Centre reaffirms HRA policy: If one spouse gets government housing, other cannot claim allowance
The central government has clarified its policy on the House Rent Allowance (HRA), categorically stating that both spouses cannot claim HRA if they are central government employees posted at the same station and one of them has already been allotted government accommodation.
This clarification ends speculation over the applicability of HRA to serving central government employees.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary provided the clarification in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha on 4 August.
HRA only for employees without government accommodation
Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Balmik has asked whether the government plans to reconsider the rule to make it more equitable for couples where both spouses are in active government service and posted at the same station.
Responding, Choudhary said, “House Rent Allowance is granted to Central Government employees who are not provided with Government accommodation, to compensate them for expenditure incurred on hiring residential accommodation.”
He added, “Where both spouses are Government employees stationed at the same station and either is allotted Government accommodation, the family is considered to have been provided with Government accommodation. Consequently, no expenditure is incurred by the other spouse on accommodation. Hence, the HRA is not admissible to them.”
No proposal to review policy
The government clarified that it has not received any representations on the matter and has no plans to review the policy.
Replying to whether such requests had been made, Choudhary said, “No.”
Similarly, on whether the Centre intends to revisit the rule to make it more equitable for dual-government-employee households, his response was again “No”.
The clarification reinforces the government’s longstanding position that HRA is intended only to compensate employees for rental expenses.
Once government accommodation is allotted to either spouse at the same station, the family is deemed to have been provided housing, leaving no basis for an HRA claim by the other spouse.
