Central Government Employees Diwali Bonus: Ahead of Diwali, important news has surfaced regarding bonuses for central government employees. The employee organizations have demanded the central government to raise the existing maximum limit of ₹7,000 to ₹21,000 for bonus calculation. If the government accepts this demand, the bonus for eligible central employees may almost triple. However, the government has not yet announced any final decision or official order in this regard.

₹21,000Demand to limit

National Council Staff Side of Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) cabinet By writing to the Secretary Bonushas demanded to increase the limit for calculation of In a letter dated August 27, 2026, the association said that while the minimum wage levels in various categories have increased, it is still not appropriate to calculate the bonus on the basis of just ₹7,000. The organization wants the government to take a decision on this before Dussehra on October 20, 2026.

How much bonus is currently available??

Eligible Central Government employees are generally given non-productivity linked or ad hoc bonuses during the Diwali period. Currently a maximum limit of ₹7,000 is taken for bonus calculation. Currently an eligible employee gets a bonus of around ₹6,908. If the government increases the bonus calculation limit from ₹7,000 to ₹21,000, then as per the new calculation, an employee can get about ₹13,816 more bonus as compared to the existing ₹6,908. So the bonus amount can be tripled.

Still pending government approval

Importantly, the bonus of ₹20,724 is yet to be decided. At present only demands are made from employee unions. The new bonus limit will come into effect only after the central government approves the proposal and issues an official order. Therefore the employees should not treat the amount of ₹20,724 as guaranteed bonus for now.

8Demand to increase the bonus before the Pay Commission too

The issue of increasing the bonus has also been raised before the 8th Pay Commission. Various employee organizations are demanding to change the existing limit in bonus calculation. If the government accepts the NC-JCM’s demand for a cap of ₹21,000, lakhs of eligible central employees could get a huge financial benefit ahead of the festive season.