The AOC Tradesman Mate salary starts at Rs 18,000 a month in basic pay. The Army Ordnance Corps (AOC) puts the post at Level 1 of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) pay matrix, and Rs 18,000 is that level’s first cell. Dearness allowance (DA), now 60 per cent of basic pay, adds Rs 10,800. House rent allowance (HRA) and transport allowance are added on top and depend on where you are posted. A pension contribution of 10 per cent of basic pay plus DA comes off.
Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) is on the same level and gets the same pay. Fireman and Junior Office Assistant (JOA) sit one level up, at Level 2. Material Assistant is at Level 5.
Vacancies, dates and eligibility for AOC’s August 2026 Group C notice are on our AOC Tradesman Mate recruitment 2026 post. Applications for it closed on 22 September 2026. That page gives each post’s pay level in one line. This guide turns those levels into monthly figures and shows which parts of the figure move, and when. The levels themselves carry over between notices: AOC’s 2024 and 2026 notices both put Tradesman Mate at Level 1 and Fireman at Level 2.
AOC Tradesman Mate salary and the other Group C posts
The 2026 notice covered five posts. This is what each one pays on the first day, and at the last cell of its level.
| Post | Pay level | Starting basic pay | Last cell of the level | Basic pay + 60% DA at the start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradesman Mate | Level 1 | Rs 18,000 | Rs 56,900 | Rs 28,800 |
| Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) | Level 1 | Rs 18,000 | Rs 56,900 | Rs 28,800 |
| Fireman | Level 2 | Rs 19,900 | Rs 63,200 | Rs 31,840 |
| Junior Office Assistant (JOA) | Level 2 | Rs 19,900 | Rs 63,200 | Rs 31,840 |
| Material Assistant | Level 5 | Rs 29,200 | Rs 92,300 | Rs 46,720 |
AOC set these levels in the notice it published in Employment News in August 2026, and Careers360 and Testbook gave the same levels in their summaries of it. The notice is on aocrecruitment.gov.in, and if a corrigendum ever changes a level, the notice is what counts. The rupee amounts for each level come from the pay matrix in the Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016, published by the Department of Expenditure.
Each level has 40 cells. Reaching the last one takes 39 annual increments, so in practice a promotion or a financial upgradation moves you to a higher level long before you get there.
AOC’s earlier notice, AOC/CRC/2024/OCT/AOC-03, also recruited four posts that the 2026 notice did not: Civil Motor Driver (Ordinary Grade), Tele Operator Grade-II, Carpenter & Joiner, and Painter & Decorator. Physics Wallah’s summary of that notice put all four at Level 2, the same pay as Fireman. That round is on our 2024 AOC recruitment post.
Why Fireman pays more on the same Class 10 pass
Tradesman Mate, MTS and Fireman all ask for a Class 10 pass. Fireman starts Rs 1,900 higher in basic pay.
That gap grows once allowances are counted. DA is a percentage of basic pay, so at 60 per cent the Rs 1,900 becomes Rs 3,040 a month. HRA is also a percentage of basic pay and widens it again. By the last cell of each level the basic pay gap alone is Rs 6,300.
The selection is not the same for every post, though. The 2026 notice set a physical efficiency test for some posts and not others, so read which posts it applies to before you choose. Other openings at this qualification are listed under 10th pass government jobs.
Dearness allowance: 60 per cent since January 2026
DA is paid as a percentage of basic pay and is the part of the salary that changes most often. It has been 60 per cent since 1 January 2026. On 18 April 2026 the Press Information Bureau announced that the Union Cabinet had approved the 2-point rise from 58 per cent, backdated to 1 January.
The government revises DA twice a year, for January and for July, and usually announces each instalment a few months late with arrears. When this guide was written in October 2026 we had not found an order for the July 2026 instalment.
Every point of DA is worth Rs 180 a month at the start of Level 1. At the start of Level 2 it is Rs 199, and at Level 5 it is Rs 292.
HRA and transport allowance follow your posting
AOC Group C staff work in Army Ordnance units and depots, and the town your unit is in decides two allowances.
HRA is a percentage of basic pay, and the percentage depends on how the government classes that town: X, Y or Z. When the government accepted the 7th CPC’s recommendations on allowances in 2017 (PIB), it set HRA at 24, 16 and 8 per cent of basic pay, rising in two steps to 30, 20 and 10 per cent once DA crossed 50 per cent. DA reached 50 per cent on 1 January 2024, so those are the rates that apply now.
Transport allowance is a fixed monthly amount set by your pay level and the class of the town. Your unit’s pay office applies both allowances, and neither can be worked out until you know your station, so we have not put rupee figures on them here.
What comes off before pay reaches your account
A new central government employee is covered by the National Pension System (NPS) and can opt for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The Ministry of Finance notified UPS on 24 January 2025, and it took effect on 1 April 2025. Under either scheme you pay in 10 per cent of basic pay plus DA, according to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The government adds its own contribution.
At the starting cell of each level, that works out like this.
| Level (posts) | Basic pay | DA at 60% | Pension contribution (10%) | Left before HRA and transport allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (Tradesman Mate, MTS) | Rs 18,000 | Rs 10,800 | Rs 2,880 | Rs 25,920 |
| Level 2 (Fireman, JOA) | Rs 19,900 | Rs 11,940 | Rs 3,184 | Rs 28,656 |
| Level 5 (Material Assistant) | Rs 29,200 | Rs 17,520 | Rs 4,672 | Rs 42,048 |
HRA and transport allowance are then added to the last column. Smaller deductions, such as group insurance and any income tax, come off it, and they depend on your unit and your own tax choices.
Quick answers on AOC pay
Is the AOC MTS salary the same as the Tradesman Mate salary?
Yes. Both posts are at Level 1, starting at Rs 18,000 basic pay, and both get the same DA, HRA and transport allowance rules.
What is the in-hand salary of an AOC Tradesman Mate?
At the start, basic pay of Rs 18,000 plus 60 per cent DA is Rs 28,800. Less the 10 per cent pension contribution, that leaves Rs 25,920. HRA and transport allowance, which depend on the town you are posted to, are added on top.
How much does an AOC Fireman earn?
Fireman is at Level 2, starting at Rs 19,900 basic pay. With 60 per cent DA that is Rs 31,840 a month before HRA, transport allowance and deductions.
Will the next AOC notice pay the same?
The 2024 and 2026 notices gave Tradesman Mate the same level, Level 1, and Fireman the same level, Level 2. What changes between notices is DA, which is revised twice a year. New AOC notices appear on our Army Ordnance Corps page and under Tradesman Mate jobs.
How the pay grows after you join
A direct recruit starts in the first cell of the post’s level. Each annual increment moves you one cell down the same level, a rise of about 3 per cent rounded to the nearest hundred rupees. The first three cells of each AOC level are below.
| Level | First cell | Second cell | Third cell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (Tradesman Mate, MTS) | Rs 18,000 | Rs 18,500 | Rs 19,100 |
| Level 2 (Fireman, JOA) | Rs 19,900 | Rs 20,500 | Rs 21,100 |
| Level 5 (Material Assistant) | Rs 29,200 | Rs 30,100 | Rs 31,000 |
The increment comes on 1 January or 1 July, never both. Rule 10 of the 2016 pay rules decides which. If you join between 2 January and 1 July, your increment falls on 1 January. If you join between 2 July and 1 January, it falls on 1 July. So a Tradesman Mate who joins on 15 October 2026 moves from Rs 18,000 to Rs 18,500 on 1 July 2027.
If no promotion comes, the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme gives up to three financial upgradations, after 10, 20 and 30 years of regular service. Each one moves your pay to the next level, so a Tradesman Mate still on Level 1 after ten years moves to Level 2 pay. In its report the 7th CPC recommended a stricter performance benchmark for each upgradation, “Very Good” in place of “Good” (PIB summary of the 7th CPC report). Ask your unit’s office which benchmark the MACP order in force sets before you count on an upgradation.
When the matrix itself will change
The government constituted the Eighth Central Pay Commission on 3 November 2025 and gave it 18 months to report (8cpc.gov.in). It will propose a new pay matrix, and the Rs 18,000 starting figure for Level 1 stays in force until the government notifies one.
DA moves sooner. When the order for the July 2026 instalment is issued, multiply your basic pay by the new rate and replace the DA column in the tables above.
