Salary of an IAS Officer: How Much You can Earn per Month after Clearing the UPSC Exam?

The IAS officer, also known as the Indian Administrative Officer is a post that one gets after clearing the toughest exams of the country, i.e., the UPSC examination. The UPSC examination, i.e., the Union Public Services Examination is one of the toughest examinations of the country and every year thousands and lakhs of aspirants from all over the country come forward to take part in this examination but not many are lucky enough to clear it and get on another side of the exam to enjoy the benefits of the success for which they have worked hard for years.

What is the Salary of an IAS?

The salary that comes with the post of an IAS officer should not be the only reason you want to succeed at the union public service commission examinations. After all, the job comes with a huge array of responsibilities and demands a huge amount of respect.

However, in case the job really is what you are after, the salary per month is quite a decent compensation for your hard work. Let us examine the details below:

Also Read: IFS vs IAS: Which One is Better & Why? How to Become an IAS/ IFS Officer?

Salary of IAS Officer

Let’s find out the basic IAS officer salary in India:

What is the Salary per Month of an IAS Officer after the 7th Pay Commission Recommendations?

The starting salaries of all Civil Servants (Group A) are the same (Pay Level 10).

7th Pay Commission recommendations were approved by Cabinet on 29th June 2016. Now the basic pay of entry-level IAS officers is ₹ 56,100. Allowances like Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA) and Travel Allowance (TA) will be extra. The salary will increase as experience increases. The basic pay of the Cabinet Secretary is fixed at ₹ 2,50,000.

Salary Breakup of an IAS Officer

Total Salary = Basic Pay + DA + HRA + TA

The above-mentioned figures are basic salaries. You may also be entitled to HRA, DA and TA.

HRA would be 8 to 24% of the basic salary. If you are getting official accommodation, HRA won’t be credited to your salary.

DA would start from 0% after the 7th pay commission recommendations. This component would be linked to inflation. But remember that DA had touched 107% of the basic salary of government officers in 2015 and in future, the DA part would be significant. DA is revised on a half-yearly basis (January and July every year) depending on the inflation index (CPI).

An IAS officer will also be given a travel allowance (TA) to meet various expenses related to travel.

{Note: There was another part called grade pay in government officers salary before. Now, this part has been removed.}

Thus, it can be seen that the total per month salary of entry-level IAS officers would be ₹ 56100 + DA + house rent allowance + transport allowance.

This structure goes up to pay level 18.

IAS Salary Per Month

Though studying for the UPSC and cracking the IAS or IPS exam is one of the toughest exams in the country, many students are not able to clear it each year. Every year thousands and lakhs of students take part in the examination but thousands are not able to get one the other side of the exam. But once one becomes an IAS officer, it provides them with a number of benefits that can help them enjoy the hard work that they once paid towards clearing this examination.

Along with getting a good and fair amount of salary, one also gets a number of benefits and allowances that they get to enjoy with their pay. These could be all the way from travel allowances to dearness allowances.

The police force is a place where you really can make a difference in society at all levels. While the IAS is a generalist service, the IPS focuses exclusively on matters of law and order although this provides for a wider canvas to perform than most of us might think. A police officer could be doing anything from organizing traffic duties to managing the regulations to drive commercial and civil life and protecting the lives and property of citizens.

Understanding the Salary Structure post 7th Pay Commission Recommendations

A new Pay Matrix system has been introduced by the commission, which contains as many as 18 horizontal levels to take care of fixation of pay on MACP or promotion. The vertical range for each of these 18 levels is meant for fixation of pay by providing annual increment.

The 7th Pay Commission has done away with the pay band grade pay system that existed before. The previous pay bands are shown for comparison purposes only. The new pay levels are highlighted row-wise (1-18) from left to right in the above table. Within the same column, if you go downward, the pay for the next years is mentioned.

#1. IAS officers are usually promoted every four to five years.

#2. The IAS officers get two extra-increments (6%) when they are at Level 11, 12, and 13.

#3. After level 14, the salaries of all the officers are the same.

Pay Level for Each Rank

The pay levels for each rank are mentioned below:

#1. Level 10: (1-4 years) ASP/ SDM/ Asst. Commissioner in IRS

#2. Level 11: (5-8 Years) SP/DM/Deputy Commissioner in IRS

#3. Level 12: (9-12 Years) SSP/DM (DS in GOS)/ Joint Commissioner in IRS

#4. Level 13: ( 13-16 years) SSP/ DM (Director in Government of India)/ Additional Commissioner in IRS

#5. Level 13A: (14th year) DIG (No parallel scale in IAS or IRS)

#6. Level 14: (16-24 years) IG/ Commissioner (IAS/ IRS)/ JS in GOI

#7. Level 15: ( 25-30 years) ADG/ Additional Secretary in GOI/ Principal Secretary in State/ Principal Commissioner in IRS

#8. Level 16: (30-33 years) Additional Chief Secretary/ DG/ Chief Commissioner in IRS

#9. Level 17: (34-36 years) Chief Secretary/ DG/ Secretary of GOI/ Principal Chief Commissioner in IRS

#10. Level 18: (37+ years) Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India.

HRA and Transport Allowance for Central Government Employees

HRA @ 24%, 16%, and 8% have been proposed for X, Y and Z class cities respectively. The 7th Pay Commission has also recommended the enhancement of HRA while DA crosses 50% and 100%. As far as transport allowance is concerned, there is no increase. DA @ 125% has been merged with the existing transport allowance.

Approximate Scales of IAS Officers

#1. Junior scales (0-4 years)

#2. Senior scales (4-9 years)

#3. Senior time scale (4 years+)

#4. Junior Administrative Grade (9 years+)

#5. Selection grade (13 years+)

#6. Super times scale (16 year+)

#7. Above super time scale (25 years+)

Salary of IAS Officer During Training

An IAS Officer is such a prideful job of our country that someone who becomes an IAS officer also gets paid while he or she is undergoing the training process/period.

The pay that an IAS officer receives while he is undergoing the training procedure is given to him not termed as salary but it is known as a Special Pay Advance that one receives.

The amount that one receives is a good and prosperous amount of Rs. 45,000 each month till the training continues.

But the actual amount that one receives is less than the original because of all the expenses like deductions for mess food, uniform, tracksuit, etc. So, the actual amount that one gets after the deduction of all the expenses is Rs. 35,000.

The Difference in the Salary of an IAS and IPS

IAS and IPS both share the responsibility of maintaining the law and order in the country and they are equally respected in the society. In the following article, we have tried to describe the difference in the pay scale of IAS and IPS officers according to the designation and post.

Being an IAS, IPS or IFS officer is a privilege in itself. They are considered as the flag bearers of Indian Democracy. IAS and IPS officers have different but specific roles in executive management where an IPS is often in charge of the law and order situation in the district. But even if the role of an IPS is not less than any IAS officer but the designation and salary difference remain.

Salary, Perks, Facilities of an IAS Officer

An IAS officer’s salary structure consists of different pay scales: Junior Scale, Senior Scales, Super time scale, above Super time scales etc. Each of the pay scales further consists of different pay bands.

IAS officers may also be entitled to HRA (40% of basic or official accommodation), DA (the DA has increased from 72% in 2012 to 107% of basic salary in 2015), TA etc. DA is revised on a half-yearly (January and July every year) basis depending on the inflation index.

Difference Between IAS and PCS Officer

Apart from the satisfaction and pride of serving the country, the job of an IAS officer comes with a host of other perks and facilities that even the CEO’s of private companies can’t expect.

Appraisal of an IPS

The job profile of an IPS can never be defined as he does a lot of work like he leads all security commands, maintains peace, security for VIP’s, manages disaster and crisis, implements the laws at the regional level, prevents even the economic offences, commanding police forces and collaborating with the Indian Army.

Benefits of Being an IAS and IPS Officer

The IAS and IPS officers also enjoy several other benefits in the form of:

#1. PF

#2. Gratuity

#3. Healthcare services

#4. Lifetime pension

#5. Residence

#6. Service quarter

#7. Transportation

#8. Household items

#9. Study leave

#10. Several other retirement benefits.

These are just some of the major perks and facilities that are enjoyed by IAS and IPS officers in India.

UPSC Preparation Tips

The UPSC Preparation Tips require an individual to follow a few basic tips in order to succeed further in life and move forward so that they can go and successfully clear the UPSC examination in just one single attempt. These are:

#1. The first thing to note about the UPSC exam is that you have some basic time constraints that you need to follow and move ahead with. So, if you have just started your preparation for the examination or are in the middle of it, be aware of the time constraints and follow them so that you can easily complete your exam in time when you are there in the final examination.

#2. Another step to notice and keep in mind for successful preparation for the UPSC exam is the number and the quality of books that you are studying. There are so many books that will be considered best for this examination but according to us, there are a few books that one needs to follow and these are:

#a. NCERT books – Yes. NCERT books are great if you are preparing for the UPSC examination. They contain all the information from the very basic part and help you in clearing your basics about a particular topic.

#b. Polity by Laxminkanth

#c. Economics by Ramesh Singh

#d. History by Bipan Chandra

#3. The third step is to practice and take as many mock tests as you can so that you can learn about your weaknesses and strengths related to the examination and work hard on them to turn them into your strengths for the examination.

Understanding the Civil Service Profession in Detail

IAS and IPS officers are responsible for the maintenance of law and order, revenue administration and general administration in the area under them. The major reason for having a permanent lobby of bureaucrats is that they act as an intermediate between public and government by good execution and deliverance skills.

Salary, perks, powers of the IAS and IPS services are some of the motivations for the IAS exam preparation. Facilities provided to an IPS, IAS and IFS officers are among the best facilities in the country. Being an IAS, IPS or IFS officer is a matter of pride in itself.

However, despite all the powers and prestige that the post of these officers brings to the table; the salary scale varies among them. This can also be noted that civil servants including the top-ranking all-India service officers including IAS, IPS or IFS officers earn relatively lower salaries compared to their counterparts in the private sector.

Conclusion

The IAS/ IPS/ IRS post deserves rewards for all the hard work they did. The government should pay them well to have a decent living, but the perks and allowances should never be the attraction for aiming for civil services. As the name suggests, it is a service for the nation.So now that you have got the idea about how much you can earn once you clear both the prelims exams and mains, how do you plan to start? Have you already started looking for IAS exam study materials? Comment to let us know how you wish to begin your preparation.

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Salary of an IAS Officer: How Much You can Earn per Month after Clearing the UPSC Exam?

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Do you know what the basic salary of an IAS officer is? Do you also dream of becoming an IAS officer? Click the piece of information below to know more about it.

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Shilpa Dutta

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UPSC Pathshala

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