Updated HRA rules 2023: THESE central government employees NOT ELIGIBLE for claiming House Rent Allowance

New Delhi: The Department of Expenditure, under the finance ministry, has issued an office memorandum (OM) wherein it has updated the rules for claiming house rent allowance (HRA) by the central government employees.

The Department of Expenditure in its OM dated 30th December 2022 said,  “The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has issued various instructions from time to time regarding grant of House Rent Allowance to Central Government employees. Such instructions were issued a long back. Therefore, the existing instructions have been reviewed and in supersession of all earlier instructions issued on the subject, a consolidated master OM is hereby circulated for compliance by all Ministries/Departments.”

In the revised and updated provisions, laying the conditions for drawal of House Rent Allowance, the DOE OM said a government servant shall not be entitled to HRA if --

1. He/She shares government accommodation alloted to another government servant; or

2. He/she resides in accommodation allotted to his/her parents/son/daughter by the Central Government, State Government, an Autonomous Public Undertaking or semi-Government organisation such as Municipality, Port Trust, Nationalised Banks, Life Insurance Corporation of India etc; or

3. His/Her spouse has been allotted accommodation at the same station by the Central Government, State Government, an Autonomous Public Undertaking or semi-Government organisation such as Municipality, Port Trust etc., whether he/she resides in that accommodation or he/she resides separately in accommodation rented by him/her.

 

However, the OM said that government servants other than a government servant who is living in a house owned by him shall be eligible for HRA even if they share Government accommodation allotted to other government servants subject to the condition that they pay rent or contribute towards rent or house or property tax but without reference to the amount actually paid or contributed.

In cases where husband/wife/parents/children, two or more of them being Central Government servants or employees of State Governments, Autonomous Public Undertakings or semi-Government organisations like Municipality, Port Trust, Nationalised Banks, Life Insurance Corporation of India etc; share accommodation allotted to another government servant, HRA will be admissible to only one of them at their choice, said the OM.

Drawal of HRA by husband and wife when both of them happen to be government servants and are living hired/owned accommodations --HRA would be admissible to both as per their entitlement, the office memorandum mentioned.