Stenographer salary

A stenographer in the central government is recruited in two grades, Grade D at Level 4 of the pay matrix , with an entry basic pay of Rs. 25,500, and Grade C at Level 6, with an entry basic of Rs. 35,400. With dearness allowance, house rent allowance and transport allowance added, a Grade D stenographer in a large city takes home about Rs. 50,000 a month and a Grade C stenographer about Rs. 67,000. Both are recruited through the Staff Selection Commission on the qualification of a Class 12 pass and a shorthand skill test.

This article sets out what the post is, the pay of each grade and how it grows, the full salary breakdown with worked in-hand figures for both grades, the allowances and benefits, the promotion ladder, and the recruitment through the SSC examination. Every figure is for the current position, with dearness allowance at its present rate.

What the post is

Stenographer is a Group C, non-gazetted post in the central government, in two grades. Grade D is the entry stenographer grade at Level 4, and Grade C is the senior stenographer grade at Level 6, with some senior Grade C posts at Level 7 depending on the department. The work is stenography: taking dictation in shorthand and transcribing it on a computer, drafting and typing letters and notes, and maintaining the officer’s diary, appointments, files and visitors. A Grade C stenographer typically functions as a Personal Assistant and, on promotion, a Private Secretary to a senior officer.

Stenographers of this stream serve in the Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service across the ministries and departments of the central secretariat, and in the attached and subordinate offices, the direct and indirect tax boards, the armed forces headquarters and the many offices that place their requirements with the Commission. Railway stenographers are recruited separately, so this article covers the SSC stream.

The pay by grade

The basic pay grows by a 3 per cent annual increment each year, one cell up the level.

Stenographer Grade D is at Level 4, with an entry basic of Rs. 25,500 and a top of the level of Rs. 81,100. The first cells run Rs. 25,500, then Rs. 26,300, Rs. 27,100, Rs. 27,900, Rs. 28,700, Rs. 29,600 and on upward.

Stenographer Grade C is at Level 6, with an entry basic of Rs. 35,400 and a top of Rs. 1,12,400. The first cells run Rs. 35,400, then Rs. 36,500, Rs. 37,600, Rs. 38,700, Rs. 39,900, Rs. 41,100 and on upward. Where a senior Grade C post is placed at Level 7, the entry basic is Rs. 44,900; whether a post is at Level 6 or Level 7 turns on the specific post and department, and the pay matrix and the SSC notification give the exact cell.

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 per cent of basic pay with effect from 1 January 2026.

For a Grade D stenographer at Level 4 in an X-class city, drawing house rent allowance at 30 per cent and the transport allowance of the Level 3 to 8 band, the monthly salary is as follows.

For a Grade C stenographer at Level 6 in an X-class city, the higher basic lifts every allowance that scales with it.

The city class changes the figures. For a Grade D stenographer, the house rent allowance falls to 20 per cent in a Y-class city and 10 per cent in a Z-class city, and the transport allowance to the lower rate outside the higher-transport cities, so the Z-class in-hand is about Rs. 42,000. For a Grade C stenographer, the Y-class in-hand is about Rs. 63,000 and the Z-class about Rs. 57,000. A point worth noting is that both grades draw the same transport allowance, because both are in the Levels 3 to 8 band, so the whole difference between a Grade D and a Grade C salary flows from the basic pay and the dearness and house rent allowances that scale with it, not from transport allowance. The house rent allowance is worked by city classification , and the transport allowance attracts dearness allowance while house rent allowance does not. To run a particular grade, level and city, use the 7th CPC salary calculator .

Allowances, benefits and pension

Beyond the salary, a stenographer has the standard benefits of central service: leave under the CCS (Leave) Rules with leave encashment at retirement, Leave Travel Concession , children education allowance for those with children, and medical cover through the Central Government Health Scheme where the office is covered. On pension, a stenographer is 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; the Old Pension Scheme is closed to new entrants.

Career progression

A Grade D stenographer is promoted to Grade C, and in the Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service the ladder continues to Private Secretary at Level 7 and Principal Private Secretary at Level 11, with the senior-most reaching Level 12. Promotion is through the departmental route on seniority and fitness. Where regular promotion is slow, the Modified Assured Career Progression scheme provides a financial upgradation to the next pay level after 10, 20 and 30 years of service, so a long-serving stenographer moves up in pay even without a change of post.

Recruitment

Stenographers are recruited by the Staff Selection Commission through the annual Stenographer Grade C and Grade D examination. The essential qualification is a pass in Class 12, and the age band is 18 to 27 years for Grade D and 18 to 30 years for Grade C, with the usual relaxations of three years for other backward classes and five years for scheduled castes and tribes, and further relaxations for other categories.

Selection is a single computer-based test, objective, covering general intelligence and reasoning, general awareness, and English or Hindi language and comprehension, followed by a qualifying skill test in shorthand. For Grade C the dictation is at 100 words a minute for ten minutes, transcribed in 40 minutes in English or 55 minutes in Hindi; for Grade D it is at 80 words a minute, transcribed in 50 minutes in English or 65 minutes in Hindi. The skill test is qualifying and is not counted in the merit, which is decided on the written test.

See also

• Pay matrix
• Minimum pay
• Dearness allowance
• House-rent allowance
• City classification for HRA
• Transport allowance
• Annual increment
• Take-home salary for central government employees
• National Pension System
• Unified Pension Scheme
• Old Pension Scheme
• Children education allowance
• Leave encashment
• Leave Travel Concession
• Modified Assured Career Progression
• CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016
• MTS salary
• SSC CHSL salary
• Junior Engineer salary
• Staff Selection Commission
• 7th Central Pay Commission
• Central government jobs
• Central government employees in India
• 7th CPC salary calculator
• Salary by pay level

External references

• Staff Selection Commission
• Department of Expenditure
• Department of Personnel and Training

References

1. Staff Selection Commission, Stenographers Grade C and Grade D Examination, 2025 notification dated 6 June 2025 (posts, pay levels, eligibility, skill test and selection scheme).
2. Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016 (G.S.R. 721(E), dated 25 July 2016), 7th CPC pay matrix: Level 4 (Rs. 25,500), Level 6 (Rs. 35,400) and Level 7 (Rs. 44,900).
3. Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum on dearness allowance (60 per cent with effect from 1 January 2026).
4. 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.
5. Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum No. 21/5/2017-E.II(B), dated 7 July 2017, on transport allowance.
6. Department of Personnel and Training, Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service cadre and promotion rules, and the Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme, Office Memorandum No. 35034/3/2008-Estt.(D), dated 19 May 2009.