India Post Revised Cash Book Timelines 2026: Strict ‘T+0’ Rule for DDOs
The Ministry of Communications, Department of Posts (PAF Wing), has enforced a sweeping overhaul of the accounting timelines for all Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs). To accelerate the Business Review process and ensure real-time expenditure tracking, the submission deadlines for the Daily Cash Book and Monthly Cash Accounts through the APT Solution have been drastically reduced.
Authority: PAF Wing, Dak Bhawan, Tech Section
First Deadline Target: All Cash Books for Feb 2026 must be submitted by 02.03.2026.
Why the sudden change? Following a high-level review meeting chaired by the Hon’ble Minister of Communications on 16.02.2026, strict directives were issued to close monthly accounts by the absolute last working day of the month. The finalized data must now be available for the Directorate’s review by the 3rd of the following month.
New DDO Submission Schedule: T+0 and T+1 Explained
The traditional “T+1” and “T+3” relaxations are no longer applicable. Administrative offices without subordinate branches must now achieve same-day accounting closures.
| Office Category | Old Timeline | New Revised Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| CDDOs/NCDDOs (Admin Offices without sub-offices) | T+1 | Same Day (T+0) |
| NCDDOs / CDDOs (With Subordinate Offices) | T+2 | T+1 |
| CDDOs (Head Offices – HOs) | T+3 | T+2 (T+1 for the last date of the month) |
Strict Rules for PAOs and PFMS Consolidation
Beyond the DDO level, Pay and Accounts Offices (PAOs) and Circle Offices (COs) face equally strict compression of their consolidation windows. Delaying these steps will directly impact the Revenue and Expenditure numbers booked in the eLekha portal.
PAO Consolidation in PFMS: 3rd of following month (earlier 6th)
Provide Vertical-Wise Data to CO: 2nd of following month (earlier 5th)
PLI/RPLI Premium Apportionment (PLI Dte to CO): 1st of following month
Frequent Cash Book reversals requested by DDOs are disrupting the flow.
DTR and TCB Closings must tally daily.
Unaccounted revenue/payments are strict violations.
NAF Apportionment and Rectifications
For NAF Revenue Apportionment, invoices will be generated in APT between the 7th and 9th, and all apportionments must be formally accounted for by the 20th of the same month. PAOs are explicitly instructed to review DDO-wise cash books on a daily basis and immediately initiate transfer entries (TEs) for any “Pending for Classification” items.
Implementation Deadlines & Cash Book Reversals
The PAF wing has noted a disruptive trend: DDOs are frequently requesting the reversal of their Cash Books by PAOs due to entry errors. Authorities have mandated that the reasons for these frequent reversals must be closely analyzed, and immediate corrective operational action must be taken at the DDO level to avoid future occurrences.
Holiday Rule: If any timeline date falls on a public holiday, the deadline is automatically shifted to the previous working day, ensuring no delays cascade into the next month’s Business Review.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the new timeline for Cash Book submission for Admin Offices?
For CDDOs/NCDDOs operating as Administrative Offices without subordinate offices, the revised timeline is strictly ‘Same Day’ or T+0.
When do the revised India Post accounting timelines take effect?
The new timelines are effective starting from the accounts of February 2026. All cash books for Feb must be submitted through APT by 02.03.2026.
What is the deadline for PAOs to consolidate accounts in PFMS?
PAOs must now consolidate accounts in PFMS by the 3rd of the following month, shifted forward from the previous deadline of the 6th.
What happens if a submission deadline falls on a holiday?
According to the official circular, if any designated timeline date happens to be a holiday, that specific deadline will be considered as the previous working day.
हिंदी सारांश (Hindi Summary)
संचार मंत्रालय के डाक विभाग (PAF विंग) ने सभी DDO (ड्राइंग एंड डिस्बर्सिंग ऑफिसर) के लिए डेली कैश बुक (Daily Cash Book) और मंथली कैश अकाउंट जमा करने की समय सीमा (Timelines) में बड़ा बदलाव किया है। माननीय मंत्री जी के निर्देशानुसार, अब प्रशासनिक कार्यालयों (बिना सब-ऑफिस वाले) को उसी दिन (T+0) अपनी कैश बुक जमा करनी होगी। जिन कार्यालयों के अधीन सब-ऑफिस हैं, उनके लिए समय सीमा T+1 कर दी गई है। पीएओ (PAO) को अगले महीने की 3 तारीख तक PFMS में सभी खाते समेकित (Consolidate) करने होंगे। यह नए नियम फरवरी 2026 के खातों से तत्काल प्रभाव से लागू हो गए हैं।
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