The Finance Division has clarified that Ad-hoc Relief Allowances for federal government employees will remain frozen under the revised Basic Pay Scales-2026, while new recruits will receive the allowances on a notional basis.
The clarification, issued through an Office Memorandum, responds to numerous queries raised after the Finance Division notified revised Basic Pay Scales and allowances for federal civil servants on July 21, 2026.
Under paragraph 7 of the original notification, all Special Pays, Special Allowances and allowances linked to a percentage of pay stand frozen at the level of admissibility as of June 30, 2026.
Ad-hoc Relief Allowance-2023 was already frozen at the level of admissibility as of June 30, 2023, and will continue in that frozen state. However, employees joining federal service after implementation of the new pay scales will receive this allowance on a notional basis.
New entrants in BPS-1 to BPS-16 will get the allowance at 35 percent, while officers in BPS-17 to BPS-22 will receive 30 percent, calculated on the minimum of Basic Pay Scales-2022, effective July 1, 2026, until further orders. This allowance will also remain frozen at the notional level once fixed.
Ad-hoc Relief Allowance-2024 will remain frozen at the level of admissibility as of June 30, 2026. Employees in BPS-1 to BPS-16 will continue receiving 25 percent, and those in BPS-17 to BPS-22 will receive 20 percent, both calculated on Basic Pay Scales-2022.
For employees appointed after July 1, 2026, the same allowance will apply on a notional basis, at 25 percent for BPS-1 to BPS-16 and 20 percent for BPS-17 to BPS-22, calculated on the minimum of the relevant Basic Pay Scales-2022. This notional rate will also remain frozen until further orders.
