What does One Rank One Pension (OROP) mean?

That pensioners with the same rank and the same length of service get the same pension, regardless of when they retired. In practice, every revision re-fixes the pension of past pensioners on the basis of what recent retirees of the same rank and qualifying service draw: under the current round the base is the average of the minimum and maximum pension of Defence Forces personnel who retired in calendar year 2023, and anyone already drawing above that average keeps their higher pension — it is protected, never reduced.

OROP explained — what One Rank One Pension actually means

Q: How often is OROP revised?

Every five years — that cycle is written into para 3(v) of the original MoD letter of 7 November 2015. The first round took effect from 01.07.2014, the second (OROP-2) from 01.07.2019, and the third (OROP-3) from 01.07.2024, ordered by DESW letter dated 10 July 2024. By the same rule, the next revision falls due from 01.07.2029 — but it exists only when the government issues the order.

Q: What is the OROP calculation formula?

There is no formula you can apply to your own pay — that is the most misunderstood part. The government takes the live pension data of recent retirees (calendar year 2023 for the current round), works out the average of the minimum and maximum pension for each rank at each length of qualifying service, and publishes the result as tables. Your revised pension is simply the table figure for your rank, group (for JCOs/ORs) and qualifying service — or your existing pension if that is higher.

Q: Who does not get OROP?

Per the OROP-3 order of 10 July 2024, personnel who got discharged on their own request on or after 01.07.2014 under Rule 13(3)I(i)(b), 13(3)II(i)(b), 13(3)III(iv) or Rule 16B of the Army Rules 1954, or equivalent Navy/Air Force rules, are not entitled to OROP benefits. PCDA Circular 666 also lists reservist pensioners, pensioners in receipt of ex-gratia payments, and UK/HKSRA/KCIO, Pakistan and Burma Army pensioners as outside these orders.

Q: Is OROP the same as my pension calculation?

No. Your basic pension is first fixed under the pension regulations — broadly 50% of reckonable emoluments, with its own rules. OROP is a separate, five-yearly re-fixation that lifts older pensions up to the level of recent retirees of the same rank and service length. Dearness Relief is then paid on top of whichever basic pension you draw.

The short answer

Same rank + same length of service = same pension, whenever you retired. That is the promise, delivered through a re-fixation every five years: your pension is lifted to the average of what recent retirees of your rank and service length draw — and if you already draw more, yours is protected, never cut. Three rounds have happened: from 01.07.2014, 01.07.2019 and 01.07.2024. Everything below is from the government orders themselves — no estimates, no "expected amount" speculation.

The idea, in one story

Two Havildars, same group, both with 20 years of service. One retired in 1998, one in 2023. Pay scales rose enormously in between, so without correction the 1998 pensioner would forever draw far less for the same rank and the same years of duty. OROP exists to close that gap: every five years, the older pension is re-fixed to the level of recent retirees.

How a revision actually works

A base year is picked. For the current round (OROP-3), pensions of past pensioners are re-fixed "on the basis of pension of Defence Forces retirees of calendar year 2023" — that is para 2.1 of the DESW order of 10 July 2024.
Average of minimum and maximum. For each rank at each length of qualifying service, the revised rate is "the average of minimum and maximum pension of Defence Forces Personnel retired in calendar year 2023 in the same rank and with the same length of service" (para 2.2).
Protection. "Pension for those drawing above the average shall be protected" (para 2.3) — OROP can only raise a pension, never lower it. The same protection ran through OROP-2: Circular 666 says in terms that where the revised figure is lower, "the pension shall not be revised to the disadvantage of the pensioner."
Tables are published. The rank-wise, service-length-wise results come out as official tables (121 of them in the current round) — and your revised pension is read off the table, not calculated from your pay. That is why there is no "OROP formula" you can apply at home. How to read them: our OROP tables guide.
Family pensioners included. The benefit extends to family pensioners, including war widows and disabled pensioners (para 2.4), with their own family-pension tables.

The timeline — three rounds so far

7 November 2015: the founding order — MoD letter No. 12(1)/2014/D(Pen/Pol)-Part-II — implemented OROP with benefit from 01.07.2014, and wrote the five-yearly re-fixation into para 3(v). Tables followed with the order of 03.02.2016, circulated by PCDA Circular 555 (04.02.2016).
OROP-2, effective 01.07.2019: ordered by MoD letters of 04.01.2023 and 20.01.2023, implemented by PCDA Circular 666 (20.01.2023) with 121 tables built on "live data of 2018 retirees" (Circular 666, para 8.3). Arrears ran in four half-yearly instalments — and after the Supreme Court's order of 20.03.2023 in the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement case (WP(C) 419/2016), the schedule was recast, with family pensioners and gallantry awardees paid in one instalment by 30.04.2023 (DESW letter of 28.04.2023).
OROP-3, effective 01.07.2024: DESW letter No. 1(2)/2023/D(Pen/Pol) dated 10 July 2024 — 2023 base year, protection, family pensioners included, arrears payable within one financial year. The 121 tables came with the OM of 04.09.2024; five of them (11, 26, 48, 59, 94) were corrected and re-issued on 13.10.2025.
Next round: by the five-year rule of the 2015 order, the next revision falls due from 01.07.2029 — but it becomes real only when the government issues that order. Anyone quoting "expected OROP-4 amounts" today is guessing; we will not.

Who is excluded — read this before arguing with the bank

Premature retirement on own request, on or after 01.07.2014: not entitled — the OROP-3 order (para 2.6) names the exact rules: discharge on own request under Rule 13(3)I(i)(b), 13(3)II(i)(b), 13(3)III(iv) or Rule 16B of the Army Rules 1954, or the Navy/Air Force equivalents. The same exclusion ran in OROP-2. (Those who took PMR before 01.07.2014 are covered.)
Also outside these orders (Circular 666, paras 4.1–4.3): reservist pensioners, pensioners drawing ex-gratia payments, and UK/HKSRA/KCIO, Pakistan and Burma Army pensioners.

What OROP is not

Not your basic pension calculation. That happens first, under the pension regulations — explained here. OROP is the five-yearly upward correction on top.
Not Dearness Relief. DR is separate and rides on whatever basic pension you draw.
Not a monthly scheme, not an application. Revision is table-based and automatic through the pension disbursing agencies and SPARSH — Circular 666 authorises PDAs to revise "without calling for any applications from the pensioners." Nobody needs to be paid to "get your OROP done".

Questions and answers

What does One Rank One Pension mean?

That pensioners with the same rank and the same length of service get the same pension, regardless of when they retired. Every revision re-fixes past pensions on the basis of recent retirees: the current round uses the average of the minimum and maximum pension of 2023 retirees of the same rank and qualifying service, and anyone already above that average keeps their higher pension.

How often is OROP revised?

Every five years — para 3(v) of the original MoD letter of 7 November 2015. Rounds so far: from 01.07.2014, from 01.07.2019, and from 01.07.2024. By the same rule the next falls due from 01.07.2029 — but only the government's order makes it real.

What is the OROP calculation formula?

There is no formula you can run on your own pay. The government averages the minimum and maximum pension of recent retirees for each rank and service length and publishes tables; your revised pension is the table figure for your rank, group and qualifying service — or your existing pension if higher.

Who does not get OROP?

Personnel discharged on their own request on or after 01.07.2014 (under the rules named in the OROP-3 order), reservist pensioners, ex-gratia recipients, and UK/HKSRA/KCIO, Pakistan and Burma Army pensioners.

Is OROP the same as my pension calculation?

No — the basic pension is fixed first under the pension regulations; OROP is a separate five-yearly re-fixation, and Dearness Relief is paid on top.

OROP — what One Rank One Pension actually means