MTS salary

Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) is at Level 1 of the pay matrix, entry basic Rs. 18,000. The full salary breakdown, in-hand pay by city, allowances and promotions.

Updated 14 September 2026

Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) is the entry-level central government post, placed at Level 1 of the 7th CPC pay matrix with a basic pay of Rs. 18,000, the minimum pay of a central government employee. With dearness allowance, house rent allowance and transport allowance added, an MTS in a large city draws a gross of about Rs. 36,000 a month and takes home about Rs. 33,000. It is the most widely spread of all central posts, found in almost every ministry and office, and it is recruited through the Staff Selection Commission on the qualification of a Class 10 pass.

Every figure is for the current position, with dearness allowance at its present rate.

What Multi-Tasking Staff is

MTS is a General Central Service post, Group C, non-gazetted and non-ministerial, at Level 1 of the pay matrix. It is recruited through the SSC Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC and CBN) Examination, which also fills Havaldar posts, at the same Level 1, in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs and the Central Bureau of Narcotics.

The duties are the general support work of a government office: cleanliness and upkeep of the section, carrying files and papers within the building, photocopying, delivery of dak, watch and ward, opening and closing of rooms, routine diary and dispatch work, basic computer assistance, and the upkeep of parks and lawns, with driving where the holder has a licence. MTS is the unified post that replaced the older Group D designations of peon, daftary, jamadar, chowkidar, safaiwala and mali. It is employed across nearly every central ministry and its subordinate offices, in the income-tax and audit departments, and, as Havaldar, in the customs and narcotics services.

The pay: Level 1 of the pay matrix

MTS sits at Level 1, the lowest level of the pay matrix, with an entry basic pay of Rs. 18,000 a month. A common error, still repeated by job aggregators, is to quote the MTS pay as the pre-revised 6th CPC band of Rs. 5,200 to 20,200 with a grade pay of Rs. 1,800. That band was abolished on 1 January 2016 by the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016; under the 7th CPC the post is simply Level 1, entry basic Rs. 18,000.

The basic pay grows by a 3% annual increment each year, one cell up the level. The cells of Level 1 run Rs. 18,000, then Rs. 18,500, Rs. 19,100, Rs. 19,700, Rs. 20,300, Rs. 20,900 and so on, each the previous figure raised by 3% and rounded to the nearest hundred, up to the top of Level 1 at Rs. 56,900. Level 1 holds 40 cells, so the level itself accommodates a full career of increments. The pay and allowances at every cell of Level 1 set out the dearness allowance, house rent allowance and transport allowance earned at each of the 40 stages. An MTS who spends one at Level 1 without any promotion still sees the basic pay rise more than threefold, from Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 56,900, through increments alone and before any dearness allowance.

The full salary breakdown

The salary is the basic pay plus dearness allowance, house rent allowance and transport allowance, less the pension contribution and a small health deduction. Dearness allowance is currently 60% of basic pay with effect from 1 January 2026, so on the Rs. 18,000 basic it is Rs. 10,800.

For an MTS posted in an X-class city, drawing house rent allowance at 30% and transport allowance at the higher-city rate, the monthly salary works out as follows.

Component	Amount (Rs.)	Basis
Basic pay (entry cell, Level 1)	18,000	7th CPC pay matrix
Dearness allowance	10,800	60% of basic pay, from 1 January 2026
House rent allowance	5,400	30%, X-class city, at the Level 1 floor
Transport allowance (with DA)	2,160	Rs. 1,350 plus dearness allowance, higher-TA city
Gross	36,360	Sum of the above
Less: pension contribution	2,880	10% of basic plus dearness allowance
Less: health scheme and insurance	about 300	CGHS and CGEGIS
Less: income tax	nil	Below the taxable limit
In-hand	about 33,000	Gross less deductions

For an MTS in a Z-class city, outside the higher transport-allowance cities, the house rent allowance falls to 10% and the transport allowance to the lower rate, so the figures are:

Component	Amount (Rs.)	Basis
Basic pay (entry cell, Level 1)	18,000	7th CPC pay matrix
Dearness allowance	10,800	60% of basic pay
House rent allowance	1,800	10%, Z-class city
Transport allowance (with DA)	1,440	Rs. 900 plus dearness allowance, other places
Gross	32,040	Sum of the above
Less: pension contribution	2,880	10% of basic plus dearness allowance
Less: health scheme and insurance	about 300	CGHS and CGEGIS
Less: income tax	nil	Below the taxable limit
In-hand	about 29,000	Gross less deductions

Three of the components are worth a note. The house rent allowance is 30%, 20% or 10% of basic pay by city classification, which on Rs. 18,000 is Rs. 5,400, Rs. 3,600 or Rs. 1,800. Those are exactly the three floor amounts the Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum of 7 July 2017 guarantees, and the coincidence is by construction: the floors were fixed at 30%, 20% and 10% of the minimum pay of Rs. 18,000. An MTS at the entry cell is therefore the one employee for whom the percentage and the floor give the identical figure at every city class, and every cell above it is governed by the percentage. Unlike transport allowance, house rent allowance carries no dearness allowance on top.

The transport allowance for Levels 1 and 2 is Rs. 1,350 a month in the nineteen higher-transport cities listed in the Annexure to Office Memorandum No. 21/5/2017-E.II(B) dated 7 July 2017 and Rs. 900 elsewhere, and unlike house rent allowance it does attract dearness allowance, so at 60% those become Rs. 2,160 and Rs. 1,440. It does not stay there. A partial modification of 2 August 2017 raises an employee in Levels 1 and 2 whose basic pay reaches Rs. 24,200 to the Level 3 to 8 rates of Rs. 3,600 and Rs. 1,800. Level 1 hits Rs. 24,200 at its eleventh cell, so an MTS crosses that threshold after ten annual increments and sees the transport allowance rise by Rs. 2,250 a month in a higher-transport city, before dearness allowance, in a single step. The pension contribution is 10% of basic pay plus dearness allowance, which on Rs. 28,800 is Rs. 2,880, against which the government adds 14%, or Rs. 4,032, over and above the take-home. Income tax is nil at this income under either regime, well below the rebate limit. To run a particular city and stage, use the 7th CPC salary calculator.

How the pay grows over a career

The entry figure is the one every recruitment page quotes, and it is the least representative number on this page. Level 1 runs 40 cells, and the annual increment of 3% compounds through all of them, so the gross of a long-serving MTS bears little relation to the gross of a new one.

The table below takes an MTS in an X-class city at dearness allowance of 60% and follows the same components through the level. It assumes no promotion and no financial upgradation, which is the pessimistic case.

Cell of Level 1	Basic pay	Dearness allowance	House rent allowance	Transport allowance with DA	Gross
1 (entry)	18,000	10,800	5,400	2,160	36,360
11	24,200	14,520	7,260	5,760	51,740
20	31,500	18,900	9,450	5,760	65,610
30	42,300	25,380	12,690	5,760	86,130
40 (top)	56,900	34,140	17,070	5,760	1,13,870

Two features of the progression are worth naming. The jump between the first and eleventh rows is larger than the increments alone explain, because the transport allowance changes band at Rs. 24,200 and rises from Rs. 2,160 to Rs. 5,760 with dearness allowance in one step. And every rupee of basic pay does triple duty, because dearness allowance and house rent allowance are both percentages of it, so an increment of Rs. 500 in basic pay is worth about Rs. 950 of gross at a dearness allowance rate of 60%.

The table also shows where income tax starts to matter. At the entry cell the annual gross is about Rs. 4.36 lakh and the liability is nil. At the twentieth cell it is about Rs. 7.87 lakh, and after the Rs. 75,000 standard deduction the taxable income is still comfortably under the Rs. 12 lakh rebate ceiling in the default regime. Only near the top of the level, with other income added, does a liability appear.

Allowances and benefits

Beyond the monthly salary, an MTS has the standard benefits of central service. Leave under the CCS (Leave) Rules, earned leave, half-pay leave and casual leave, with leave encashment of up to 300 days of earned leave on retirement. Leave Travel Concession for travel to the home town and across India in the block years. Medical cover through the Central Government Health Scheme where the office is in a covered city, or the medical attendance rules elsewhere; an MTS in a health-scheme city pays the small monthly contribution, which is the health deduction in the tables above.

On pension, an MTS is necessarily a post-2004 recruit and so is on the National Pension System, or the Unified Pension Scheme if that option was exercised from 1 April 2025, under which an assured payout of 50% of the average of the last twelve months’ basic pay is available after 25 years of qualifying service. The Old Pension Scheme is closed to anyone who joined after 1 January 2004, so it is not open to a new MTS.

Career progression

MTS is an entry post, but it is not a dead end. An MTS is promoted to Lower Division Clerk at Level 2, then to Upper Division Clerk at Level 4, and on to the assistant and section-officer grades, through departmental promotion and the clerical quota; the SSC CHSL salary article covers the Lower Division Clerk rung. In the customs and narcotics services the Havaldar stream moves up to the sepoy and tax-assistant grades.

Where regular promotion is slow, as it often is for Level 1 staff, the Modified Assured Career Progression scheme provides a safety net. Paragraph 1 of Annexure-I to Department of Personnel and Training Office Memorandum No. 35034/3/2015-Estt.(D) dated 22 October 2019 gives three financial upgradations, on completing 10, 20 and 30 years of service or 10 years of continuous service in the same level, whichever is earlier. Each moves the employee to the immediate next level of the matrix, so an MTS goes to Level 2, then Level 3, then Level 4, rather than following the promotional ladder.

Two conditions attach. The upgradation is financial only: paragraph 19 of the same Annexure makes clear that it confers no change of post, designation or status, so an upgraded MTS is still an MTS doing MTS work. And it is not automatic. Paragraph 17 of the Scheme, as substituted with effect from 25 July 2016, requires a benchmark of Very Good in the appraisal reports, which is set out at MACP benchmark. Where the benchmark is met, the higher basic pay lifts every allowance built on it.

Recruitment

MTS is recruited by the Staff Selection Commission through the annual Multi-Tasking Staff and Havaldar examination. The essential qualification is a pass in Class 10, Matriculation, from a recognised board; no graduation is required, which makes MTS the most accessible central government post. The age band is 18 to 25 years for most MTS posts and 18 to 27 years for Havaldar and some MTS posts, with the usual relaxations of three years for other backward classes and five years for scheduled castes and tribes, and further relaxations for ex-servicemen and persons with benchmark disabilities. The age band is set afresh in each year’s notification, so it should be checked against the current one.

Selection for MTS is in two stages, a computer-based examination and document verification. The Havaldar posts add a physical efficiency test and a physical standards test after the written stage, with candidates shortlisted for them in a ratio of 1:7 against vacancies on normalised Session-II scores. The computer-based examination is offered in fifteen regional languages besides English.

The scale of the competition is the part worth quantifying. The Commission notified the Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC and CBN) Examination, 2025 on 26 June 2025, received 36,19,834 applications, and held the computer-based examination from 4 February 2026 to 20 February 2026, at which 8,04,633 candidates appeared. Roughly one applicant in four and a half turned up to sit the paper, and the vacancies are a small fraction of even that number. Because the age band, the vacancy count and the schedule are set afresh in each cycle, they should be read from the current examination notice rather than from any previous one.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the salary of a Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS)?

MTS is at Level 1 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, with an entry basic pay of Rs. 18,000. With dearness allowance at 60%, house rent allowance and transport allowance, the gross is about Rs. 36,000 a month in an X-class city and the in-hand about Rs. 33,000.

What is the in-hand salary of an MTS?

In an X-class city the in-hand is about Rs. 33,000 a month at dearness allowance of 60%, after the 10% NPS contribution and a small health deduction. In a Z-class city it is about Rs. 29,000. Income tax is nil at this income.

What is the pay level and basic pay of MTS?

MTS sits at Level 1, the lowest level of the pay matrix, with an entry basic pay of Rs. 18,000, the minimum pay of a central government employee. The old 6th CPC band of Rs. 5,200 to 20,200 with grade pay Rs. 1,800 was abolished from 1 January 2016.

What are the duties of an MTS?

General cleanliness and upkeep of the office, carrying files and dak, photocopying, watch and ward, opening and closing rooms, routine dispatch and diary work, basic computer assistance, and upkeep of parks and lawns. It is a non-technical, non-ministerial Group C post.

What is the eligibility for SSC MTS?

A pass in Class 10 (Matriculation) from a recognised board, and age 18 to 25 for MTS posts or 18 to 27 for Havaldar and some MTS posts, with the usual category relaxations. No graduation is required. Selection is by a computer-based test and document verification.

How does an MTS get promoted?

MTS is promoted to Lower Division Clerk (Level 2), then Upper Division Clerk (Level 4) and beyond, through departmental promotion. Where promotion is slow, the MACP scheme grants a financial upgradation after 10, 20 and 30 years of service.

When does an MTS transport allowance go up?

In the eleventh cell of Level 1, when basic pay reaches Rs. 24,200. Transport allowance for Levels 1 and 2 is Rs. 1,350 a month in the nineteen higher-transport cities and Rs. 900 elsewhere, but Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum No. 21/5/2017-E.II(B) dated 2 August 2017 raises it to the Level 3 to 8 rates of Rs. 3,600 and Rs. 1,800 once basic pay in those levels reaches Rs. 24,200. Level 1 reaches that figure at the eleventh cell, so an MTS crosses the threshold after ten annual increments.

How competitive is the SSC MTS examination?

Very. The Staff Selection Commission recorded 36,19,834 applications for the Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC and CBN) Examination, 2025, notified on 26 June 2025, and 8,04,633 candidates actually appeared in the computer-based examination held between 4 February 2026 and 20 February 2026. For the Havaldar post, candidates were shortlisted for the physical tests in a ratio of 1:7 against vacancies on normalised Session-II scores.

Does an MTS pay income tax?

No. An MTS at the entry cell grosses about Rs. 4.36 lakh a year in an X-class city, and after the standard deduction of Rs. 75,000 the taxable income sits far below the Rs. 12 lakh at which the rebate ceases in the default regime, so the liability is nil and the drawing and disbursing officer deducts no tax at source. Income tax begins to matter only well up the level or after promotion.

Is an MTS on the old pension or NPS?

An MTS, being a post-2004 recruit, is on the National Pension System, or the Unified Pension Scheme if opted from 1 April 2025. Both are contributory at 10% of basic plus dearness allowance against the government’s 14%. The Old Pension Scheme is closed to them.

External references

References

Staff Selection Commission, Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC and CBN) Examination, 2025 notification dated 26 June 2025 (posts, pay level, eligibility and selection scheme).
Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016 (G.S.R. 721(E), dated 25 July 2016), 7th CPC pay matrix, Level 1 entry basic pay Rs. 18,000.
Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum on dearness allowance (60% with effect from 1 January 2026).
Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum No. 2/5/2017-E.II(B), dated 7 July 2017, on house rent allowance rates and the classification of cities.
Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum No. 21/5/2017-E.II(B), dated 7 July 2017, on transport allowance, with the Office Memorandum dated 2 August 2017 on the pay threshold for Levels 1 and 2.
Department of Personnel and Training, Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme, Office Memorandum No. 35034/3/2008-Estt.(D), dated 19 May 2009.
Staff Selection Commission notice File No. E/15/2025-C-2 dated 3 August 2026, declaring the result of the computer-based examination for the Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC and CBN) Examination, 2025: 36,19,834 applications against the notice of 26 June 2025, the examination held from 4 February 2026 to 20 February 2026, 8,04,633 candidates appeared, and shortlisting for the Havaldar physical tests in a ratio of 1:7 on normalised Session-II scores.
Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016, Schedule, Part A, Level 1: forty cells running from Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 56,900, each cell the previous one raised by 3% and rounded to the nearest hundred, not up to the next hundred.
Department of Personnel and Training Office Memorandum No. 35034/3/2015-Estt.(D) dated 22 October 2019, consolidated guidelines on the Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme, paragraph 1 of Annexure-I (three upgradations at 10, 20 and 30 years or 10 years in the same level, whichever is earlier), paragraph 19 (no change of post, designation or status) and paragraph 17 (the Very Good benchmark from 25 July 2016).