Government employee festival advance increased to Rs. 15,000

Cabinet approval has been granted to increase the festival advance currently provided to government employees to Rs. 15,000. According to this proposal submitted by the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, steps will be taken to amend the provisions of the Establishments Code to enable the increase of the relevant amount and to issue circular instructions related thereto.

According to the current provisions of the Establishments Code, the maximum festival advance a government official can obtain is Rs. 10,000. Officials have the opportunity to obtain this amount for major cultural festivals such as Thai Pongal, Ramadan, Sinhala and Hindu New Year, Vesak, Deepavali, and Christmas, as well as for pilgrimages such as Sri Pada pilgrimage and Hajj pilgrimage.

This advance is provided interest-free and is recovered in 08 monthly installments. Furthermore, provisions have already been made for an official to repay the amount even before the due date if desired.

According to the 2026 budget proposals, it was proposed to increase this advance to Rs. 15,000, and this new approval has been granted to implement that proposal. Through this, the government expects to provide relief to government officials during festive seasons.