My Pay Was Fixed on the Default Option After MACP Because I Missed the Deadline. Can It Be Corrected?
By Adv. Ramniwas Bansal, Advocate · 15+ years experience
Key Takeaway
Yes. In February 2026 the Armed Forces Tribunal held that missing the deadline for exercising a pay option on MACP does not permit the authorities to leave a soldier on a less beneficial pay than similarly placed colleagues, and directed re-fixation with arrears.
Why This Happens
Under the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme, personnel who are upgraded can choose when their pay is re-fixed, for example from the date of their next increment. The option has to be submitted within a set time. When it is not, the default option is applied, and in many cases this leaves the person drawing less pay than a junior. Requests to change the option later are routinely rejected on the ground that no provision exists to select the option after the due date.
How the Tribunal Decided
In February 2026, the Armed Forces Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi, heard the case of an Air Force Leading Aircraftman granted MACP-II in 2021, whose basic pay was Rs 1,000 a month lower than that of a junior because his option form had not been furnished before the cut-off date. Relying on its settled line of decisions on pay fixation, and on the Delhi High Court's May 2025 judgment upholding them, the Tribunal directed the authorities to review his pay under both the 6th and 7th CPC, re-fix it in the manner most beneficial to him, and pay the arrears within three months.
What This Means for Your Pay
If you have received MACP and are drawing less than a junior, and the only reason given is a late or missing option, you may have a claim, whether you are serving or retired.
Adv. Ramniwas Bansal is a advocate with 15+ years experience practising before the Armed Forces Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi and Delhi High Court. For a consultation on your case, call +91 9810430799 or request a consultation.