Sub-Inspector salary

A Sub-Inspector recruited through the Staff Selection Commission’s Delhi Police and CAPF examination is a Level 6 post on the 7th CPC pay matrix, with an entry basic pay of Rs. 35,400 a month under the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016. The examination, still widely called SSC CPO after its old Combined Police Organisation name, fills three posts in its 2026 cycle: Sub-Inspector (GD) in the five Central Armed Police Forces, Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police, and Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF. All three sit at Level 6, one level above an Assistant Sub-Inspector and three above the CAPF Constable.

In an X-class city such as Delhi the entry gross is Rs. 73,020 a month and the in-hand about Rs. 67,300, at dearness allowance of 60% from 1 January 2026 under Department of Expenditure OM F. No. 1/1(i)/2026-E.II(B) dated 22 April 2026. A CAPF Sub-Inspector in a field posting draws more, because the Risk and Hardship Allowance adds up to Rs. 21,625 a month on top of basic pay. Income tax at the entry cell is nil under the default new regime of the Income-tax Act, 2025.

The SSC notice of the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026, uploaded on 10 September 2026, advertises 1,871 tentative vacancies and changes the selection rule: merit now rests on Paper-II alone. A male candidate for the Delhi Police post must hold a full motorcycle and car driving licence on the day of the physical test, a condition the Delhi High Court enforced against a learner’s licence on 20 April 2026.

This article covers the central posts. A Sub-Inspector of a state police force is recruited by the state and paid on the state’s scales, and a Sub-Inspector in the Central Bureau of Investigation is a separate Level 7 post filled through the SSC CGL examination. The take-home at any Level 6 cell is worked out by the salary by pay level calculator.

Pay and in-hand at a glance

A Sub-Inspector’s entry gross in an X-class city is Rs. 73,020 a month and the in-hand Rs. 67,296 (CAPF) or Rs. 67,326 (Delhi Police), at the Level 6 entry cell of Rs. 35,400 and dearness allowance of 60% from 1 January 2026. The table is for a peace posting with no government accommodation, so house rent allowance is drawn.

Two adjustments move the figure. A CAPF Sub-Inspector is covered by Ayushman CAPF, which takes no monthly contribution; an officer enrolled in the Central Government Health Scheme pays Rs. 450 a month at Level 6 under the Ministry of Health OM of 9 January 2017, which brings the Delhi Police figure to Rs. 66,876. An officer living in a barrack or in allotted quarters loses the Rs. 10,620 of house rent allowance. The government’s own NPS contribution of 14%, Rs. 7,930 a month at entry, is paid into the officer’s pension account and does not appear in the in-hand.

Pay progression within Level 6

Level 6 runs in 40 cells from Rs. 35,400 to Rs. 1,12,400, and a Sub-Inspector moves one cell on each annual increment of about 3%, on 1 January or 1 July under rule 10 of the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016. The cells round to the nearest hundred rupees.

A Sub-Inspector with nine increments is in the tenth year of service, when the first Modified Assured Career Progression upgradation falls due if no promotion has come. On promotion or MACP to Level 7, pay is fixed by first granting a notional increment in Level 6 and then placing the officer in the Level 7 cell equal to or next above that figure, under FR 22. A Sub-Inspector at Rs. 41,100 thus moves to Rs. 42,300 notionally and lands on the Level 7 entry cell of Rs. 44,900. On a first MACP from Rs. 46,200 the notional increment gives Rs. 47,600, which is also a Level 7 cell, so pay is fixed at Rs. 47,600.

The three posts and their classification

The 2026 SSC notice fills three Level 6 posts that share the pay matrix cell and differ in force, classification and service liability.

The CAPF figure divides as BSF 457, CRPF 254, CISF 250, ITBP 187 and SSB 172. The Fire post first appears in the 2026 cycle; the 2025 notice advertised only the CAPF and Delhi Police posts. Paragraph 16.18 of the 2026 notice gives every post except the Delhi Police one an all-India service liability, so a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector serves in the National Capital Territory while a CAPF Sub-Inspector can be posted to any battalion in the country. Every post carries two years’ probation under paragraph 16.15.

Delhi Police is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, so a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector is a central government employee on the same pay matrix as the CAPF officer. The Group C label changes the group insurance subscription, Rs. 30 a month against Rs. 60 for the Group B CAPF post, under the CGEGIS rates in force since 1 January 1990. Basic pay, dearness allowance and the pay matrix progression do not change with it.

CAPF field allowances

A CAPF Sub-Inspector’s pay rises in operational postings through a package of allowances placed by the Ministry of Home Affairs under OM No. II-27012/40/CF-3396706/2017-PF-I dated 31 July 2017. Paragraph 9 of that OM lets the officer draw either the Risk and Hardship Allowance with the Ration Money Allowance, or the Detachment Allowance with the Special Duty Allowance or the Tough Location Allowance, never both sets.

The Risk and Hardship Allowance is paid from a nine-cell matrix plus a notional RH-Max cell, and a Sub-Inspector, being at Level 6, draws from the Level 8 and below column. The rates rose 25% on 1 January 2024, when dearness allowance reached 50%, under the escalator in paragraph 8.10.66 of the 7th CPC report.

A Sub-Inspector posted to an R1H1 area draws Rs. 21,625 a month above the Rs. 73,020 gross, which takes the gross to Rs. 94,645 before house rent allowance is adjusted for barrack accommodation. The Special Duty Allowance, the alternative under the 2017 package, is 10% of basic pay in the North Eastern Region, Sikkim and Ladakh under Department of Expenditure OM No. 11/1/2017-E.II(B) dated 18 July 2017, Rs. 3,540 a month at the entry cell.

The Dress Allowance is paid once a year at Rs. 12,500 for CAPF personnel below officer rank, a class that includes the non-gazetted Sub-Inspector, after the 25% increase from 1 January 2024 on the Rs. 10,000 base fixed by MHA OM No. II-27012/36/CF-3396554/2017-PF-I dated 17 August 2017. That order also folded kit maintenance and washing allowances into it. The Rs. 25,000 rate belongs to CAPF officers from Assistant Commandant upward.

Ration Money Allowance in both forces

The Ration Money Allowance reaches the Delhi Police Sub-Inspector as well as the CAPF one. Paragraph 8.17.103 of the 7th CPC report names the non-gazetted personnel of the CAPFs, Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau in the entitled class, and paragraph 8.17.106 made it payable to CAPF personnel below officer rank irrespective of the place of posting.

The Ministry of Home Affairs fixes one rate a financial year, sanctioned after the year closes. For 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 it is Rs. 151.93 per head per day, Rs. 4,558 over a 30-day month and Rs. 55,454 over the year. Paragraph 8.15.23 of the 7th CPC report bars drawing it alongside the Detachment Allowance, the same exclusion the 2017 MHA package repeats. The allowance carries no dearness allowance escalator.

Income tax on a Sub-Inspector’s pay

A Sub-Inspector at the entry cell pays no income tax under the default new regime of the Income-tax Act, 2025, and about Rs. 66,720 a year under the old regime unless deductions are stacked. The computation below is for tax year 2026-27 on the Rs. 73,020 monthly gross, Rs. 8,76,240 a year.

The government’s 14% NPS contribution, Rs. 95,155 a year at entry, is added to salary and deducted again under Section 124(1)(a), so it nets to zero under both columns. Under the old regime the tax falls to nil only when three things coincide: Rs. 1,50,000 under Section 123, a further Rs. 50,000 under Section 124(3), and a full house rent allowance exemption of Rs. 1,27,440, which needs rent of at least Rs. 16,284 a month. Taxable income then comes to Rs. 4,98,800, inside the Rs. 5,00,000 old-regime rebate. The slab rates are in the First Schedule to the Finance Act, 2026.

Field allowances do not escape tax under the new regime. Section 202(2)(a)(ii) computes new-regime income without the Schedule III exemptions other than those prescribed, and rule 280(3) of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 prescribes only the travel, transfer, daily and conveyance allowances and the transport allowance of an employee with a disability, so the Risk and Hardship Allowance and the Special Duty Allowance are taxed in full. A Sub-Inspector drawing Rs. 21,625 of Risk and Hardship Allowance for a full year adds Rs. 2,59,500 to taxable income, which at entry pay still stays inside the new-regime rebate.

The 2026 examination

The Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 selects on Paper-II marks alone, a change from the 2025 cycle, and is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission under notice reference E/37/2026-C-2, uploaded on 10 September 2026. Applications ran from 10 September 2026 to 30 September 2026, and Paper-I is proposed for 20 to 28 November 2026 under the SSC schedule notice F. No. HQ-EC033/7/2025-EC of 1 October 2026. The fee is Rs. 100, waived for women, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and eligible ex-servicemen candidates.

Every stage is mandatory under paragraph 12.1 of the notice, and they run in this order:

1. Paper-I, a computer-based test of 100 questions for 100 marks in one hour, in four parts of 25 questions each on general intelligence and reasoning, general knowledge and general awareness, quantitative aptitude, and English comprehension, with a 15-minute timer per part and 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer.
2. Physical standard test and physical endurance test, both qualifying only. Ex-servicemen take the standard test but not the endurance test.
3. Paper-II, a computer-based test with a 20-minute sectional timer and 0.50 marks deducted for each wrong answer.
4. Detailed medical examination, qualifying only, followed by document verification.

The 2026 cycle changes the merit rule. Paragraph 16.8 bases “final selection and allocation of Post/Force” on “the performance of candidates in Paper-II (including bonus marks in case of NCC certificate)” and the preferences the candidate exercised. In the 2025 cycle Paper-I was 200 questions in two hours, Paper-II was a 200-mark English test, both carried 0.25 negative marking, and merit rested on both papers together. Paper-I is now a qualifying screen. Paragraph 16.2 sets minimum marks in each paper of 30% for unreserved, 25% for OBC and EWS, and 20% for other candidates. Ties are still broken first on the aggregate of the two papers, under paragraph 17.1.

NCC certificate holders receive a bonus of 5% of the maximum marks for a C certificate, 3% for B and 2% for A, in each paper, under paragraph 12.6.

Physical standards and endurance test

The 2026 notice requires a man to stand 170 cm with a chest of 80 cm expanding to 85 cm, and a woman 157 cm, with lower heights for hill-area, Scheduled Tribe, Gorkha and North-East candidates. The endurance events are common to all three posts.

Women have no chest requirement, and weight must correspond to height. The SI (Fire) post demands a broader chest of 81 and 86 cm for men in the general and hill categories. A height relaxation granted for the Delhi Police post holds only while the officer stays in Delhi Police, under paragraph 12.10.7.

The endurance test for men is a 100 metre run in 16 seconds, a 1.6 kilometre run in 6.5 minutes, a long jump of 3.65 metres, a high jump of 1.2 metres and a 16-pound shot put of 4.5 metres, with three chances at each field event. For women it is 100 metres in 18 seconds, 800 metres in 4 minutes, a long jump of 2.7 metres and a high jump of 0.9 metres. A woman found pregnant at the test is declared temporarily unfit, her vacancy is held, and she is re-examined six weeks after confinement, under paragraph 12.10.11. The medical standard requires distant vision of 6/6 and 6/9 without correction or surgery, and rules out knock knee, flat foot, varicose veins and squint.

Eligibility: age and qualification

The age band for the Delhi Police and CAPF posts is 20 to 25 years on the crucial date of 1 August 2026, so a candidate must be born between 2 August 2001 and 1 August 2006. SI (Fire) in CISF takes candidates aged 18 to 30. The qualification is a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university held by the closing date of 30 September 2026; SI (Fire) instead needs a BSc with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, or matriculation with a three-year engineering diploma in a listed branch.

The relaxations follow DoPT OM No. 15012/2/2010-Estt.(D) dated 27 March 2012, and the crucial date follows DoPT OM No. 14017/70/87-Estt.(RR) dated 14 July 1988. A matriculate ex-serviceman with 15 years’ service is eligible only for the Group C Delhi Police post against ex-servicemen vacancies, under paragraph 5.8.

The Delhi Police driving-licence rule

A male candidate for Delhi Police Sub-Inspector (Executive) must hold a full LMV licence for both motorcycle and car on the day of the physical test, and a learner’s licence does not count. Paragraph 7.8 of the 2026 notice states that “Male candidates must possess a valid Driving License for LMV (Motorcycle and Car) on the date fixed for Physical Endurance and Measurement Tests (PE&MT) to be eligible for the post of Sub Inspector in Delhi Police.” A man without one stays in the competition for the CAPF posts only.

The condition comes from rule 7 of the Delhi Police (Appointment and Recruitment) Rules, 1980, as amended. A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court (V. Kameswar Rao and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, JJ.) applied it on 20 April 2026 in Vikram Kumar Jha v. Union of India, W.P.(C) 5994/2022. The petitioner, a 2019-cycle candidate, held only a learner’s licence at his physical test on 24 December 2020 and a permanent licence from 26 March 2021. The court held at paragraph 29 that “a learner’s license cannot be equated with a driving license”, and at paragraph 30 that he “cannot submit the same at a later stage, as statutory rules cannot be given a go bye”. It rejected the plea that the COVID-19 period excused the delay and dismissed the petition.

The rule does not apply to women. The court rejected a discrimination argument on that ground at paragraph 25, because rule 14(a), which governs the recruitment of women Sub-Inspectors, carries no licence condition.

Promotion: Inspector and Assistant Commandant

A Sub-Inspector’s next rank in both forces is Inspector at Level 7, entry cell Rs. 44,900, and in the CAPFs the route continues to the first gazetted rank of Assistant Commandant at Level 10, Rs. 56,100.

The Assistant Commandant rank is reached three ways. In CRPF, Standing Order No. 06/2001 divided the posts 50% by direct recruitment, 33% by promotion and 17% by a limited departmental competitive examination, with unfilled examination vacancies passing to promotion; a Sub-Inspector (GD) or Inspector (GD) with four years’ service, a degree and an age of 35 or less on 1 August of the examination year may sit that examination. In CISF an Inspector (Executive) needs five years’ regular service in the rank for promotion, and 50% of Assistant Commandant (Executive) posts are filled by promotion including the departmental examination, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs reply to Rajya Sabha unstarred question 3109 of 30 March 2022. Direct entry is through the UPSC Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) examination.

In Delhi Police the Sub-Inspector (Executive) is promoted to Inspector on the recommendation of a departmental promotion committee under the Delhi Police (Promotion and Confirmation) Rules, 1980. The gazetted ranks above Inspector, from Assistant Commissioner of Police upward, are posts of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service, a separate service with its own recruitment rules.

MACP for a Sub-Inspector

A Sub-Inspector who is not promoted receives a financial upgradation to the next pay level after 10, 20 and 30 years of regular service under the Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme. The scheme was introduced by DoPT OM No. 35034/3/2008-Estt.(D) dated 19 May 2009, whose paragraph 3 covers civilian Group A, B and C employees. For the CAPFs the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Lok Sabha on 7 August 2018, in its reply to unstarred question 3437, that “Financial benefits under Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) are given in case promotion does not take place for want of vacancies at 10, 20 & 30 years of service”.

An MACP upgradation moves the pay to the next level of the matrix, not the next rank of the force, so a Sub-Inspector’s first upgradation is to Level 7 and the second to Level 8, Rs. 47,600 at entry, regardless of whether the force has an Inspector vacancy. Pay on upgradation is fixed by the same FR 22 notional-increment method used on promotion. The rank and duties stay those of a Sub-Inspector.

Pension: NPS, UPS and the Old Pension Scheme case

A Sub-Inspector recruited after 1 January 2004 is on the National Pension System, contributing 10% of basic pay plus dearness allowance, Rs. 5,664 a month at entry, against a government contribution of 14%, Rs. 7,930. The Unified Pension Scheme, operative from 1 April 2025, is the alternative: the employee still pays 10%, the individual corpus receives 10% from the government, and about 8.5% of aggregate pay goes to a separate pool corpus, under the PFRDA regulations of 19 March 2025. A new recruit chooses at joining in Form A-1 within 30 days.

The Old Pension Scheme is closed to post-2003 recruits under Notification No. 5/7/2003-ECB&PR dated 22 December 2003, but its application to the CAPFs is in litigation. On 11 January 2023 a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court (Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna, JJ.), in Pawan Kumar v. Union of India, W.P.(C) 12712/2021 and connected petitions, held that the CAPFs are “Armed Forces of the Union” and so fall within the armed forces exception to the 2003 notification. Paragraph 54 directed that the Old Pension Scheme “shall not only be applicable in the case of petitioners herein but all the personnel of CAPFs at large”, with orders to issue within eight weeks.

The Supreme Court stayed that direction on 5 July 2023 and directed the petitioners to abide by Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare OM No. 57/05/2021-P&PW(B) dated 3 March 2023, which lets an employee recruited against a vacancy advertised before 22 December 2003 opt for the Old Pension Scheme. Every other post-2003 CAPF recruit stays on the National Pension System or the Unified Pension Scheme until the Supreme Court decides the appeal. The judgment concerns the five CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB). It does not reach a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector, who is on the National Pension System or the Unified Pension Scheme like any other civilian central government employee recruited after 2003.

Comparison with other police and SSC posts

The Level 6 Sub-Inspector is the non-gazetted graduate direct-entry rank of the central police forces, and its Rs. 35,400 entry cell is Rs. 13,700 above the Level 3 Constable’s Rs. 21,700 and Rs. 6,200 above the Level 5 Assistant Sub-Inspector’s Rs. 29,200.

A graduate choosing between the two SSC examinations is choosing between Level 6 with the CAPF field allowances, or Delhi Police service in the capital, and Level 7 through CGL with an office posting. The CBI Sub-Inspector shares the rank name and sits a level higher, a 7th CPC change that paragraph 11.35.20 of the Commission’s report made by raising that post’s grade pay from Rs. 4,200 to Rs. 4,600. The central government jobs hub places the police entries among the other graduate recruitments.

Related Articles

• CAPF Constable salary
• Central Armed Police Forces
• Delhi Police
• Central Bureau of Investigation
• Risk and Hardship Allowance
• Ration Money Allowance
• Dress Allowance
• Detachment Allowance
• Special Duty Allowance
• Staff Selection Commission
• SSC CGL salary
• Income Tax Inspector salary
• Salary by pay level
• Salary by pay level calculator
• 7th CPC salary calculator
• Central government jobs
• Pay matrix
• Annual increment
• Fundamental Rule 22
• 7th Central Pay Commission
• Take-home salary of central government employees
• Dearness allowance
• House rent allowance
• Transport allowance
• Central Government Health Scheme
• Modified Assured Career Progression
• National Pension System
• Unified Pension Scheme
• Old Pension Scheme
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service
• Central government employees in India

External references

• Staff Selection Commission
• Delhi Police
• Ministry of Home Affairs
• Central Reserve Police Force
• Border Security Force
• Department of Expenditure
• Income Tax Department