IAS Officer Salary: Structure & Facilities

Remember your school days when you were asked, “Badha hoke kya Banega?” aka “What you wanna become when you grow up”? Many of you might have replied, “Collector banunga.” However, when one grows up, they realize the difficulty level of this exam and the amount of hard work one has to put in. A career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is one of the most desired professions in India. Every year, lakhs of people take the UPSC Civil Services exam but only a handful clear the exam, and an even lesser number cut IAS officers. 

Of course, with all this information, one would wonder how much an IAS Officer earns. An IAS officer's basic monthly salary starts at Rs.56,100 (with other allowances TA, DA, and HRA) and can reach Rs. 2,50,000 for a Cabinet Secretary. 

How much does an IAS Officer earn?

The new pay structure has dispensed with the ‘Pay Grades for Civil Services’ system and introduced ‘Consolidated Pay Levels’ in the 7th Central Pay Commission, i.e., they are paid in regards to the 7th Pay Commission. The IAS pay scale is now decided only on the ‘Basic Pay’ along with various other allowances such as Travel Allowances (TA), Dearance Allowances (DA), and House Rent Allowances (HRA). 

House Rent Allowances (HRA) is 24% of the basic salary if he gets posted in one of the eight metro cities in India, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. But if the IAS officer gets posted into smaller cities with a population above five lakhs, he's eligible for an HRA of 16%; for rural areas, it is 8%. 

What are the facilities an IAS officer gets?

From a prestigious title and attractive salaries, here are all the perks and powers IAS officers enjoy.

• IAS officer pension

IAS officers are provided with the lifetime pension facility. The retirement facility for all public servants (except the armed forces) has been reformed since January 1st, 2004. Consequently, since January 1, 2004, Indian administrative service officials and other government employees must pay 10% of their salaries to pension, and the Government contributes 14% to it.

• IAS officer's security

They are provided three home guards and two bodyguards for themselves and their families. If they have a threat to their lives, STF Commandos may be called for their security purposes.

•  IAS officer residential places

IAS officers are allotted bungalows or residential units by rank, pay grade, and seniority. They additionally can benefit from the service of house cleaners, cooks, grounds-keepers, safety officers, etc.

• Travel benefits of IAS officers

They are provided affordable stays at government quarters, guest houses, or such establishments irrespective of whether they travel for official or unofficial reasons.

• IAS officer electricity bill

Unlike private-sector employees, IAS officers are not needed to pay the bill for their regular household services. Say, electricity is free.

Conclusion

UPSC CSE offers high social respect, perks & emoluments, etc. in India. The perks and emoluments are common for all the UPSC CSE posts, such as IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS, and others.

• Apartment (3 or 4 BHK)

• Electricity and Water Bill

• Medical Expenses

• Free Phone Call

• Office Vehicles

• Study leaves

• Abroad Study Option

• Transport Allowances

• Security Guard and Household Helpers

• Dearness Allowance (As governed by the inflation index) (at 65%)

• Pensions and Retirement Benefits.