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Fellowship stipend calculator: JRF, SRF, RA, INSPIRE and PMRF

Monthly stipend, HRA for X, Y and Z cities, the yearly contingency grant and the total over the tenure, from the official CSIR, UGC, DST and PMRF rates.

JRF to SRF upgradeHRA by city classContingency grantTotal over the tenure

How to use it

Choose the fellowship, the city class of your host institute and whether you live in the hostel. The calculator applies the stipend for each year of the tenure (including the JRF to SRF step after two years), adds HRA on the stipend at the rate you pick, adds the yearly contingency or research grant, and totals the whole tenure.

HRA is the one figure that depends on your institute. Fellows who live in a hostel provided by the university or institute get no HRA. Otherwise HRA is paid on the actual stipend under the host institution's rules and cannot exceed the Central Government rate for that city, so the calculator offers both the rate CSIR states for its fellows and the Central Government ceiling.

Rates used, with their sources

  1. CSIR JRF (NET or GATE): Rs. 37,000 a month for the first two years; on upgrade to SRF, Rs. 42,000 a month. CSIR SRF (Direct): Rs. 42,000 a month. Research Associate: Rs. 58,000, Rs. 61,000 or Rs. 67,000 a month. Effective 1 January 2023 (CSIR HRDG OM No. 6/Fellowship (ENH)/2023/EMR-I, 27 September 2023).
  2. CSIR contingent grant: Rs. 20,000 a year for each fellow or associate, released to the host institution. JRF and SRF together cannot exceed five years; a Research Associateship is tenable for one year at a time and may be extended (CSIR HRDG JRF-NET, SRF-Direct and RA guidelines).
  3. UGC JRF: Rs. 37,000 a month for two years, then Rs. 42,000 a month as SRF. Contingency: Rs. 10,000 (JRF) and Rs. 20,500 (SRF) a year in humanities and social sciences; Rs. 12,000 (JRF) and Rs. 25,000 (SRF) a year in sciences. Tenure: five years or submission of the thesis, whichever is earlier (ugc.gov.in, Junior Research Fellowship page).
  4. DST INSPIRE Fellowship: JRF Rs. 37,000 and SRF Rs. 42,000 a month, effective 1 January 2023 (DST OM No. DST/PCPM/Z-06/2022, 26 June 2023); contingency Rs. 20,000 a year; tenure up to five years; HRA under Government of India norms for the host institute's location (INSPIRE Fellowship FAQ, online-inspire.gov.in).
  5. PMRF: Rs. 70,000 a month in years 1 and 2, Rs. 75,000 in year 3 and Rs. 80,000 in years 4 and 5, with a research grant of Rs. 2 lakh a year, up to Rs. 10 lakh over five years (pmrf.in). The PMRF page does not mention HRA, so the calculator adds none.
  6. HRA: no HRA for fellows in hostel accommodation; otherwise on the actual stipend under the host institution's rules, never above the Central Government rate. CSIR HRDG's notice of 9 November 2023 gives 24%, 16% and 8% for X, Y and Z cities. The Central Government rate is 30%, 20% and 10% once Dearness Allowance crosses 50% (Department of Expenditure OM No. 2/5/2017-E.II(B), 7 July 2017); DA reached 50% from 1 January 2024 (OM No. 1(1)/2024-E-II(B), 12 March 2024).

Questions and answers

Do I get HRA if I live in the hostel?

No. CSIR's fellowship guidelines say fellows staying in a hostel provided by the university or institute are not eligible for HRA, and the DST OM of 26 June 2023 says the same. Choose "Hostel" in the calculator.

When does a JRF become an SRF?

Under CSIR's JRF-NET guidelines, a fellow registered for a PhD is assessed by a three-member committee after two years; on a satisfactory report the fellowship is upgraded to SRF at Rs. 42,000 a month from the third year. The INSPIRE FAQ allows the upgrade after two years, or after one year with an accepted first-author paper from the PhD work.

Is the contingency grant paid into my account?

For CSIR fellows it is released to the university or institute and spent on the research work, books and similar items; an unspent balance is adjusted against the next year's grant. The calculator shows it separately for that reason.

Does the result include tax or other deductions?

No. It shows the gross amounts at the official rates. Your institute's accounts section can tell you about deductions.

Sources: CSIR HRDG OM of 27 September 2023, notice of 9 November 2023 and fellowship guidelines (csirhrdg.res.in); UGC fellowship page (ugc.gov.in); DST OM of 26 June 2023 and the INSPIRE Fellowship FAQ; pmrf.in; Department of Expenditure OMs of 7 July 2017 and 12 March 2024. Rates checked on 24 October 2026.

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