Accumulation of Paid Leave without Encashment for GDS from 1 January 2026: Department of Posts O.M.

Accumulation of Paid Leave without Encashment for GDS from 1 January 2026: Department of Posts O.M.

Department of Posts has issued an Office Memorandum (O.M.) dated 30 December 2025 allowing accumulation of paid leave without encashment facilities for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).

The revised provisions will come into force with effect from 1 January 2026.

Key highlights of the amended Rule-7 (GDS Conduct and Engagement Rules, 2020)

• Paid Leave Entitlement
  • GDS will be eligible for 20 days of paid leave per year, credited as 10 days at the beginning of each half-year (1st January and 1st July).
• Carry Forward of Leave
  • Unavailed paid leave can now be carried forward up to a maximum of 45 days at any given time.
  • No encashment facility has been provided for this accumulated leave.
• Monthly Credit Mechanism
  • Paid leave will accrue at the rate of 1.67 days for each completed calendar month of engagement likely to be rendered in a half-year.
• Rounding-off Rule
  • Fractions of leave will be rounded off to the nearest day:
    • 0.5 day or more → 1 full day
    • Less than 0.5 day → ignored
• Absence beyond Admissible Leave
  • If a GDS fails to resume duty after expiry of the maximum admissible leave, or remains absent beyond the sanctioned limit, removal from engagement may follow as per Rule 10, unless exceptional circumstances are accepted by the Government.

Effective date

• The amended leave provisions will be effective from 01.01.2026.

Additional clarification

• An FAQ (Annexure-I) has been issued along with the O.M. to guide Circles and GDS on implementation aspects.
• The Hindi version of the O.M. will be issued separately.

Why this matters:

This change provides GDS employees with greater leave security and continuity, allowing accumulation of paid leave over time, though without encashment. It aligns GDS leave rules more closely with structured leave management while maintaining discipline in engagement conditions.