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How To Cancel Train Tickets And Get Refund From IRCTC?

Komal Bajpai

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Updated: 20-03-2025 at 9:55 PM

Booking train tickets in India is set for a digital transformation, with the Indian Railways progressively moving towards paperless e-tickets for all passengers. However, cancellation and refund procedures for such e-tickets remain quite confusing for most travellers unfamiliar with the IRCTC's rules.

To empower customers, we will explain key terms around train ticket refunds while outlining specific conditions under which IRCTC offers full or partial refunds if you cancel your ticket before the journey.

Key Terminology In The IRCTC Refund Rules

Here are some common terms useful for understanding the cancellation process:

Confirmed Ticket (CNF): The ticket status displays a confirmed reserved seat or bed number allocated to a passenger for the journey.
Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) /Waitlist Ticket (WL): All seats are full in the given class but are awaiting seat allotment if earlier confirmed passengers cancel.
Cancellation Charges (CC): A fee is deducted from the fare paid while cancelling confirmed or RAC tickets. Levied depending on class, time left for departure, etc.
Clerkage Charge (CLG): Fee for cancelling tickets at the reservation counter. Minimum: ₹50 per passenger. This is not applicable under online cancellation.
Refund Amount (RA): Original fare paid minus applicable cancellation and clearance charges. It is credited back using the original payment mode.
Train Chart Preparation (TCP): The process of allotting vacant seats or beds to waitlisted ticketholders is undertaken 4 hours before train departure.

Now let us understand the specific cancellation and refund rules applicable depending on whether you have a confirmed, RAC, or waitlisted ticket.

Cancellation Of Confirmed Train Tickets

If you cancel a confirmed ticket, the deduction will happen as follows:

Time Left Before Departure: Cancellation Charge.

More than 48 hours: ₹240 (in sleeper); ₹400 (in AC classes)
48–12 hours: 25% of the fare paid.
12–4 hours: 50% of the fare paid.
Within 4 hours, no refund is permitted.
Plus a clerkage charge if cancelled at the reservation counter.

If the confirmed ticket is cancelled online up to 12 hours before train departure, the reservation amount after deduction will be refunded to your linked bank account automatically within 3–7 working days.

Cancellation Of RAC/Waitlisted Train Tickets

No cancellation is permitted if your ticket remains in RAC/waitlisted status after the preparation of reservation charts.

However, if your waitlisted ticket gets confirmed automatically due to vacancies and you wish to cancel it, the below charges apply

Time Left Before Departure: Cancellation Charge

More than 48 hours: ₹240 (sleeper), ₹400 (AC classes)
48–12 hours: 25% of the fare paid.
12–4 hours: 50% of the fare paid
Within 4 hours, no refund is permitted.

So if you foresee your journey getting cancelled beforehand, cancel your waitlisted ticket at least 48 hours before benefiting from a refund after the deduction of the clerkage charge.

Special Circumstances For Partial Refund Of Confirmed Or RAC Tickets

There are specific circumstances under which Indian Railways offer partial refunds on confirmed or RAC railway tickets:

Train Delay of Over 3 Hours: Get a 50% refund of the fare.
Premium Train Delay Over 3 Hours: Get a 75% refund of the fare.
Rescheduled Train: A flat 50% refund if you do not opt to travel at all.
Passenger on the Waitlist for Rescheduled Train: Get a 100% refund

IRCTC’s New Online Counter Ticket Cancellation Policy

Passengers can now do counter-ticket cancellations through an online system operated by Indian Railways. Previously all travellers had to wait at railway stations to carry out counter ticket cancellations. Through the IRCTC website and application customers now have access to ticket cancellation services.

How To Cancel Counter Tickets Online?

Follow the simple methods to get the easy cancellation of your counter-ticket:

Step 1: To cancel counter tickets visit the IRCTC website at its homepage or use the mobile application of IRCTC.

Step 2: Use the Counter Ticket Cancellation feature from the available options.

Step 3: Please enter your PNR number together with your mobile number on the website or in the mobile application from the App Store or Play Store.

Step 4: Use the registered mobile number to verify your identity by entering the One-Time Password that the system sends to your mobile device.

Step 5: Complete the cancellation process by following the confirmation steps and record the refund information.

Step 6: The original payment method will receive refund credits through a process taking from 3 to 7 working days.

Additional Info: The cancellation service works only for PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counter bookings but follows IRCTC’s specific refund guidelines.

Conclusion

The Indian Railways transports over 8 billion passengers annually. Therefore, it is only natural that cancellation and refund protocols enhancing travellers' flexibility are aligned with the progressive digitalization of ticketing and charting processes.

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