TrainTicket.info
Updated for the April 2026 rules

IRCTC refund calculator

Cancellation charges are not a percentage of what you paid. They are a class-wise flat minimum, a time slab, and in some cases the whole fare. Enter the ticket and see the deduction, the GST, and what actually reaches your account.

The status at the moment you cancel.

AC 3-Tier / Chair Car — covers 3A, 3E, CC

All passengers together, as on the ticket.

₹

Date and time in IST, as printed on the ticket.

Cancelling at

Using the current time in India. Switch to “another time” to test what happens if you wait.

Enter the fare you paid and the scheduled departure to see the deduction and the refund.

What changed in April 2026

Confirmed tickets: the time slabs, old and new

Every boundary moved outwards. The charge at each step is unchanged, but you now hit each step earlier, and the no-refund zone doubled from 4 hours to 8.

Cancellation chargeOld window, to 31 Mar 2026Current window
Flat charge by class onlyMore than 48 hours beforeMore than 72 hours before
25% of fare, minimum the flat charge48 to 12 hours before72 to 24 hours before
50% of fare, minimum the flat charge12 to 4 hours before24 to 8 hours before
No refundLess than 4 hours beforeLess than 8 hours before

Each percentage is still subject to the class minimum, so on a cheap ticket the flat charge is what you actually pay. The calculator above picks the rule set by the date you cancel, so a cancellation dated before 1 April 2026 is costed on the old slabs.

Unchanged in 2026

Flat charge by class, per passenger

This is the floor under every slab, and the whole charge when you cancel more than 72 hours out.

ClassCoversFlat chargeGST on charge
AC First Class / Executive1A, EA, EC₹2405%
AC 2-Tier / First Class2A, FC₹2005%
AC 3-Tier / Chair Car3A, 3E, CC₹1805%
Sleeper ClassSL₹120None
Second Sitting2S₹60None

Unchanged in 2026

RAC, waitlist and Tatkal

Three cases that do not follow the confirmed-ticket slabs at all, and that the April 2026 revision left alone.

RAC and waitlist

₹60 per passenger

Clerkage, plus GST on AC classes, if you cancel more than 30 minutes before departure. Nothing after that.

Waitlist that never clears

Automatic

If every passenger is still waitlisted at charting, the e-ticket cancels itself and the refund is credited without any action from you.

Confirmed Tatkal

No refund

Forfeited whenever you cancel, however early. Premium Tatkal is the same. Only a waitlisted Tatkal ticket is refunded.

Also new in April 2026

Three changes that are not about money

The cancellation slabs came bundled with reforms that change how and when you can act.

Cancel a counter ticket anywhere

Counter tickets can now be cancelled at any reservation counter in the country, not only where you bought them.

Change boarding point later

The boarding station can be changed up to 30 minutes before departure, rather than only before the chart is prepared.

Charts prepared earlier

Reservation charts are now prepared several hours ahead instead of close to departure, so a waitlist outcome is known in time to make other plans.

What this calculator cannot know. The revised windows were announced on 24 March 2026 and rolled out from the start of April, with reports differing on whether the switch was a single date or phased across that fortnight, so a cancellation made in early April 2026 may have been costed either way. Beyond that, your fare breakup may include catering or a dynamic component that settles on different terms, and a train cancelled or delayed by the railway moves you out of the cancellation rules entirely and into TDR territory, where a full refund is often due.

Refund questions

What are the latest train ticket cancellation rules?

Since April 2026 the cancellation windows are wider than they used to be. Cancel more than 72 hours before departure and you pay only the flat charge for your class. Between 72 and 24 hours it is 25% of the fare, between 24 and 8 hours it is 50%, and inside 8 hours there is no refund at all. The old boundaries were 48, 12 and 4 hours.

How much is deducted if I cancel a confirmed train ticket?

More than 72 hours before departure, a flat charge per passenger: ₹240 for AC First or Executive, ₹200 for AC 2-Tier or First Class, ₹180 for AC 3-Tier, 3E or Chair Car, ₹120 for Sleeper and ₹60 for Second Sitting. Between 72 and 24 hours it is 25% of the fare, and between 24 and 8 hours it is 50%, each subject to that same minimum.

What happens if I cancel less than 8 hours before departure?

No refund is granted on a confirmed ticket inside 8 hours of scheduled departure. That cut-off used to be 4 hours and was doubled in April 2026, so a same-day change of plan is now considerably more expensive. The only route left is a TDR, and only on the specific grounds Railways recognises, such as the train being cancelled or running more than three hours late.

Did the flat cancellation charges change in 2026?

No. Only the time windows moved. The class-wise minimums stayed at ₹240, ₹200, ₹180, ₹120 and ₹60 per passenger, and so did clerkage on RAC and waitlisted tickets.

How much do I get back on an RAC or waitlisted ticket?

The fare less clerkage of ₹60 per passenger, plus GST on AC classes, provided you cancel more than 30 minutes before scheduled departure. Inside 30 minutes there is no refund. The 2026 revision did not touch this rule.

Can I cancel a counter ticket at any station now?

Yes. Alongside the new windows, Railways allowed counter tickets to be cancelled at any reservation counter in the country, instead of only at the station where the ticket was bought.

Do I get a refund on a Tatkal ticket?

Not on a confirmed Tatkal or Premium Tatkal ticket. That fare is forfeited whenever you cancel. A waitlisted Tatkal ticket that never confirms is refunded like any other waitlisted ticket, after clerkage.

Is GST charged on cancellation?

Yes, at 5% on the cancellation charge, for AC classes and First Class only. Sleeper and Second Sitting carry no GST on cancellation.

Is the IRCTC convenience fee refunded?

No. The convenience fee of ₹20 for non-AC and ₹40 for AC classes per e-ticket, plus GST, is not returned when you cancel.

What if my waitlisted ticket never clears?

An e-ticket on which every passenger is still waitlisted after chart preparation is cancelled automatically and the refund is credited to the source account. You do not need to do anything.

When should I file a TDR instead of cancelling?

When the loss is the railway's doing rather than a change of plan: the train is cancelled, it is running more than three hours late and you choose not to travel, the AC failed, the coach was not attached, or you were not given the class you paid for. A TDR is filed online and processed by the railway, so it takes longer than an ordinary cancellation.

Not cancelling, booking?

Find the exact date your 60-day window opens.

Booking date calculator

Sources