Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a major financial benefit for state government employees ahead of Diwali. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government has approved a 5-percentage-point increase in Dearness Allowance (DA), providing relief to more than 14 lakh employees.
Following the latest revision, the DA rate has increased from 58% to 63% of basic pay. The revised allowance will be effective retrospectively from July 1, 2026.
The government has issued an official order outlining the revised rates, eligible employees and payment arrangements for pending arrears.
UP Government DA Hike 2026: Who Will Get the Benefit?
According to the government order issued by Principal Secretary Alok Kumar on November 7, the revised DA will benefit several categories of employees working across Uttar Pradesh.
The beneficiaries include full-time regular state government employees, staff working in aided educational and technical institutions, urban local bodies and other eligible government establishments.
Employees covered under the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales will also receive the revised allowance, subject to the applicable rules.
With the increase, eligible employees will receive DA at 63% instead of the previous rate of 58%.
How Will DA Arrears Be Paid?
Since the revised DA is effective from July 1, 2026, employees will also receive arrears for the period between July and October 2026.
According to the government order, the arrears for eligible employees will generally be credited to their Provident Fund (PF) accounts. The revised DA will be paid in cash along with regular salaries from November 2026.
For employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS), 10% of the arrears will be deposited into their Tier-I pension accounts. The state government or employer will contribute an additional 14% as applicable. The remaining 90% will be paid through the prescribed PPF or National Savings Certificate (NSC) arrangements.
There are also special provisions for employees who have retired or whose employment ended before the government order was issued.
Employees retiring between July 1, 2026, and November 7, 2026, will receive their entire DA arrears in cash. Employees due to retire within the next six months are also covered under the specified arrangements.
UP Government 30-Day Bonus for Employees: Maximum ₹7,000
Apart from the DA increase, the Uttar Pradesh government has also announced a 30-day ad hoc bonus for eligible employees for the financial year 2025-26.
Under this decision, employees will be eligible for a bonus equivalent to 30 days’ wages, with the maximum payable amount capped at ₹7,000.
According to the order issued by Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar, the benefit will cover full-time, non-gazetted state government employees.
Staff working in aided educational and technical institutions, local bodies, district panchayats and government departments are also included, subject to the applicable eligibility conditions.
The government has specified that 75% of the approved bonus amount will be deposited into employees’ General Provident Fund (GPF) accounts. The remaining 25% will be paid directly in cash.
UP Employees Get DA Hike and Diwali Bonus
The latest decisions bring two important financial benefits for eligible Uttar Pradesh government employees ahead of Diwali.
The 5-percentage-point DA increase will take the allowance rate to 63%, while the separate 30-day bonus for 2025-26 will provide additional financial assistance of up to ₹7,000.
Employees should check the applicable government orders to understand their eligibility, arrears payment arrangements and the amount they will receive under these announcements.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and is based on the government orders and announcements described above. Actual DA payments, arrears, bonus amounts and eligibility conditions will be governed by the official Uttar Pradesh government notifications and applicable service rules. Employees are advised to consult their respective departments for confirmation of their benefits.