The revised rate applies across both existing retirement frameworks, calculating relief directly from the basic pension amounts of beneficiaries. Under the Old Pension Scheme, payouts vary between Rs 9,000 and Rs 1,25,000, while the Unified Pensioner Scheme guarantees at least Rs 10,000 following 10 years of service. Furthermore, retirees under the older framework who opted to commute up to 40 percent of their monthly payout will still have their relief evaluated against the full, unreduced basic sum.
Key points
Beneficiaries under both the Old Pension Scheme and the Unified Pensioner Scheme receive…: Beneficiaries under both the Old Pension Scheme and the Unified Pensioner Scheme receive the increased relief calculated on basic amounts.
Commuted pension recipients under the older framework retain dearness relief calculations…: Commuted pension recipients under the older framework retain dearness relief calculations evaluated on their original full basic pension.
Family pensioners receive updated payouts under separate formulas, spanning 30 percent of…: Family pensioners receive updated payouts under separate formulas, spanning 30 percent of final pay under OPS or 60 percent of admissible pension under UPS.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
While announcing a dearness relief (DR) hike on Wednesday (October 28, 2026), Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the increased payout of 3 percentage points that took the DR to 63% will benefit as many as 68 lakh pensioners.
When we talk about central government pensioners benefiting from the increased DR rate, they can be regular and family pensioners getting their pensions under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and Unified Pensioner Scheme (UPS). It also includes pensioners who have commuted their pension under the OPS.
In this write-up, we will show what a 3 percentage point DR increase means for all such pensioners.
Also Read: 8th Pay Commission salary calculator: What 7% increment rate means for employees with Rs 53,100, Rs 56,100 and Rs 67,700 basic pays
Impact of 3% DR hike on regular pension under OPS and UPS
Under the OPS, the pension amount is 50% of the last basic pay or the average emoluments of the last 10 months, whichever is higher. The minimum pension under the OPS is Rs 9,000, and the highest is Rs 1,25,000.
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