Frequently Asked Questions

What claims can The Handbook draft?

The Handbook drafts three kinds of Indian Armed Forces travel claim: Temporary Duty, Leave Travel Concession, and Permanent Transfer.

• Each one is a guided form that ends in the official claim template, filled in with the details you enter.

What does the temporary duty claim form ask for?

The temporary duty claim form runs to five steps, in this order: personal details, journey, accommodation, banking, and miscellaneous.

• Personal details: Army number, name, rank, unit, appointment, phone and email.
• Journey: for each leg, the origin, destination, dates and times, distance, mode of transport, rate, amount, and whether the leg was booked through DTS.
• Accommodation: the name of the accommodation, the rate, messing, and the dates in and out.
• Banking: account holder, account number, bank and IFSC.
• Miscellaneous: any other expenses, the total, and remarks.

How many steps are in the LTC and Permanent Transfer claim forms?

The Leave Travel Concession and Permanent Transfer claim forms each run to six steps.

• Leave Travel Concession: personal details, family, leave, journey, expenses, then banking.
• Permanent Transfer: personal details, travel details, accommodation, transportation, banking, then review and submit.

What document do I get at the end of a claim?

The Handbook produces the official claim template as a downloadable document at the end of every claim.

• A temporary duty claim produces IAFT-1716, a permanent transfer claim produces IAFT-1715, and a Leave Travel Concession claim produces its own claim form.
• Each is available as DOCX or PDF.
• You review and correct every figure before the document is generated.

What is the Road Mileage Allowance for own car on Temporary Duty?

Road Mileage Allowance for an officer's own car on temporary duty is Rs. 16 per kilometre, and Rs. 9 per kilometre for a motorcycle or scooter.

What daily allowance can I claim on TD?

The daily allowance on temporary duty is Rs. 1500 per day for officers in Pay Level 10 and above, and Rs. 1200 per day for officers below Pay Level 10.

• The allowance is reduced where free meals or free boarding and lodging are provided.

What is the hotel ceiling for officers in X-class cities?

The hotel ceiling on temporary duty is Rs. 5400 per day in X-class cities for officers of the rank of Major and above.

• Lower slabs apply in Y-class and Z-class cities; check the schedule for your station.
• Bills must be in the officer's own name and enclosed with the non-availability certificate.

What is the halt allowance rate?

Halt allowance on temporary duty is Rs. 750 per day for approved halts.

How often can I avail Hometown LTC?

Hometown LTC may be availed once in each two-year block under TR 2024 Rule 177A.

• It alternates with All India LTC under Rule 177B, which is allowed once in a four-year block in lieu of one Hometown LTC.

Can I avail Hometown and All India LTC in the same year?

No — Hometown LTC and All India LTC cannot be availed in the same calendar year. Officers must alternate between them.

What is the LTC fare cap for air travel?

The LTC fare cap for air travel is Rs. 25,000 per eligible person for an economy-class round trip.

Who is eligible as family for LTC?

Family for LTC means the officer's spouse, dependent children, dependent parents residing with the officer, and dependent unmarried sisters and minor brothers.

• Eligibility in every case is subject to the Government of India dependency criteria.

What is the Composite Transfer Grant for a permanent transfer?

The Composite Transfer Grant equals one month's basic pay for transfers involving a change of station beyond 20 km.

Within what time should I file a Permanent Transfer claim?

A Permanent Transfer claim should be filed within 60 days of arrival at the new duty station.

• Beyond 60 days, a condonation order from the competent authority is required.

Which documents does The Handbook draw its policy answers from?

The Handbook draws its policy answers from four reference documents: Travel Regulations 2024 (TR 2024), Army Instructions 24/2024 (AI 24/2024), JSSD Vol 1, and the Handbook of Pay & Allowances 2023.

What does a citation on a policy answer contain?

A citation in The Handbook contains the source document, the page number, a verbatim excerpt from that page, and a one-line summary.

• Citations open to the passage itself, so you can read the wording in context rather than take the summary on trust.

Is every answer sourced from the handbooks?

No — not every answer is drawn from the handbooks, because the assistant may supplement them with general knowledge.

• Where an answer draws on the handbooks, it carries the document and the page it came from.
• Where it does not, there is nothing to open, and the answer should be treated as background rather than authority.
• Confirm any figure against the current order before you act on it or file on it.

What letters can The Handbook draft?

The Handbook drafts Demi-Official (DO) letters from a catalogue of 49 named formats sourced from the DO Letter formats document.

• The catalogue is organised into eight groups: posting out (self and unit), posting in and takeover, relinquishing an appointment, promotion, senior officer correspondence, appreciation and thanks, events and ceremonial, and awards, courses and operations.

How does The Handbook draft a DO letter?

The Handbook matches your request to a named format in the catalogue and drafts from the wording on that page rather than from memory.

• It then reports which fields are still blank, so you know exactly what remains to be filled in before the letter goes out.

What happens if my request does not match a named format?

A request that does not match a catalogue format is still drafted, with an explicit note that the draft is not grounded in a source format.

• Treat those drafts as a starting point and check the wording against your own unit's practice.

What does the posting allowance estimator calculate?

The posting allowance estimator takes your basic pay, the road distance, your marital status and an optional vehicle weight, and returns an indicative breakdown of the transfer grant, personal-effects transport and vehicle transport, plus a total.

• It covers transport by road only.

Can I file a claim using the estimator's figures?

No — the posting allowance estimator produces an estimate for planning, not a figure to file on.

• Confirm every figure against the current order before you submit a claim.
• The estimator does not compute pay, dearness allowance, house rent allowance or your emoluments generally.

What is in The Handbook's CSD catalogue?

The Handbook's CSD catalogue holds 88 four-wheeler models across 12 brands with CSD pricing and specifications, a canteen grocery list of 4,240 items organised by group, and directories of canteens and dealers.

• The vehicle side of the catalogue covers four-wheelers only.

Can I search the CSD catalogue?

You can browse the CSD catalogue and filter it by category and by brand.

Are the CSD prices in The Handbook current?

The CSD prices in The Handbook are catalogue figures carrying no price date, so treat them as indicative.

• Confirm the rate with your canteen before you commit to a purchase.

Is The Handbook free?

The Handbook is free to use with a free account.

Which devices does The Handbook run on?

The Handbook runs on the web, on iOS and on Android, and one account works across all three.

Who is The Handbook for?

The Handbook is for serving and retired officers of the Indian Armed Forces.