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Option A basic
from promotion date
from promotion date
Promoted or got MACP? You have one month to choose: fixation from the Date of Promotion or from the Date of Next Increment — and the choice is final. Compare both, month by month, before you sign the option form.
When you are promoted — or receive MACP financial upgradation — your pay in the new level is fixed under Rule 13 of the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016 (the 7th CPC successor to the first part of FR 22(I)(a)(1)):
The proviso to FR 22(I)(a)(1) then gives you a one-time choice of when this happens:
The two steps above apply immediately. Your next increment then falls on 1st January or 1st July, whichever arrives after you complete six months in the new cell (Rule 10, read with DoE OM dated 28.11.2019). This can quietly shift your increment cycle — a July-increment employee promoted in February moves to the January cycle.
Contrary to what many assume, you do not stay on your old pay till DNI. Per the DoPT OM dated 27.07.2017: from DOP till DNI you are placed at the next higher cell of the promoted level; then on DNI you receive two increments together — your normal annual increment plus the promotional increment — in the old level, and are placed at the equal or next higher cell of the promoted level. Your increments continue on your existing cycle.
Option B frequently lands you one cell (~3%) higher and keeps your increment cycle, while Option A pays the full fixation earlier and may shift your cycle. Which effect wins depends on your level, cell and how far your promotion falls from your increment date — that is exactly what the month-wise table above settles for your numbers.
Level 7 at ₹50,500, promoted to Level 8 on 10 February 2026, July increment. Option A: one increment → ₹52,000, placed at ₹52,000 in Level 8 (equal cell); six-month rule pushes the next increment to 1 January 2027. Option B: interim placement ₹52,000 (next higher cell of Level 8); on 1 July 2026, two increments → ₹53,600, placed at ₹53,600 — and the July cycle continues. Same pay till June; from July 2026 Option B stays a cell ahead. But swap the levels to 8→9 and Option A starts ₹1,600/month ahead until DNI — the answer genuinely flips case by case.
| Your situation | Usually better |
|---|---|
| Promotion falls well before your increment date (mid-cycle) | Option B — two increments on DNI, cycle retained |
| Promotion just after your increment date | Often identical — check the table; A is simpler paperwork |
| Retiring before your DNI | Option A — Option B never matures |
| Promoted level starts far above your pay (e.g. Level 10 → 11) | Identical — the level jump swallows the increments |
L1 ₹18,000 · L2 ₹19,900 · L3 ₹21,700 · L4 ₹25,500 · L5 ₹29,200 · L6 ₹35,400 · L7 ₹44,900 · L8 ₹47,600 · L9 ₹53,100 · L10 ₹56,100 · L11 ₹67,700 · L12 ₹78,800 · L13 ₹1,23,100 · L13A ₹1,31,100 · L14 ₹1,44,200. Cells are generated by the matrix's own construction method — previous cell × 1.03, rounded to the nearest ₹100.
It is the rule that fixes your pay on promotion or MACP: one increment in your current level, then placement at the equal or next higher cell of the promoted level (Rule 13, CCS (RP) Rules 2016). Its proviso gives you a one-time option — take the fixation from the Date of Promotion, or defer it to your Date of Next Increment and get two increments together that day.
You are not kept at your old pay. Per the DoPT OM dated 27.07.2017, from the date of promotion till DNI you are placed at the next higher cell of the promoted level. On DNI, two increments (annual + promotional) are added in your old level and you are placed at the equal or next higher cell of the promoted level.
One month from the promotion, in writing. If you submit nothing, fixation from the Date of Promotion applies by default — and once exercised, the option is final. Run the comparison before signing, not after.
Yes — MACP uses the same fixation method and the same option. It is not available for ad-hoc promotions, deputation to ex-cadre posts, or direct-recruitment appointments.
When you retire before your DNI (Option B never matures), when promotion falls just after your increment (both paths often merge), and when the promoted level's start is far above your pay so both options land on the same cell anyway.
Rule 10 of the CCS (RP) Rules 2016 provides two increment dates — 1st January and 1st July — and after fixation your next increment falls on whichever arrives after six months in the new cell. Option A can therefore shift your cycle; Option B keeps it. This quiet cycle-shift often decides which option wins.