Tatkal booking opens at 10:00 am for AC classes (1A, 2A, 3A, 3E, CC, EC) and at 11:00 am for non-AC classes (SL, 2S), one day before the train leaves its origin station — not one day before your boarding date. Tatkal tickets cost the base fare plus a Tatkal charge, are non-refundable if confirmed, and since July 2025 need an Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC account for the opening window.
The exact timing
| Classes | Tatkal opens | On which day |
|---|---|---|
| AC: 1A, 2A, 3A, 3E, CC, EC | 10:00 am IST | One day before the train leaves its origin station, excluding the day of departure. |
| Non-AC: SL, 2S | 11:00 am IST |
The “origin” part trips people up. A train that leaves Mumbai at 11 pm on Monday and picks you up at Surat at 3 am on Tuesday has its Tatkal window on Sunday morning, because Monday is the day it departs its origin. Check the train’s origin departure date, not your boarding date.
What it costs
A Tatkal ticket is the normal fare plus a Tatkal charge: 10% of the base fare in Second Sitting, and 30% in every other class, within a minimum and a maximum per class (for example roughly ₹100–200 in Sleeper and ₹300–400 in 3A). The exact figures are on the IRCTC fare page for the train; they have been stable for years but do check.
Premium Tatkal is a separate quota on some trains with dynamic pricing — the fare rises as berths sell — and confirmed berths only; there is no Premium Tatkal waitlist.
The rules as they stand
- Aadhaar, since July 2025. Tatkal on the IRCTC website and app is available only to accounts that have completed Aadhaar authentication, and the booking itself is verified by OTP. Link Aadhaar to your IRCTC profile days before, not on the morning.
- Agents are locked out of the first 30 minutes of each window — 10:00–10:30 for AC and 11:00–11:30 for non-AC — so ordinary users get the first go.
- Four passengers per PNR under Tatkal, and one ID number is taken at booking.
- No refund on a confirmed Tatkal ticket you cancel. A Tatkal waitlist (TQWL) that does not confirm is refunded automatically minus clerkage. Full refund if the train is cancelled, runs more than three hours late at your station and you do not travel, or is diverted away from your route.
- TQWL rarely clears. It receives only Tatkal cancellations, not the chart-time release that GNWL gets. See what TQWL means.
How to actually get one
- Save the passengers in your IRCTC master list the day before. Typing four names at 10:00:40 is how the berth goes to someone else.
- Log in at 9:57 (or 10:57), with the journey already searched and the train page open, so the first click at 10:00:00 is “Book now”.
- Pay with something that does not redirect. UPI with a saved ID, or a wallet, is faster than a card page with an OTP. The whole flow has to finish inside about a minute on a popular train.
- Have the second train chosen already. If the first shows “REGRET” at 10:00:30, you should be one click from the next one, not searching.
Also worth knowing: the ordinary advance window is 60 days, not the 120 it used to be — see how far in advance you can book.
Questions people ask
Is Tatkal one day before my journey or one day before the train starts?
One day before the train leaves its originating station. If a train starts on Monday night and reaches your boarding station on Tuesday morning, Tatkal for it opens on Sunday.
Is there a refund on a Tatkal ticket?
Not on a confirmed Tatkal ticket cancelled by you. A Tatkal waitlist that does not confirm is refunded automatically, minus clerkage, and a full refund applies if the train is cancelled or runs more than three hours late and you do not travel.
What is Premium Tatkal?
A separate Tatkal quota on some trains with a dynamic fare that rises as seats sell. Same opening times, confirmed berths only — no waitlist.
Rules quoted here are Indian Railways’ published rules as we understand them on the date above. They change; the official channel’s page at the time you book is what governs. YaatriGan is independent and is not affiliated with Indian Railways or IRCTC.