Defence officers command units and run the technical, logistics and administrative branches of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Read this first. This page rests on 4 dated pay figures, each from a named source. That is evidence of what those sources state, not of what Defence Officer roles pay across India.
Commissioned officers join at the rank of Lieutenant or its Navy and Air Force equivalent and are paid on the defence pay matrix, with Military Service Pay on top of basic pay. The figures on this page come from the pay table printed in UPSC's Combined Defence Services notice.
UPSC's National Defence Academy and Naval Academy examination leads to training at the NDA.
Graduates take UPSC's Combined Defence Services examination for the Indian Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy or the Officers' Training Academy.
Candidates who clear the written exam go through a Services Selection Board interview and a medical examination.
Technical graduate, NCC special and other service-specific entries are advertised by each service.
Four dated figures are on file. All four come from employers' own notices. The latest took effect on 20 May 2026. Each card says what the figure is; open "How the figure is read" for the method and what it leaves out.
Lieutenant Colonel basic × 12 (Level 12A) Rank pay ladder
Lieutenant Colonel, Level 12A, ₹1,21,200 per month × 12. Years to reach the rank are not stated by the source; not assigned to a band.
Limits. Context only; basic pay only.
Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV
Major basic × 12 (Level 11) Rank pay ladder
Major, Level 11, ₹69,400 per month × 12. Years to reach the rank are not stated by the source; not assigned to a band.
Limits. Context only; basic pay only.
Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV
Military Service Pay × 12 (fixed, in addition to basic) Officers from Lieutenant to Brigadier
Military Service Pay, ₹15,500 per month fixed, × 12.
Limits. An allowance in addition to basic pay; not pay.
Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV
Basic pay × 12: Lieutenant ₹56,100 · Captain ₹61,300 per month (+ MSP) Commissioned officers, Army/Navy/Air Force
Lieutenant, Level 10, ₹56,100 per month × 12 as the figure; band to Captain, Level 10B, ₹61,300. Military Service Pay of ₹15,500 per month is additional and shown as context. Starting basic pay of the level × 12; excludes DA, HRA and other allowances.
Limits. Basic pay only; MSP, DA, HRA and risk/hardship allowances excluded. Promotion timelines are not stated by the source, so higher ranks are not assigned to experience bands.
Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV
Indian Armed Forces (Government of India), Lieutenant Colonel (Level 12A): Lieutenant Colonel basic × 12 (Level 12A), recorded here as ₹14,54,400 a year (UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV). Indian Armed Forces (Government of India), Major (Level 11): Major basic × 12 (Level 11), recorded here as ₹8,32,800 a year (UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV). Indian Armed Forces (Government of India), Lieutenant to Brigadier: Military Service Pay × 12 (fixed, in addition to basic), recorded here as ₹1,86,000 a year (UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV). Indian Armed Forces (Government of India), Lieutenant (Level 10) · Captain (Level 10B): Basic pay × 12: Lieutenant ₹56,100 · Captain ₹61,300 per month (+ MSP), recorded here as ₹6,73,200 a year (UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV).
No. A figure given as basic pay leaves out dearness allowance, house rent allowance and the other allowances paid on top of it, and it is before income tax and provident fund or NPS deductions. The CTC breakup calculator on this site works out a monthly in-hand figure from a CTC.
A fixed monthly amount paid to officers from Lieutenant to Brigadier in addition to basic pay. The CDS notice cited on this page states it; the figure is shown above as a separate line, because it is an allowance, not basic pay.
| Figure | Statistic | Period | Effective | Kind | Conf. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹14,54,400 | rank-basic | UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV | 2026-05-20 fresh | employer-data | 0.75 | Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV |
| ₹8,32,800 | rank-basic | UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV | 2026-05-20 fresh | employer-data | 0.75 | Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV |
| ₹1,86,000 | allowance-msp | UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV | 2026-05-20 fresh | employer-data | 0.75 | Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV |
| ₹6,73,200 | employer-band | UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice, Appendix IV | 2026-05-20 fresh | employer-data | 0.75 | Union Public Service Commission — CDS (II) 2026 Examination Notice, Appendix IV |
Context only; basic pay only. An allowance in addition to basic pay; not pay. Basic pay only; MSP, DA, HRA and risk/hardship allowances excluded. Promotion timelines are not stated by the source, so higher ranks are not assigned to experience bands.
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