Allowance and Home Rent Allowance given to central government employees to cover the cost of their daily commute to and from work.
As per the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC), the Transport Allowance Rules and rates for central government employees have been revised and in this blog post, we will take a closer look at the changes made to Transport Allowance as per the 7th CPC.
We will cover everything you need to know about Transport Allowance in this article i.e. what is Transport Allowance 7th CPC, eligibility criteria, rates and the process of claiming transport allowance.
Also we will know the difference between Transport Allowance and Trevelling Allowance.
So, if you are a Central Government employee or just looking to learn more about the latest changes to Transport Allowance Rules, read on!
Read also: Travelling Allowance for Government Employees Dearness Allowance for Government Employees
Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees
Transport Allowance (TPTA) is a type of allowance provided by the Central Government to its employees to cover the cost of their daily commute to and from work.
This allowance is intended to compensate employees for expenses incurred in traveling to and from their place of work, and is usually paid as a fixed amount on a monthly basis. Transport Allowance is generally provided to employees who are not provided with official transport by the government.
TPTA is not given to all employees equally. The amount of Transport Allowance is based on the employee’s pay scale and class of city in which he is posted. This is the only allowance on which Dearness Allowance (DA) is paid to government employees.
Transport Allowance Rates / Transport Allowance calculation
After implementation of the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission, the TPTA is admissible to Central Government Employees at the following rates-
| Pay Level of the Employees | TPTA in Higher Transport Allowance Cities | TPTA at all other places |
| 9 and above | Rs. 7200 + DA thereon | Rs. 3600 + DA thereon |
| 3 to 8 | Rs. 3600 + DA thereon | Rs. 1800 + DA thereon |
| 1 and 2 | Rs. 1350 + DA thereon | Rs. 900 + DA thereon |
Hence, the Transport allowance for central government employees in India is calculated based on the Pay Level of employee and his place of work. The rate of transport allowance is determined by the government and is revised periodically.
It is important to note that the above rates of transport allowance for central government employees only, and that the calculation and rates for transport allowance for state government employees may be different.
Click here to see Office Memorandum regarding Transport Allowance recommended by 7th Central Pay Commission.
Cities with Higher Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees
Here we have mentioned the names of those TPTA cities where higher transport allowance is available.
Higher TPTA Cities – Higher TPTA cities means “cities where the cost of transportation is higher and therefore, employees may receive a higher allowance to help cover their transportation expenses.
There are 19 cities where higher transport allowance for central government employees. These cities include – Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Surat, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Kanpur, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode and Patna.
Except for the above 19 cities, in rest of the cities lower transport allowance is provided to government employee. In these cities the transport allowance is less as compared to the 19 cities included in the first category.
Transport Allowance for Officers drawing Pay in Level 14 and above
Officers drawing pay in Levels 14 and above in the Pay Matrix, who are entitled to the use of official car for commuting between office and residence as per the existing orders, shall be given the option to avail the official car facility or to draw Transport allowance at the rates of Rs.15,750/-p.m. plus Dearness Allowance thereon.
Before allowing Transport Allowance, the option exercised by an officer will be examined and his/her entitlement to the use of official car in terms of the existing instructions will require to be certified by the Competent Authority.
In case, an officer opts to draw Transport Allowance @ Rs.15,750/- p.m. plus D.A. thereon, he/she will not be allowed to change his/her option during the remaining period of his/her current assignment.
Transport Allowance for Physically disabled Government Employees
Physically disabled service personnel shall continue to be paid Transport Allowance at double the normal rates, subject to fulfillment of the stipulated conditions, which shall, in no case, be less than Rs.2250/- p.m. plus applicable rates of Dearness Allowance.
Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees during Leave
If a government employee is on leave for the whole calendar month or months then he will not get transport allowance for that / those month/months.
Transport Allowance for central government employees during deputation abroad
The allowance will not be admissible during the period of deputation abroad.
Transport Allowance for central government employees during tour
If a service personnel is absent from the Headquarters/Place of Posting for full calendar month(s) due to tour, he/she will not be entitled to Transport Allowance during that/ those calendar month/months.
However, if the absence does not cover any calendar month(s) in full, Transport Allowance will be admissible for full month.
Transport Allowance for central government employees during training
The allowance may be granted during such training, if no Transport Facility/Travelling Allowance/Daily Allowance is provided for attending the training institute.
During official tour in the training course, the allowance will not be admissible when the period of the tour covers the whole calendar month.
Also, during training abroad, no Transport Allowance will be admissible when the period of such training covers the whole calendar month.
Differences between Transport Allowance and Travelling Allowance
Transport Allowance (TPTA) is the part of a government employee’s salary and he is paid every month if he is eligible for this allowance. It is provided to almost all government employees except in some cases.
Transport Allowance is given to a government employee to meet the expenses for travelling between his resident or home to his office.
A government employee gets Transport Allowance every month at a fixed rates as per his pay level and his place of posting. Here place of posting means in which city he is working. There are 19 cities in India with higher Transport Allowance and the government employees who are working in these cities, get higher Transport Allowance.
TA for central government employees – Travelling Allownce is completely different from Transport Allowance. Travelling Allowance is not given to government employees as a part of salary every month at a fixed rate.
Travelling Allowance is given to those employees who have traveled for any official duty or training. Also if a employee does not claim Travelling Allowance for his official tour, he will not be paid any amount.
So, these are the major differences between Travelling Allowance and Transport Allowance. Where Transport Allowance is paid at a fixed rate every month as a part of the salary, Travelling Allowance has to be claimed by government employee and it is not available until an official journey has been done.
Conclusion:
Transport Allowance is one of the important allowances given to Central Government Employees to meet the expenses of travelling from residence to office. This allowance is paid to government employees every month as a part of salary at rates fixed by Central Government.
The amount as transport allowance is not same for all the employees and it varies according to their pay level and place of posting.
Those employees who are posted in higher class Transport Allowance, they get higher Transport Allowance and in reset of cities employees get lower Transport Allowance.
The officers who are drawing pay in Levels 14 and above are entitled to use of the official car for commuting between office and residence. They can give the option to avail the official car facility or to draw Transport allowance. If they choose to draw Transport Allowance, they will be paid at the rates of Rs.15,750/-p.m. plus Dearness Allowance thereon.
FAQs
How to calculate transport allowance?
To calculate transport allowance for central government employees, a base rate is fixed according to the class of city and pay level of employee and then Transport allowance is given to the government employee by adding current DA to this base rate.
Is Transport Allowance part of salary?
Yes, transport allowance is a part of gross salary of a central government employee.
What is the difference between Travelling allowance and transport allowance?
Transport Allowance is the part of a government employee’s salary and he is paid every month to eligible employees to cover the cost of their daily commute to and from work. Whereas, Travelling Allowance is given to employee who travelled for any official purpose. This is not the part of salary and he has to claim for reimbursement.
Important tags – Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees, TA for central government employees, transport allowance calculation for central government employees, transport allowance 7th cpc, tpta cities,
