2023 handbook summarySource checked 29 July 2026
Commencement of Pay for Army Officers
An officer's pay on first commission generally begins on the commission date, subject to reporting and training conditions.
Overview
An officer's pay on first commission generally begins on the commission date, subject to reporting and training conditions. MNS and specified field-area or medical cases use the actual joining or reporting date. PCDA(O) requires countersigned Form A within seven days of reporting to commence the account (printed pages 15-17; PDF pages 26-28).
What the handbook says
The source states that first-commission pay begins on the commission date. For an officer commissioned after NDA, IMA, or OTA training, pay cannot cover more than 30 days before reporting for duty; a selected postgraduate trainee must report on the ordered date (printed page 15; PDF page 26).
MNS officers receive pay and allowances only from the date they join duty. For the cited field-concessional-area and medical-officer cases, the effective commission date is actual reporting at the unit or for duty, not reporting at a transit camp (printed page 15; PDF page 26).
What this means
The commission order, officer category, training route, reporting record, and regularisation of any delay must be read together. Form A enables PCDA(O) to open payment records; it does not itself decide the legal commencement date (printed pages 15 and 17; PDF pages 26 and 28).
Who this applies to
- A newly commissioned officer reporting late requires the absence to be regularised (printed page 15; PDF page 26).
- An officer reporting to a transit camp after 21 days of joining leave is deemed to have reported for duty under the source note (printed page 15; PDF page 26).
- The fixed cadet stipend applies during the specified pre-commission training; that period is not commissioned service (printed pages 16-17; PDF pages 27-28).
- PBOR trainees continue the pay and allowances of their existing rank during pre-commission training, with the stated difference payable after successful completion (printed page 17; PDF page 28).
Rates and dates
The handbook records a fixed stipend of Rs. 56,100 per month, corresponding to the starting pay of Level 10, for the specified cadets under SRO 12(E) dated 3 May 2017. It records the same amount in the PBOR trainee difference calculation (printed pages 16-17; PDF pages 27-28).
This is a 2023 source snapshot; the stipend must be checked for a superseding order before publication.
What you may need
- the commission and first-posting orders;
- actual reporting or joining evidence and any absence-regularisation order (printed page 15; PDF page 26); and
- completed Form A under AO 03/03, signed by the officer, countersigned by the CO/OC unit, and submitted with the prescribed checklist within seven days of reporting (printed page 17; PDF page 28).
Authorities and source references
- Rules 1 and 2, Pay and Allowances Regulations for the Officers of the Army (printed page 15; PDF page 26)
- AI 196/51 and AI 53/74 (printed pages 15-16; PDF pages 26-27)
- SRO 12(E), 3 May 2017 (printed page 16; PDF page 27)
- AO 03/03 for Form A (printed page 17; PDF page 28)
- Rule 55, Pay and Allowances Regulations for the Officers of the Army, for prisoners of war (printed page 17; PDF page 28)
Related guidance
About this guidance
This is a plain-language summary for general information. It is not an official order or an authority for a claim. Confirm the applicable order and your individual eligibility with the competent authority or PCDA(O) before acting.