Tatkal booking time

Sleeper Tatkal booking opens at 11:00 IST, one day before the train leaves its first station, not counting the journey day. Second sitting (2S) opens at the same time, AC classes an hour earlier at 10:00, and agents can book sleeper Tatkal only from 11:30.

The day follows the train, not you. If a sleeper train starts its run on Friday and you board it on Saturday morning further down the route, sleeper Tatkal for your seat opened on Thursday at 11:00. The time is the same on the IRCTC website, in the app and at station counters, and one Tatkal ticket takes at most four passengers.

The Tatkal charge in sleeper is 30% of the basic fare, at least ₹100 and at most ₹200, worked out on a minimum of 500 km; the Tatkal fare calculator gives the amount for your fare. Sleeper berths on busy routes go in the first minutes, so log in by 10:55 with the passengers saved in your master list. The Tatkal countdown timer counts down to 11:00 on a corrected IST clock.

Tatkal for AC classes opens at 10:00 IST one day before the journey; sleeper and second sitting open at 11:00. Authorised agents are locked out for the first 30 minutes of each window, so 10:00 to 10:30 and 11:00 to 11:30 belong to individual users.

By 09:55 you should be logged in with the train search already showing the right date and class. At 10:00 the Book Now button becomes active. Pick the train, confirm the class, and the passenger form opens. The berths are held for you only once the form is submitted, which is why the master list matters more here than on any other booking.

Since 1 July 2025 the IRCTC account must be Aadhaar-verified to book Tatkal online, and since 15 July 2025 an OTP goes to the registered mobile during the booking (Ministry of Railways release of 11 June 2025). Keep that phone next to you; the OTP screen times out. The Tatkal booking checklist covers the account, master list and payment set-up.

If the class shows a waiting list at 10:02, decide fast. A Tatkal waiting list (TQWL) clears only from Tatkal cancellations, so a TQWL 15 on a short route is a gamble. The waitlist codes page explains the order in which lists clear.

The Tatkal timings have not changed since 15 June 2015: AC classes open at 10:00 IST and non-AC classes at 11:00 IST, one day before the journey. Searches for the Tatkal booking timings of 2021 or 2022 get the same answer as 2026.

The split was reported by Business Today and Deccan Chronicle in June 2015. In April 2025, after posts claiming new Tatkal times went viral, IRCTC said no change in timings was proposed. What did change in 2025 is who can book in the first minutes, covered on the Aadhaar rule for IRCTC booking page.

Check Tatkal seat availability on IRCTC the evening before by searching your train with tomorrow's date and the Tatkal quota selected. Each class then shows AVAILABLE with a number, a Tatkal waiting list (TQWL) or REGRET.

Pick the class with berths left as your first choice and a second train as the fallback, so the morning is one search and one booking. What each status word means is on the IRCTC seat availability and PNR status codes page.

Tatkal costs more and refunds less. The charge is 10 percent of the basic fare in second sitting and 30 percent in every other class, within floors and caps per class; the Tatkal fare calculator gives the rupee figure. A confirmed Tatkal ticket is non-refundable if you cancel it (IRCTC e-ticket cancellation rules); the Tatkal cancellation guide covers the exceptions.

So if your date is still within the 60 day window and the general quota shows available, book general. Tatkal is for the case where the general quota is waitlisted or you only decided yesterday. For a trip you planned weeks ahead, the 60 days calculator and a reminder beat Tatkal every time.