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TA/DA rates in Pakistan for 2026 are the rates revised with effect from 1 July 2023: a daily allowance of Rs 744 to Rs 4,200 at ordinary stations and Rs 1,200 to Rs 7,200 at special stations, depending on BPS.
TA is the travelling allowance for the journey, and DA is the daily allowance for each day away from headquarters.
These rates apply to federal government employees and to Punjab government employees, who revised their rates by the same 1 July 2023 revision. The 1 July 2023 revision is the latest revision of these rates.
What is TA/DA in Pakistan?#
TA stands for travelling allowance and DA stands for daily allowance. Together they are the money a government employee gets for official travel outside headquarters. In Urdu: ٹی اے کا مطلب سفری الاؤنس اور ڈی اے کا مطلب یومیہ الاؤنس ہے۔
TA covers the journey itself: the fare, the mileage for your own car or motorcycle, or the cost of public transport. DA covers the extra daily expense of being away from headquarters, such as food and stay.
TA/DA is paid only for official duty, not for personal travel. The tour must be approved by the competent authority before you travel.
TA/DA Rates 2026 in Pakistan#
The daily allowance rates in force are the Finance Division revision with effect from 1 July 2023. The rate depends on your BPS and on whether the station is ordinary or special.
| BPS | Ordinary station (Rs per day) | Special station (Rs per day) |
| 1-4 | 744 | 1,200 |
| 5-11 | 936 | 1,320 |
| 12-16 | 1,680 | 2,160 |
| 17-18 | 3,720 | 4,920 |
| 19-20 | 3,720 | 4,920 |
| 21 | 4,200 | 6,000 |
| 22 | 4,200 | 7,200 |
Special stations are the big cities, notified from time to time: Hyderabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad and Mirpur AJ&K, Sukkur, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Murree and the Northern Areas.
Daily allowance is paid only for the actual night or nights spent at the outstation. A day is reckoned from midnight.
Where no night stop is involved but the absence from headquarters exceeds four hours, half daily allowance is allowed.
The enhanced rates do not apply where a fixed daily allowance, such as 20 days or 15 days, is already paid with salary.
Travelling and Mileage Allowance Rates#
The travelling allowance is separate from the daily allowance. The mileage rates revised with effect from 1 July 2023 are:
| Mode of travel | Rate per km (Rs) |
| Personal car or taxi | 15 |
| Motorcycle or scooter | 6 |
| Bicycle | 3 |
| Public transport | 3.75 |
Where transport is provided or hired, the rates are Rs 7.50 per km for a motor car and Rs 3.75 per km for a motorcycle or scooter.
Travel by air is admissible to government servants in BPS-17 and above.
On transfer or retirement, carriage of personal effects is paid at Rs 0.03 per kg per km.
Officials appointed on Special Professional Pay Scales (SPPS) have their own daily allowance rates, fixed by Finance Division O.M. No. F.1(18)R-10/2025 of 21 March 2025.
SPPS I-II get Rs 3,720 at ordinary stations and Rs 4,920 at special stations, and SPPS III-IV get Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,840.
SPPS officials can claim actual room rent on production of receipts, up to a maximum of three daily allowances at specified stations and one and a half daily allowances at non-specified stations.
TA/DA Rates in Punjab#
Punjab government employees get the same daily allowance rates as federal employees. The Punjab Finance Department revised its rates with effect from 1 July 2023, in continuation of its earlier letters No. FD.SR-1-9-2/2010 of 1 January 2013 and No. FD SR-1/8-22015 of 18 July 2017.
The Punjab table is the same as the federal table above: BPS 1-4 get Rs 744 ordinary and Rs 1,200 special, BPS 12-16 get Rs 1,680 and Rs 2,160, and BPS 22 gets Rs 4,200 and Rs 7,200.
Under the Punjab Travelling Allowance Rules, the rate for road mileage and daily allowance is 125 per cent of the normal rate if the journey is performed in the areas the rules name for the higher rate.
The same night rule applies in Punjab: full daily allowance when a night is spent on tour, and half daily allowance when the absence from headquarters is more than four hours but no night intervenes.
How to Fill a TA/DA Bill in Pakistan#
A TA/DA bill is the claim you submit after an official tour. Follow these steps:
- Get the tour approved by the competent authority before you travel.
- Travel by the approved mode and keep every ticket, boarding pass and hotel receipt.
- Note the date and time you left headquarters and the date and time you returned.
- Fill the TA/DA bill with the journey details: each leg of the journey, the mode of travel, the distance in km, and the period of absence.
- Work out the daily allowance for each night spent at the outstation, at the ordinary or special rate for your BPS.
- Work out the travelling allowance from the mileage rate for your mode of travel.
- Attach the tickets, boarding passes and hotel receipts with the bill.
- Get the bill signed or countersigned by the controlling officer.
- Submit the bill to your accounts office.
No bill for travelling allowance, other than permanent travelling allowance or conveyance allowance, is paid unless it is signed or countersigned by the controlling officer.
Keep a copy of the bill and the receipts. If the accounts office finds an over-claim, the excess is recovered from you.
TA/DA for Candidates Called for Test or Interview#
Candidates called for a test or interview do not get TA/DA. The commissions state this in their advertisements and admission letters, and candidates pay their own travel.
A Federal Public Service Commission advertisement (PID(I) 4217/26, November 2026) states: “No TA/DA is admissible for the test or interview.”
A Punjab Public Service Commission admission letter states: “No T.A/D.A will be paid for appearing in the Test / Examination.”
This applies to the written test and to the interview. If you are called to another city, the fare, the stay and the food are your own cost.
Serving government employees called for a test or interview are in the same position: the commission pays no TA/DA for appearing.
Conveyance allowance is a different allowance from TA/DA. It is the monthly allowance for travelling between home and office, revised for federal employees with effect from 1 July 2026. The conveyance allowance 2026 guide lists its rates by BPS.
The government employee allowances guide lists the other allowances a government employee gets.
The pay scale chart 2026 lists the basic pay of every BPS, which decides your TA/DA band.
Frequently Asked Questions#
What is TA/DA? TA is travelling allowance and DA is daily allowance. TA covers the journey on official duty, and DA covers the extra daily expense of being away from headquarters, such as food and stay.
What is the daily allowance for BPS-16? BPS-16 falls in the BPS 12-16 band. The daily allowance is Rs 1,680 at an ordinary station and Rs 2,160 at a special station, per day, for each night spent at the outstation.
How do I fill a TA/DA bill? Get the tour approved first, keep all tickets and receipts, and fill the bill with the journey details, distance and period of absence.
Work out the daily allowance and mileage, get the bill countersigned by the controlling officer, and submit it to the accounts office.
Do candidates get TA/DA for tests or interviews? No. FPSC and PPSC both state that no TA/DA is paid for appearing in a test or interview. Candidates pay their own travel, stay and food.
