LTCLeave Travel Concession Rules

Core Principle/Rule: LTC is not an annual entitlement; it operates on a strict cyclical system of government-mandated block years.

Key Facts:

• Home Town LTC: Admissible once in a block of 2 years, such as 2022–2023 and 2024–2025.
• Anywhere in India LTC: Admissible once in a 4-year block, such as 2022–2025. It consumes or replaces one of the two Home Town LTCs for that block.
• Grace Period / Carry Forward: Unused LTC may be carried forward only to the first year of the next block.

Core Principle/Rule: Newly hired employees receive a highly accelerated LTC entitlement for their first 8 years of service to help them settle and visit family.

Key Facts:

• First 8 Years: A fresh recruit may travel to Home Town on three occasions in a 4-year block, and use “Anywhere in India” on the fourth occasion.
• No Carry Forward: Fresh recruits are not allowed to carry unused LTC to the next year under this special scheme; missed entitlement lapses.
• Post-8 Years: After completing 8 years of service, the employee defaults to the standard 2-year/4-year block system.

Core Principle/Rule: Employees may encash part of Earned Leave while availing LTC to assist with travel expenses, subject to strict lifetime and balance caps.

Key Facts:

• Per-LTC Cap: Maximum 10 days of Earned Leave may be encashed per LTC occasion.
• Lifetime Cap: Total LTC-linked leave encashment throughout the career cannot exceed 60 days.
• Mandatory Balance Rule: After encashing 10 days and taking the actual journey leave, at least 30 days of EL must remain in the account.

Core Principle/Rule: LTC covers the employee and dependent family members, with dependency defined by an income threshold and relationship status.

Key Facts:

• Income Limit: A family member such as a parent or unmarried sister is dependent only if income from all sources, including pension, does not exceed ₹9,000 per month plus applicable Dearness Relief.
• The “Two Child” Norm: Reimbursement is restricted to a maximum of two surviving children born after 20 October 1998, with exceptions for multiple births in the second delivery.
• Spouse Rule: A spouse is automatically covered. If both spouses are government servants, either may claim from their own unit, but the concession cannot be claimed twice for the same journey.