Salary of IAS officer in India

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is one of the highest and most prestigious All India Services in India. Officers selected for this service not only perform important responsibilities at various levels of governance and administration but also receive excellent salary, allowances, and benefits.

At present, the salary structure of IAS officers has been determined in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. In this pay system, the pay scale is classified on the basis of pay levels, which is progressive according to the seniority, experience and promotion of the officer.

Starting Salary of IAS Officer

• After clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination, the initial basic pay of a newly appointed IAS officer is fixed at ₹56,100 per month (Level 10 – Pay Matrix); in addition, various allowances and benefits are available.

Major allowances and facilities:

IAS officers are given various types of allowances by the central and state government in addition to the basic salary, which are determined on the basis of their service area, posting location (urban/rural/highly sensitive) and responsibilities. The major ones are:

1. Dearness Allowance (DA):

• It changes every 6 months based on the inflation rate declared by the central government.
• Currently it is about 46% of the basic salary (2025 estimate).
• Example: 46% of ₹56,100 = ₹25,806

2. House Rent Allowance (HRA):

• The rate of HRA depends on the category of posting area:
• X category city (Metro) – 27%
• Y category city (Semi-urban) – 18%
• Z category area (Rural) – 9%
• Example: 27% of ₹56,100 in X category city = ₹15,147

3. Transport Allowance (TA):

• Generally ₹3,600 to ₹7,200 per month, depending on the posting area.
• It is higher in Metro cities.

4. Medical Allowance:

• Medical facility under Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) or fixed medical allowance per month.

5. Other facilities:

• Government accommodation (if HRA is not taken),
• Free conveyance facility (for administrative needs),
• Phone/Internet allowance,
• Security allowance (in sensitive areas),
• Special allowances for training and conferences.

Total in-hand salary

• After adding all the allowances, the total in-hand salary of an IAS officer at the initial level is around ₹80,000 to ₹90,000 per month.
• If the officer is posted in a metro city, and gets full allowances including HRA, then this amount can go up to ₹1,00,000.
  

Salary Increments and Hierarchy

The salary of an IAS officer increases with promotions at regular intervals during his service period. This structure is explained in the table below: