After 10, 20 and 30 years of regular service, or after 10 years in the same pay level, whichever is earlier, provided you meet the Very Good benchmark and have not used up the three progressions through promotions.

Does a promotion reduce the number of MACPs?

Yes. The scheme allows three financial progressions in total, and each regular promotion counts as one of them.

Does MACP change my designation?

No. MACP is a financial upgrade only. You stay in the same post with the same duties and seniority.

How much does pay increase on MACP?

You get one increment in your current level and are then placed in the equal or next higher cell of the next level. Often this is a single increment, but it can be much more where the next level starts higher.

Is MACP pay counted for pension?

Yes. Basic pay after an MACP upgrade is basic pay for all purposes, including DA, pension and gratuity.

MACP scheme explained

Updated 11 October 2026

The Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACP) protects central government employees from getting stuck in one pay level when promotions are slow. If you have not been promoted, you get a financial upgrade to the next level of the pay matrix after 10, 20 and 30 years of service, or after 10 years in the same level, whichever comes first. Your post and duties stay the same; only your pay level changes.

From ACP to MACP

The original Assured Career Progression scheme of 1999 gave two upgrades, at 12 and 24 years. The 6th CPC replaced it with MACP from 1 September 2008, with three upgrades at shorter intervals. After the 7th CPC, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) reissued the scheme for the new pay matrix in an office memorandum dated 28 September 2016.

When an MACP upgrade is due

There are three financial upgrades in a career, counted from the grade you joined in by direct recruitment.
They fall due on completing 10, 20 and 30 years of regular service, or after 10 years of continuous service in the same level, whichever comes first.
Regular promotions count against the three. If you are promoted twice, only one MACP is left. If you are promoted three times, you get no MACP.
If you are promoted before an upgrade falls due, the 10-year clock restarts in the new level.

For example, someone who joins in Level 2 and is promoted to Level 4 after 8 years would get their next upgrade at 18 years (10 years in Level 4) if not promoted again, and a third progression at 28 years if still not promoted.

The Very Good benchmark

An upgrade is not automatic. A screening committee checks your Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs), and you must meet the benchmark of "Very Good". The 7th CPC raised this from "Good", and the higher benchmark applies from 25 July 2016. You must also be clear of vigilance and disciplinary bars, as for a regular promotion.

You move to the next level, not the next post

MACP places you in the immediately next level of the pay matrix. That is not always the level of your next promotion post. If promotion in your cadre normally jumps from, say, Level 2 to Level 4, MACP takes you only to Level 3; the higher level comes only with actual promotion. This rule has been challenged in courts many times, but it remains the scheme's design.

How pay is fixed on MACP

Pay is fixed exactly as on a regular promotion:

One increment in your current level (move one cell down).
Place that figure in the equal cell of the next level or, if there is none, the next higher cell.

Because neighbouring levels overlap a lot, the gain is often just one increment. It is larger where the next level starts well above your current pay.

Worked example. Case 1: A Level 6 employee at ₹47,600 completes 10 years without promotion. One increment: ₹47,600 × 1.03 = ₹49,028, which is the Level 6 cell of ₹49,000. Level 7 also has a ₹49,000 cell, so pay is fixed at ₹49,000. Basic rises by ₹1,400; with 60% DA (₹840) and 30% HRA in an X city (₹420), gross rises by ₹2,660 a month. Case 2: A Level 12 officer at ₹1,02,800 gets an upgrade. One increment: ₹1,02,800 × 1.03 = ₹1,05,884, the Level 12 cell of ₹1,05,900. The lowest Level 13 cell is ₹1,23,100, so pay is fixed there, a jump of ₹20,300 in basic pay.

You can test your own case with the pay fixation calculator and see the cells of each level on the pay matrix page.

What an MACP upgrade does and does not change

Changes: basic pay and everything calculated on it, such as DA, HRA, NPS contributions, and later pension and gratuity. Allowances that depend on the pay level, such as transport allowance slabs, CGHS contribution or ward entitlement, can change once you cross the relevant level.
Does not change: your designation, duties, seniority or place in the promotion queue.
If you later get a regular promotion to the same level you already reached through MACP, there is no fresh pay fixation, only a change in post. If the promotion is to a higher level, pay is fixed again in the usual way.

Who is covered

MACP applies to regularly appointed civilian central government employees in Groups A, B and C. Organised Group A services, which have their own non-functional upgradation, are generally outside it, and the armed forces have a separate MACP. Ad hoc or contract service does not count towards the 10 years. Check the latest orders on the DoPT website and your department's circulars for cadre-specific rules.