City Compensatory Allowance (CCA)
A small fixed allowance for postings in specified cities, compensating higher living costs on top of HRA.
CCA applies only in cities the government notifies for it, so most rural and small-town postings carry none. Being a fixed amount rather than a percentage of basic pay, it does not grow with increments the way DA and HRA do. In a salary breakup it is a minor line item that appears after DA and HRA.
Related terms
House Rent Allowance (HRA)
A percentage of basic pay that varies with the posting location's classification, which is why the same post pays different in-hand amounts in different towns.
Pay Matrix
The 7th Pay Commission table of pay levels and cells that replaced pay bands and grade pay. Every post maps to a level; annual increments move you cell by cell.
Pay Level
A post's row in the pay matrix, fixing its starting basic pay and progression. Group 4 posts sit around Level 8; Group 1 posts start around Level 22.
Basic Pay
The pay-matrix figure before any allowance. DA and HRA are calculated as percentages of it, and deductions come off the resulting gross.
Grade Pay
The 6th Pay Commission add-on that indicated a post's seniority. Abolished by the 7th CPC and absorbed into pay-matrix levels; older notifications still mention it.
Dearness Allowance (DA)
An inflation-linked allowance calculated as a percentage of basic pay and revised periodically by the government.
This definition follows official TNPSC notifications and Tamil Nadu government orders. Sources: TNPSC official notifications. Figures are indicative and may change with each official notification. Data last reviewed: July 2026.
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