2023 handbook summarySource checked 29 July 2026
Technical, Qualification, and Specialist Allowances
Technical, qualification, specialist, and postgraduate allowances are separate benefits with different conditions.
Overview
Technical, qualification, specialist, and postgraduate allowances are separate benefits with different conditions. Eligibility may depend on a recognised course, technical employment, professional status, appointment, and supporting Part II orders. A qualification alone does not establish every entitlement, and the rates recorded in the 2023 handbook require later-order verification.
What the handbook says
The source treats Qualification Allowance, the former Qualification Grant, Technical Allowance, Specialist Allowance, and Post Graduate Allowance as different provisions. Technical Allowance requires both the prescribed qualification and full-time deployment in a qualifying technical branch or technical and maintenance work (2023 handbook, printed pp. 105-108; PDF pp. 116-119).
Specialist Allowance depends on recognised specialist status and a qualifying pool post or authorised specialist appointment. Post Graduate Allowance is described for eligible AMC and ADC officers with a postgraduate degree or diploma who are not eligible for Specialist Allowance (2023 handbook, printed pp. 112-114; PDF pp. 123-125).
What this means
A course certificate is only one part of the decision. The relevant appointment, branch, deployment, approved course list, and notified professional status must also support the claim. Qualification Grant should not be treated as the same recurring payment as Qualification Allowance.
Who this applies to
- Technical Allowance is limited to technically qualified officers appointed against technical vacancies and available for full-time technical deployment (2023 handbook, printed p. 107; PDF p. 118).
- AMC, ADC, AEC, MNS, non-technical officers, and officers in posts unrelated to technical and maintenance duties are excluded from Technical Allowance under the source summary (2023 handbook, printed p. 107; PDF p. 118).
- Specialist Allowance requires qualifying specialist status plus a listed pool post or authorised specialist appointment (2023 handbook, printed pp. 112-114; PDF pp. 123-125).
- Post Graduate Allowance is described as an alternative where the eligible AMC or ADC officer is not eligible for Specialist Allowance (2023 handbook, printed p. 114; PDF p. 125).
Rates and dates
The source records Technical Allowance from 1 April 2018 at Rs.3,000 per month for Tier I and Rs.4,500 per month for Tier II (2023 handbook, printed p. 108; PDF p. 119). It separately records specialist rates from Rs.3,600 to Rs.5,400 per month from 1 July 2017 (2023 handbook, printed p. 113; PDF p. 124). These are historical source values, not verified current rates.
What you may need
- The Technical Allowance claim uses the Part II order, deployment certificate, and the one-time Line Directorate certificate described by the source (2023 handbook, printed pp. 108-110; PDF pp. 119-121).
- A course completed through study leave, distance learning, part-time study, or an officer's own arrangement requires the source-described MT Directorate relevance certificate (2023 handbook, printed p. 107; PDF p. 118).
- Specialist and Post Graduate Allowance processing depends on the DGAFMS list or letter and the applicable Part II order (2023 handbook, printed pp. 113-114; PDF pp. 124-125).
Authorities and source references
- GoI, MoD letter No. 15(49)/2017/Tech Allowance/D(GS-II), 25 June 2018
- CGDA letter No. ARMY/BR/OFF./ALLOW/1223/Misc, 7 October 2019
- Rules 88 to 91, Pay and Allowances Regulations for the Army
- GoI, MoD letter No. 1(16)/2017/D(Pay/Services), 18 September 2017, and amendment dated 14 September 2018
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.