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Salary, Pay Scale & Allowances in Indian Army

The salary for Indian Army officials is decided based on rank and comes with various additional perks as well. The Indian Army Salary is now much easier to understand after the introduction of the 7th Pay Commission and the pay matrix table. Indian Army officials get very lucrative salaries. There is a grade pay level from 3-18 and the pay scale ranges from INR 21,700/-- INR 2,50,000/-.

Interested candidates can check and compare CDS salary, NDA Salary, and AFCAT Salary in the linked articles.

Rank-wise Salary

Indian Army Rank-wise Salary: After 7th Pay Commission

The salaries in the Indian Army have been revised after the introduction of the 7th Pay Commission. The post-wise salary of Indian army officers is provided in the table below.

Rank / Pay Level Salary (After 7th Pay Commission)
Chief of Army Staff (Level 18) INR 2,50,000/- (Fixed)
VCOAS/ Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NEGS) (Level 17) INR 2,25,000/- (Fixed)
Indian Army Lieutenant General Salary (level 15) INR 1,82,200/- – INR 2,24,100/-
Indian Army Major General Salary (level 14) INR 1,44,200/- – INR 2,18,200/-
Indian Army Brigadier Salary (level 13 A) INR 1,39,600/- – INR 2,17,600/-
Indian Army Colonel Salary (level 13) INR 1,30,600/- – INR 2,15,900/-
Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel Salary (level 12) INR 1,21,200/- - INR 2,12,400/-
Indian Army Major Salary (level 11) INR 69400/- - INR 2,07,200/-
Indian Army Captain Salary (level 10 B) INR 61,300/- - INR 1,93,900/-
Indian Army Lieutenant Salary (level 10) INR 56,100/- – INR 1,77,500/-
Indian Army Subedar Major Salary (level 8) INR 34,800/-
Indian Army Subedar Salary (level 7) INR 34,800/-
Indian Army Naib Subedar Salary (level 6) INR 34,800/-
Indian Army Havaldar Salary (level 5) INR 34,800/-
Indian Army Naik Salary (level 4) INR 20,200/-
Indian Army Lance Naik Salary (level 3) INR 20,200/-
Indian Army Sepoy Salary (level 3) INR 20,200/-

Apart from the salary, the army officers get a lot of other benefits such as Air/Rail Travel Concession, Free Hospital Facilities, Low-interest Loans, Canteen Facilities, etc.

Grade Pay

Indian Army Salary- Basic Pay and Grade Pay

Basic Pay and Grade Pay are two terms that are used while describing the salary in any organization, including the Indian Army. Thus, it is essential to know the difference between the two terms.

  • Indian Army Basic Pay- It is the base income of any employee based on his/her designation. It generally comprises 35-50% of the total salary, excluding any bonuses, allowances, or deductions. It is a fixed amount. 
  • Indian Army Grade Pay- The Grade pay of any government employee is calculated on the basis of its class, category, and pay band. It is calculated according to the norms of the 7th pay commission applied on the post of the employee. 

Thus, the Indian army provides candidates with satisfactory salary packages and also provides extra perks.

Allowances

Indian Army Allowances

The Indian army officers are provided with lots of allowances and perks apart from the salary and the House Rent Allowances (HRA). A few of them are given below.

  1. Transportation Allowances - INR 3,600/- +DA - INR 7200/- +DA
  2. Military Service Pay -  INR 15,500/- (From Lt. Post to Brig)
  3. Counterinsurgency – INR 6300/-
  4. Uniform Allowances – INR 20,000/- per Year
  5. Field Area Allowances – INR10,500/-
  6. Parachute Pay – INR 1200/-
  7. High Altitude Allowances – INR 5300/-
  8. Siachen – INR 42,500/- per month
  9. Special Forces – INR 9000/- per month
  10. Flying Pay – INR 25,000
  11. Casual Leave of 20 Days
  12. Encash of Leave up to 300 Days of Last Pay Drawn
  13. Study Leave of up to 2 Years with Full Pay and all Benefits
  14. Lifelong Pension
  15. Dearness Allowance: same as civilian personnel 
  16. Death Cum Retirement Gratuity and Foreign Postings.

Indian Army Salary: Other Allowances

Apart from the allowances mentioned above, there are a few other allowances too given to the Indian Army. 

  • Air/ Rail Travel Concession
  • Free Hospital Facilities
  • Low-Interest Rates on Loans
  • Canteen Facilities, Rations, and others.
Indian Army Salary
Rank-wise Structure

Indian Army Salary- Rank-Wise Structure

Not all ranks are directly recruited through the NDA or CDS exam. In fact, very few are recruited directly and the rest, the cadets are promoted after a training period. All these ranks are further divided into three categories, namely- Non-Commissioned Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers, and Commissioned Officers.

Training Period

Irrespective of the posts, all new recruits have to go through a training period. The stipend is between 15000INR to 21000INR depending on the pay band of the rank.

Posts Stipend
Sepoy or Rifleman The sepoy holds rank 3 in the pay matrix. The starting salary of a sepoy without any allowances is 21700INR. The retirement is after 19 years of service or 42 years of age- whichever comes earlier.
Lance Naik Sepoys are promoted to the rank of lance naik and there are not many differences between the two posts. The retirement age is 24 years of service or 49 years of age.
Naik The pay matrix level for Naik is 4 and the starting salary without allowance is INR 25,500. The lance naik is promoted to Naik and can be recognized by the two chevron arm patches. The retirement age is 24 years of service or 49 years of age.
Havildar Havildar is Level 5 in the pay matrix and the minimum pay is INR 29,200. Retirement is after 26 years of service or 42 years of age. There are three rank chevrons on the arm patch and you can directly get recruited to this post.
Naib Subedar Naib Subedar is level 6 in the pay matrix and the minimum salary is INR 35,400. The Havildar is promoted to this rank and the retirement age is 30 years of service or 52 years of age. This is a JCO post and is denoted by the shoulder patch in the uniform.
Subedar The pay level is 7 and starting salary without allowances is INR 44,900. This rank is also acquired through promotion and not recruited directly.
Subedar Major Subedar Major is pay level 8 and the minimum salary without allowance is INR 47,600. Retirement is after 34 years of service or 54 years of age.
Captain The pay level for Captain is 10B and the salary without allowance is INR 61,300. A person who has served as a Lieutenant for 2 years at least is eligible for this promotion.
Lieutenant The pay level is 10 and the minimum salary without allowance is INR 56,100 and the retirement age is 52 years of age.
Lieutenant Colonel The pay level as per the pay matrix for Lieutenant Colonel is 12A and the minimum salary without allowance is INR 1,21,200. The retirement age is 54 years and you can reach this post after 13 years of service as an officer.
Lieutenant General The pay scale for Lieutenant General is INR 1,82,200 without an allowance and it is a rank belonging to pay matrix level 15.
Honorary Lieutenant The pay level is 10 and the minimum salary without allowance is INR 56,100. The rank is given to honor the services of JCOs. Both Subedar and Subedar Major are eligible for this rank.
Colonel The level in the pay matrix for Colonel is 13 and without allowance, the salary is INR 1,30,600. The retirement age is 54 years. Lieutenant Colonel becomes eligible for the post after completing 15 years of service.
Brigadier The pay level is 13A and the minimum pay without allowance for Brigadier is INR 1,39,600. The retirement age is 56 years.
Major The pay level for Major is 11 in the pay matrix and the salary without allowance is INR 69,400. The retirement age is 52 years. A person who served as an officer for 6years in the Indian army is eligible for the promotion.
Major General The pay matrix level is 14 for Major General and the minimum payment without allowance is INR 1,44,200. The age of retirement is 58 years.
General The level in the pay matrix for General is 18 and starting salary without allowance is INR 2,50,000. The retirement age is 3 years as Chief of Army Staff or 62 years of age.
Field Marshal It is the highest honor in the Indian army. It is not a part of the usual rank hierarchy as the appointment to this post is ceased these days. There is no retirement age for this post and they receive salaries lifelong, even when they are no longer serving the country.
FAQs

Joining the Indian Army is a dream come true for many. This job promises both the professional and personal growth of an individual at every stage of life. 

Indian Army Salary FAQs

Ques. What is the salary of a lieutenant in the Indian Army?

Ans: The salary of an Indian Army lieutenant is something between INR 56,100- 1,77,500.

Ques. How much does the Indian Army pay per year?

Ans: The salary of the Indian Army depends upon various factors including the post of the candidate. The detailed rank-wise salary for each post is given above in the table.

Ques. What is the highest salary in the Indian Army?

Ans: The highest salary in the Indian Army is that of a General- INR 2,50,000 per month.

Ques. Does the Indian Army salary change every year?

Ans: The salary of the Indian Army had been revised after the introduction of 7th Pay Commission but it has not changed since then.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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