Can a married father take child care leave?

No. CCL is for women employees and single male employees (unmarried, widowed or divorced). A married father can take 15 days of paternity leave around the birth.

Is child care leave deducted from earned leave?

No. CCL is kept in a separate account and is not debited from earned leave or half pay leave.

What is the minimum period of CCL?

Each spell must be at least 5 days. You can take up to three spells a year (six if you are a single woman), plus up to three more if your child is hospitalised as an in-patient.

Can I take CCL for my third child?

No. CCL is available only for your two eldest surviving children.

Can I travel abroad or take LTC during CCL?

Yes, with prior approval of the competent authority. LTC can also be availed while you are on child care leave.

Home › Learn › Government pay › Child care leave (CCL) for central government employees

Child care leave (CCL) for central government employees

Updated 11 October 2026

Child care leave (CCL) lets women employees and single male employees of the central government take up to 730 days of leave in their entire service to look after their two eldest children below 18, or a child with a disability at any age. The first 365 days are paid at full leave salary and the next 365 days at 80%. CCL has its own account, so it does not reduce your earned leave.

CCL at a glance

Feature	Rule
Total leave	730 days in your entire service
Pay	100% for the first 365 days, 80% for the next 365 days
Spells	3 a calendar year (6 for single women), plus up to 3 if the child is hospitalised
Minimum spell	5 days
Child's age	Below 18; any age for a child with 40% or more disability
Who	Women employees and single male employees

Who can take CCL

CCL is governed by Rule 43-C of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972.

Women employees: all, whether married or single.
Single male employees: unmarried, widowed or divorced fathers, since an amendment notified in December 2018.
Children: your two eldest surviving children, below 18 years. For a child with a disability of 40% or more there is no age limit; the earlier limit of 22 years was removed in June 2018.
Surrogacy: a commissioning mother with fewer than two surviving children can be granted CCL (amendment of 18 June 2024).

Married fathers do not get CCL. They get 15 days of paternity leave around the birth instead (see earned leave and leave rules).

How much leave and how it is paid

Total: 730 days across your whole career, not per child.
Pay: 100% of the pay drawn just before the leave for the first 365 days, then 80% for the next 365 days. DA is paid on the leave salary.
HRA: CCL counts like other leave, so HRA continues for the first 180 days of leave and beyond that only with the prescribed certificate.
Separate account: CCL is not debited from EL or half pay leave, and it cannot be encashed.

Worked example. A Level 7 employee on basic pay of ₹49,000 has already used 400 days of CCL, so any further CCL is at 80%. DA is 60%.
Normal monthly basic plus DA: ₹49,000 + ₹29,400 = ₹78,400.
Leave salary at 80%: ₹49,000 × 0.80 = ₹39,200, plus DA at 60% of that, ₹23,520, so ₹62,720.
For a one-month spell she gets ₹78,400 − ₹62,720 = ₹15,680 less in basic pay and DA than on duty (HRA and other allowances aside). Within her first 365 days she would have received the full ₹78,400.

Spells and minimum period

Up to three spells in a calendar year, or six for a single woman employee.
Up to three more spells in a year if your child is admitted to hospital as an in-patient. A DoPT OM of 29 July 2024 lets the leave sanctioning authority allow these extra spells for women and single male employees.
Each spell must be at least 5 days.
Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays can be added before or after, as with earned leave, and CCL can be combined with other leave due to you.

Approval and other conditions

CCL needs prior sanction. You cannot proceed on it first and seek approval later.
It is not ordinarily granted during probation, except in extreme situations, and then for the shortest period possible.
You may leave headquarters with prior approval, travel abroad with permission, and even take LTC while on CCL.
CCL is not available for a third child.

Women employees with disabilities also get a separate special allowance for child care, ₹3,750 a month after the 25% rise from January 2024. That is an allowance, not leave; see Children Education Allowance for the related allowances.

How to apply and keep track

Apply in the format your office uses, often an online leave module, giving your child's details and the dates, and leave enough time for sanction before the spell starts. Keep your own count of days used, since the 80% rate starts once your total crosses 365 days and the six-spell limit for single women applies per calendar year. If your child is hospitalised and you have used your normal spells, ask your leave sanctioning authority for the extra spells under the 2024 order. DoPT orders on CCL are on the DoPT website, and your take-home pay on duty can be checked with the 7th CPC salary calculator.

State government employees

These are central government rules. Most states have their own child care leave rules, and the number of days, the pay rate and the eligibility of fathers differ from state to state. All India Services officers have a similar provision of 730 days in their own leave rules, with 100% pay for the first 365 days and 80% for the next 365.