Transport Allowance Calculator Online (2026) | LegalDev

Who is eligible for Transport Allowance?

Transport allowance is granted to the employees to meet their expenditure made on commuting between their residence and place of duty and to the employees working in the transport business.

 

Whether the Assessee is handicapped
Tax Free Amount


Transport Allowance Calculator

Find out how much of your transport allowance is tax-free and how much is added to your taxable salary. This transport allowance calculator gives you an instant, accurate answer based on your employee category.

Last updated: 29 July 2026

What Is Transport Allowance?

Transport allowance is the amount an employer pays an employee to cover the cost of travelling between home and the workplace. It's a regular part of the salary structure for most companies in India, and it's paid whether or not the employee actually spends that much on commuting.

Under Section 10(14) of the Income Tax Act, read with Rule 2BB, transport allowance also has a second meaning. Employees who work in the transport business, and travel from one place to another as part of their job, can receive an allowance to cover personal expenses during that duty, as long as they don't also receive a daily allowance.

Who Is Eligible for Transport Allowance?

Transport allowance is only available to salaried employees, since it depends on an employer-employee relationship being in place. Self-employed individuals and freelancers cannot claim it. Whether you actually receive it, and how much, depends entirely on your employer's salary structure and CTC breakup.

Is Transport Allowance Taxable?

Transport allowance is part of your salary, so it's taxable by default. The Income Tax Act allows a partial exemption under Section 10(14)(ii), but only for two specific groups of employees. This is the part most salaried employees get confused about, so it's worth being precise here.

Important 2026 update: The general transport allowance exemption of Rs. 1,600 per month (Rs. 19,200 a year), which used to apply to all salaried employees, was withdrawn starting FY 2018-19. It was replaced by the standard deduction, which now stands at Rs. 50,000 a year under the old tax regime and Rs. 75,000 a year under the new tax regime. So if you're a regular salaried employee, your transport allowance is fully taxable, and your tax relief instead comes through the standard deduction, not through a separate transport allowance exemption.

Only two categories of employees still get a dedicated transport allowance exemption:

  • Handicapped employees — blind, deaf and dumb, or orthopedically handicapped employees can claim an exemption of Rs. 3,200 per month, or Rs. 38,400 a year.
  • Employees of the transport system — employees who run transport operations as part of their official duty, and don't receive a daily allowance, can claim an exemption equal to 70% of the allowance received or Rs. 10,000 per month, whichever is lower (up to Rs. 1,20,000 a year).

If you don't fall into either category, your transport allowance is added fully to your taxable salary, and your standard deduction is where you should look for tax relief instead.

Transport Allowance Calculator

How to Use This Transport Allowance Calculator

  1. Enter your total yearly transport allowance.
  2. Select whether you are a handicapped employee (Yes or No).
  3. Click Calculate to see your tax-free amount and taxable transport allowance.

The calculator applies the Rs. 3,200 per month exemption if you select "Yes" for handicapped status. If you select "No," it treats the allowance as a regular employee's, in which case it is taxable in full under current rules, since the general Rs. 1,600 per month exemption no longer applies.

Worked Example

Suppose you're a handicapped employee and your employer pays you Rs. 4,000 per month as transport allowance.

  • Monthly exemption limit: Rs. 3,200
  • Monthly taxable amount: Rs. 4,000 minus Rs. 3,200 = Rs. 800
  • Yearly taxable amount: Rs. 800 x 12 = Rs. 9,600

If your monthly allowance is Rs. 3,200 or less, the entire amount is tax-free.

Now suppose you're a regular (non-handicapped) employee receiving the same Rs. 4,000 per month. Since the general transport allowance exemption was withdrawn from FY 2018-19, this entire Rs. 4,000 is added to your taxable salary. Your tax relief in this case comes from the standard deduction available on your total salary income, not from a transport allowance exemption.

Transport Allowance Formula

For a general salary structure, transport allowance is often calculated using this formula:

A + [(A x D)/100] = Transport Allowance

Here, "A" is the base transport allowance amount, and "D" is the applicable dearness allowance percentage. This formula is used by employers while structuring the allowance, not for working out the tax exemption itself.

Transport Allowance Rates for Railway Employees

Government railway employees receive transport allowance based on their pay level, as recommended by the Seventh Central Pay Commission:

Pay Level Employees in Notified Cities Employees at Other Places
9 and aboveRs. 7,200 + DARs. 3,600 + DA
3 to 8Rs. 3,600 + DARs. 1,800 + DA
1 to 2Rs. 1,350 + DARs. 900 + DA

Transport Allowance vs Conveyance Allowance

These two terms are often confused, and mixing them up can lead to an incorrect exemption claim in your income tax return.

Transport allowance falls under Section 10(14)(ii). It's exempt up to a fixed, notified amount, and you don't need to prove actual travel expenses to claim the exemption.

Conveyance allowance falls under Section 10(14)(i). It's exempt only to the extent you actually spent it for official travel, and you can't claim this exemption if your employer already provides free transport for the same purpose.

Can Transport Allowance Be Given as a Benefit Instead of Cash?

Yes. An employer can provide transport allowance in kind as well as in cash — for example, by giving an employee the use of a company vehicle, or by directly paying for their public transport costs, instead of paying a fixed monthly allowance.

Frequently Asked Questions

It's the amount an employer pays to help cover an employee's cost of travelling between home and work. Under Section 10(14) with Rule 2BB, it also covers personal expenses for employees working in the transport business while on official duty, provided they don't receive a daily allowance.

The employer decides this, usually based on the distance between the employee's home and workplace, local transport costs, and the overall salary structure being offered.

A common formula used is A + [(A x D)/100], where A is the base allowance and D is the dearness allowance percentage.

They vary by pay level, ranging from Rs. 900 + DA to Rs. 7,200 + DA per month, depending on the pay level and posting location.

Yes, employers can provide it as a company vehicle or by directly covering public transport costs, instead of paying a fixed cash amount.

Only salaried employees whose employer includes it in their CTC. Self-employed individuals cannot claim it, since it requires an employer-employee relationship.

No, not anymore. That exemption applied to general employees only until FY 2017-18. From FY 2018-19 onward, it was replaced by the standard deduction (currently Rs. 50,000 under the old regime and Rs. 75,000 under the new regime). Only handicapped employees and employees of the transport system still get a dedicated transport allowance exemption today.

Transport allowance (Section 10(14)(ii)) is exempt up to a fixed notified limit, without needing to prove actual spending. Conveyance allowance (Section 10(14)(i)) is exempt only to the extent actually spent on official travel, and only if the employer doesn't already provide free transport for the same purpose.

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