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Indian Army Salary 2024: Check Rank- wise Salary Structure After 7th Pay Commission, Latest Pay Scale and Allowances

Nikita Parmar

Updated on 02nd January, 2024 , 3 min read

Indian Army Salary Overview

The Indian Army is the biggest and one of the most powerful militaries in the world. One of the most well-known jobs in India is that of army officers. Due to the organisation's reputation, all rank personnel are given the utmost respect. The Indian Army's members are paid differently depending on their rank. The Indian armed forces comprise of three professionally uniformed forces- the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.

Indian Army Salary 2023 Basic Pay and Grade Pay

Any organisation, including the Indian Army, uses the words "basic pay" and "grade pay" to describe the salary structure. Therefore, understanding the distinction between the two phrases is crucial.

Indian Army Basic Pay:

 It is the starting income of any officer based on his/her designation. It generally includes 35-50% of the total salary, excluding any bonuses, allowances, or deductions. It is a fixed amount.

Indian Army Grade Pay:

Any government employee's grade pay is determined by their class, category, and pay band. It is computed in accordance with the 7th Pay Commission standards that are relevant to the officer's position.Thus, the Indian army provides officers with satisfactory salary packages and also provides extra perks.

Indian Army Salary Rank wise: After 7th Pay Commission

The 7th Pay Commission's recommendations affect the organisation, rank structure, pay, allowances and pension, of 13,86,171 armed forces personnel. This helps in creating a salary monitoring system designed to determine and suggest needed changes to the salaries of government employees. The existing structure of band pay and grade pay has been replaced with a new pay matrix to determine the salaries of employees. This has been done to bring more transparency and uniformity in pay progression. This new system takes into account the hierarchy level of employees, and their pay progression during the course of employment. Separate matrices have been drawn for civilians, defence and military nursing service personnel.

The minimum salary has been increased 2.57 times to INR 18,000 per month, and the maximum 2.78 times to INR 2,50,000 per month.

Rank and Pay Level

Salary (After 7th Pay Commission)

Chief of Army Staff Salary (Level 18)

INR 2,50,000 (Fixed)

VCOAS/ Army Cdr/ Lieutenant General (NEGS) Salary (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 69,400- 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 36,800 - INR 68,000

Indian Army Subedar Salary (level 7)

INR 35,800 - INR 65,000

Indian Army Naib Subedar Salary (level 6)

INR 34,800 -INR 64,000

Indian Army Havaldar Salary (level 5)

INR 32,000 - INR 58,000

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

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Indian Army Salary Budget

The Indian Army accounts for more than half of the total defence budget of India, with most of the expenditure going to the maintenance of cantonments, salaries and pensions, instead of critical arms and ammunition. Only the US and China spent more on their militaries globally in 2020 than India. The US accounted for 39% of the money spent on military globally, China for 13%, and India for 3.7% of the global share.

Read more about the Upcoming Government Exams in India.

Indian Army Salary Allowances

The Indian Army employees receive compensation for various activities that need expenditure, called an extra allowance. Apart from HRA and transportation facilities, there are various extra allowances and perks given to Army Personnel, which are listed below:

  1. Counterinsurgency: INR 6,300
  2. Kit Maintenance Allowances: INR 400 per month
  3. Field Area Allowances: 25% of Basic pay
  4. Parachute Pay: INR 1,200
  5. High Altitude Allowances: INR 5,600
  6. Siachen: INR 14,000
  7. Transport Allowances: INR 1,600- 3,200 
  8. Special Forces: INR 9,000 per month
  9. Flying Pay. INR 9,000
  10. Casual Leave of 20 Days
  11. Encash of Leave up to 300 Days of Last Pay Drawn

Other Indian Army Perks 

In addition to these allowances, an Indian Army personnel enjoys various other benefits like:

1. Air/ Rail Travel Concession

(Official ID card is issued to the serving personnel and dependent card issued to the family members. A discount of around 50% of Basic fare is applied on select classes in any sector within India. It is valid upto 1 year from date of issue)

2. Free Hospital Facilities

3. Low-Interest Loans

4. Canteen Facilities, Rations, etc.

Whether it is availing medical facilities or social interaction, the Indian Army provides the best of all. The salary of the army officers and pay scale also depends on the duration of service, location, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary of a soldier in the Indian Army?

Ans. The average Army General Duty Salary is between INR 25,000 and INR 30,000.

What is the salary of a Major in the army?

Ans. After the introduction of the 7th Pay Commission, an army major’s salary would be around INR 15-16 Lakhs.

Is there a variation in the Indian Army salary every year?

Ans. The salary of the Indian Army had been revised after the introduction of 7th Pay Commission in 2016 but it has not changed since then.

What is the highest salary offered in the Indian Army?

Ans. Highest reported salary offered to the Indian Army is INR 50 lakhs. The top 10% of employees earn more than INR 30 lakhs per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping INR 45 Lakhs per year.

Which schools do employees working in the Indian Army go to?

Ans. While most employees and officers studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), many others studied at University of Pune.

What is the salary of Havaldar in the Indian Army?

Ans. Average salary for a Havaldar in India is around 5.1 Lakhs- 5.5 Lakhs per year.

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