Federal govt raises house rent ceiling for employees by 45%

The federal government has increased the house rent ceiling for its employees across all grades by 45%, with the highest increase in Islamabad, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Works. 

According to media reports, the revised rates apply to employees from grade 1 to 22 working in federal ministries, divisions, attached departments, and subordinate offices in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar.

For grade 22 employees, the house rent ceiling in Islamabad has been raised to Rs142,743 per month, while in the other cities it has been increased to Rs125,989. 

Previously, the ceiling was Rs98,444 for Islamabad and Rs89,230 for other cities. 

Grade 21 employees will now receive Rs119,278 per month in Islamabad and Rs98,378 in the other cities, up from Rs82,261 and Rs71,107, respectively.

The rent ceiling for grade 20 employees has been raised to Rs99,615 in Islamabad and Rs82,696 in other cities, from the previous rates of Rs68,700 and Rs59,079. 

Grade 19 officials are now entitled to Rs79,320 in Islamabad and Rs65,542 in other cities, up from Rs54,704 and Rs46,816.

For grades 17 and 18, the new ceiling is set at Rs59,669 for Islamabad and Rs49,808 for other cities, compared to the previous rates of Rs41,147 and Rs35,898. 

For grades 14 to 16, the ceiling has been adjusted to Rs45,073 for Islamabad and Rs37,665 for other cities, an increase from Rs31,085 and Rs27,134.

Officials in grades 11 to 13 will now receive Rs35,878 in Islamabad and Rs30,815 in other cities, up from Rs24,744 and Rs21,462. 

For grades 7 to 10, the new rates are Rs23,784 for Islamabad and Rs20,112 for other cities, up from Rs16,403 and Rs14,682. 

Employees in grades 3 to 6 will now receive Rs15,921 in Islamabad and Rs13,230 in other cities, an increase from Rs10,980 and Rs9,654.

For the lowest grade employees, in grades 1 and 2, the ceiling has been raised to Rs10,192 in Islamabad and Rs9,590 in other cities, up from Rs7,029 and Rs6,591, respectively.

The new rates apply to all fresh hires and existing employees who pay a portion of their rent directly to the property owner.