AFF has had several soldiers and their families approach us asking why they haven’t received a pay rise. We asked the Army for more information about this:
Background
Some Service personnel have been advised they will not receive the annual pay increment. This may apply to Private soldiers (OR2) previously on pay levels OR2-08 and OR2-09.
Private soldiers previously had nine incremental levels of pay, with those on OR2-08 and OR2-09 receiving pay equivalent to newly promoted Lance Corporals (OR3) on OR3-01 and OR3-02.
From 1 April 2024, the Army implemented a bar at level 7 for Private soldiers, ensuring those on levels OR2-08 and OR2-09 do not earn more than newly promoted Lance Corporals and there is no pay overlap.
Mark Time Rates of Pay (MTRP)
Most soldiers who were already on OR2-08 and OR2-09 were moved to OR2-07 on JPA on 1 April 24 and placed on Mark Time Rates of Pay (MTRP). This protects them from a pay reduction but means they will not receive an annual pay award, and their pay will be frozen. They will remain on MTRP until:
- the standard OR2-07 pay rate exceeds their MTRP rate, or
- they are promoted to OR3.
As MTRP was implemented on the 1 April 2024, the 2024 pay award would have been given retrospectively in September 2024 but now will remain frozen.
More information can be found in the Army Briefing Note: ABN 002/2024. Unfortunately, this is only accessible on an MOD system.
If you are unsure if this affects you, you should speak to your unit HR admin team.
If you wish to let us know about any concerns, contact moneysupport@aff.org.uk
You can also complete our pay questionnaire so that we can take your evidence to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AFF2025_Pay_Questionnaire
POSTED ON 22 AUGUST 2025