Earned Leave (EL) rules for Central Government Employees, 2026.

Total Earned Leave in a year :

a. Earned leave (EL) account of every government servant other than a military officer who is serving in a department other than a vacation department, shall be credited with earned leave in advance in two installments of 15 days each on the first day of January and July of every calendar year. So, Total number of earned leave in an year are 30 days.

b. When a government servant joins a new post without availing full joining time by reasons that :- He is ordered to join the new post at a new place of posting without availing full joining time to which he is entitled, or he proceeds alone to the new place of posting and joins the post without availing full joining time and takes his family later within the permissible period of time for claiming travelling allowance for the family.

c. The number of days of joining time as admissible under sub-rule 4 of Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Joining Time) Rules, 1979, subject to the maximum of 15 days, reduced by the number of days actually availed of, shall be credited to his leave account as earned leave, provided that the earned leave at his credit together with the unavailed joining time allowed to be so credited shall not exceed 300 days.

d. The leave at the credit of a government servant at the close of the previous half year shall be carried forward to the next half year, subject to the condition that the leave so carried forward plus the credit for the half year do not exceed the maximum limit of 300 days.

e. Provided that where the earned leave at the credit of government servant as on the last day of December or June is 300 days or less but more than 285 days, the advance credit of 15 days earned leave on first day of January or July to be afforded in the manner indicated under sub-rule first of clause A of sub-rule 1 shall instead of being credited in leave account be kept separately and first adjusted against the earned leave that the government servant takes during that half year and the balance,

f. if any, shall be credited to the leave account at the close of the half year, subject to the condition that balance of such earned leave plus leave already at the credit do not exceed the maximum limit of 300 days.

Calculation of Earned Leave (How to calculate total Earned Leave)

1. EL shall be credited to the leave account of a government servant at the rate of 2.5 days for each completed calendar month of service which he is likely to render in a half year of the calendar year in which he is appointed.

2. The credit for the half year in which a government servant is due to retire or resign from the service shall be afforded only at the rate of 2.5 days per completed calendar month up to the date of retirement or resignation.

3. When a government servant is removed or dismissed from service, credit of earned leave shall be allowed at the rate of 2.5 days per completed calendar month up to the end of calendar month preceding the calendar month in which he is removed or dismissed from service.

4. When a government servant dies while in service, credit of earned leave shall be allowed at the rate of 2.5 days per completed month of service up to the date of death of the government servant.

5. If a government servant has availed of extraordinary leave and/or some period of absence has been treated as dies non in a half year, the credit to be afforded to his leave account at the commencement of the next half year shall be reduced by one-tenth of the period of such leave and/or dies non, subject to a maximum of 15 days.

6. While affording credit of earned leave, fractions of a day shall be rounded off to the nearest day.

7. The maximum earned leave that can be granted at a time shall be 180 days.

Note: For reference, visit www.dopt.gov.in