A method for providing improved reverse link transmission timing in an access terminal is provided. The method includes processing automatic repeat request (ARQ) bits from a MAC bit processing unit for a previous sub-frame. The ARQ bits comprise a hybrid ARQ (H-ARQ) bit, a last ARQ (L-ARQ) bit, and a packet ARQ (P-ARQ) bit. The method also includes calculating the maximum allowed reverse rate and grant size for a MAC flow. The method further includes distributing grants to each application in the MAC flow. The method also includes storing a stored read pointer in an application transmit queue, for each application in the MAC flow. The method also includes preparing data for transmission, in response to storing the stored read pointer for each application in the MAC flow, based on the ARQ bits. The method also includes transmitting the data.