A worked example: ₹60,000 last drawn, 30 years of service
An employee retiring with ₹60,000 last drawn basic pay plus DA, after 30 years of qualifying service, gets an estimated monthly pension of ₹27,272.73 — a proportionate pension, since 30 years is short of the full 33-year requirement.
The formula: 50% of Basic+DA, scaled by years ÷ 33
Full pension is 50% of last drawn Basic+DA, but only at exactly 33 years of qualifying service. With fewer years, that full pension is scaled down proportionally: ₹30,000 (50% of ₹60,000) × (30 ÷ 33) = ₹27,272.73.
Reaching full pension: the same ₹60,000, but 33 years
That same ₹60,000 last drawn basic+DA, with the full 33 years of qualifying service instead of 30, gives exactly ₹30,000 a month — the full 50% rate, with no proportionate reduction.
Why service beyond 33 years doesn't increase the pension further
33 years is the ceiling for qualifying service under this formula — an employee with 35 or 38 years of service still gets exactly the same full pension as one with 33, since the formula caps the years-used figure at 33 regardless of actual tenure.
What happens to this pension after retirement
Pensioners under OPS also receive Dearness Relief (DR), revised alongside DA for serving employees, which increases the effective monthly pension over time — a real, ongoing adjustment this initial calculation doesn't model.