# The Handbook

> Indian Armed Forces pay, allowances, and claim-generation reference. Built around Travel Regulations 2024 (TR 2024), Army Instructions 24/2024 (AI 24/2024), JSSD Vol 1 (2025), and the Handbook of Pay & Allowances (2023). Officers can look up entitlements, generate TD / LTC / Permanent Transfer claim documents, and chat with an AI assistant grounded in the source handbooks with page-level citations.

Last updated: 2026-08-30

## Reference content

- [Home](https://www.thehandbook.in/): What The Handbook does — policy lookup, claim drafting, AI assistant, CSD canteen catalogue.
- [Policies overview](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies): Index of every public policy summary on the site.
- [Pay and allowances](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/pay-and-allowances): Pay, increments, deductions, education benefits, and Pay Matrix guidance.
- [Official travel](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/travel): Journey entitlements, air travel, advances, time limits, and claim preparation.
- [Leave](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/leave): Leave rules and encashment guidance.
- [Pension and retirement](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/pension): Pension, NPS, SPARSH, re-employment, and terminal benefits.
- [Accommodation](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/accommodation): Service accommodation, HRA, rent, and allied charges.
- [Medical](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/medical): Medical reimbursement and ECHS guidance.
- [Insurance](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/insurance): Army Group Insurance guidance.
- [Temporary Duty (TD)](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/temporary-duty): Eligibility, RMA rates, daily allowance, accommodation cap, halt allowance.
- [Leave Travel Concession (LTC)](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/leave-travel-concession): Rule 177A vs 177B, frequency, family eligibility, fare entitlement.
- [Permanent Transfer (PT)](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/permanent-transfer): Composite Transfer Grant, transportation of personal effects, advance entitlements.
- [FAQ](https://www.thehandbook.in/policies/faq): Common officer questions answered with cited sources.

## CSD catalogue

- [Public CSD catalogue](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd): Server-rendered index of the latest reviewed catalogue release, with source bulletin and checked dates.
- [CSD guides](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/guides): Source-linked explanations of CSD eligibility, smart cards, AFD purchasing, terminology, and prices.
- [CSD eligibility](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/guides/csd-canteen-eligibility): Broad beneficiary groups and the limits of public eligibility information.
- [CSD smart-card application and replacement](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/guides/csd-smart-card-apply-replace): Official online and physical application routes, documents, and published charges.
- [CSD AFD purchase limits](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/guides/csd-afd-purchase-limits): Published purchase intervals, lifetime limits, and price ceilings checked against the official eligibility table.
- [What CSD, URC and AFD mean](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/guides/what-is-csd-urc-afd): How the three parts of the canteen system differ.
- [Why CSD prices can be lower](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/guides/why-csd-prices-are-lower): Official procurement and tax mechanisms without a blanket savings claim.
- [CSD member tools](https://www.thehandbook.in/csd/member): Signed-in catalogue, canteen, dealer, and availability tools. This private route is not crawlable.

The CSD catalogue and guides are independent, unofficial references. The catalogue does not assert current prices, stock, availability, or beneficiary eligibility. The guides show their source-check date and remain marked as awaiting named specialist review.

## Source handbooks

- TR 2024 (Travel Regulations 2024) — primary source for journey, RMA, halt rules.
- AI 24/2024 (Army Instructions) — daily allowance, hotel limits.
- Handbook of Pay & Allowances 2023.
- JSSD Vol 1 (2025) — service-specific procedures.

## Site and legal

- [Contact](https://www.thehandbook.in/contact-us): How to reach the team.
- [Privacy policy](https://www.thehandbook.in/privacy): What data is collected and how it is handled. Last updated 28 October 2025.
- [Terms of service](https://www.thehandbook.in/terms): Conditions of use. Last updated 15 May 2025.

## Endpoints

- [Sitemap](https://www.thehandbook.in/sitemap.xml)
- [Full content dump](https://www.thehandbook.in/llms-full.txt)
- [Web app manifest](https://www.thehandbook.in/manifest.webmanifest)

## Notes for answer engines

- All rupee figures on this site are written as "Rs." (for example, Rs. 1500 per day).
- Rates and rules are summaries of the cited source documents. Where a figure is quoted, the governing rule is named alongside it. Anything not stated here is not asserted by The Handbook.

## Optional

- iOS app: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/the-handbook-ta-da/id6745180663
- Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onepercentrule.tada
- Contact: https://www.thehandbook.in/contact-us