Indian Army Ranks and Salary 2023: After 7th Pay Commission, Salary Per Month

We all know that the Indian Army is one of the largest Armies in the world. It has more than 1.3 million active soldiers. Along with this, a large number of reserve troops is also a part of the Indian Army. In our country, it is considered a matter of pride and honor to serve in the Indian Army and protect our motherland. This is the reason why a lot of youngsters apply for Army recruitment every year.

One question that comes to the mind of a large number of applicants is that how much personnel of the Indian Army earns? Well, it depends upon the ranks on which the personnel is working. It is a good thing for all aspirants who are looking to join the army to know the Indian Army Ranks and Salary 2023. To help such aspirants, we are providing the list of Indian Army Ranks along with the associated pay scale/ salary.

Rank Structure of the Indian Army

The Army is the biggest branch of Indian Armed Forces. It has a lot of ranks and posts. Broadly, we can categorize Indian Army ranks in the following three parts.

• Commissioned Officers
• Junior Commissioned Officers
• Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers

Indian Army Rank and Salary of Commissioned Officers 2023

The highest rank officer in the Indian army is Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army (COAS). The officers are commissioned in the Indian Army through National Defense Academy (NDA) and IMA (Indian Military Academy). New officers who join the Indian Army are commissioned as Lieutenants. Later on, they get better ranks as per their year of service and performance. Let’s discuss the ranks of Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army with their salaries.

Salaries during NDA Training Period

• After joining the NDA (National Defense Academy), a cadet doesn’t get any pocket money or salary. However, he needs to submit some amount for different purposes as explained below.
  • Pocket allowance for 5 months – Rs. 2000/-
  • For items such as clothing and equipment –  Rs. 3200/-
  • Incidental Expenditure during the first semester – Rs. 425/-
• However, out of the above amounts, a Pocket allowance for five months and clothing and equipment expenditure will be refunded in case the financial aid is sanctioned to the cadet.

Salary at Indian Military Academy (IMA)

• After NDA, once a cadet reaches the Indian Military Academy he starts earning Rs. 21000/- per month. This salary is also applicable to Air Force Academy and Naval Academy.
• Actually, during IMA, a cadet is authorized to get a salary of Lieutenant. The rest of the amount is paid as an outstanding payment to the stipend.

Now, let’s discuss the salaries of different commissioned officers

• Lieutenant

• • • Description – This is the rank of a freshly recruited cadet from the Indian Military Academy. A GD soldier or other JCO/ OR can also apply for this post if they are graduates/ 12th pass.
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 56, 100/-
    • Retirement Age – 52 years
    • Level of pay matrix – 10

• Captain

• • • Description – Those who have served at least 2 years as lieutenants are eligible to be a captain in the Indian Army.
    • Starting Salary without allowances –  Rs. 61, 300/-
    • Retirement Age – 52 years
    • Level of pay matrix – 10B

• Major

• • • Description – A person can become a Major in the Indian Army only if he has served for at least 6 years as an officer in the Indian Army.
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 69, 400/-
    • Retirement Age –  52 years
    • Level of Pay matrix – 11

• Lieutenant Colonel

• • • Description – To be a Lieutenant Colonel a person must have served at least 13 years in the Indian Army.
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 1, 21, 200/-
    • Retirement Age – 54 years
    • Level of Pay matrix – 12A

• Colonel

• • • Description – A lieutenant Colonel after completing 15 years of commissioned service can work as a colonel.
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 1, 30, 600/-
    • Retirement Age – 54 years
    • Level of Pay matrix – 13

• Brigadier

• • • Description – Only those commissioned officers can be brigadier who have completed 25 years of service as a commissioned officer.
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 1, 39, 600/-
    • Retirement Age – 56 years
    • Level of Pay matrix – 13A

• Major General 

• • • Description – 14
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 1, 44, 200/-
    • Retirement Age – 58 years
    • Level of Pay matrix – 14

• Lieutenant General

• • • Description – To be a Lieutenant General, a service of at least 36 years as a commissioned officer is necessary.
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 1, 82, 200/-
    • Retirement Age –
    • Level of Pay matrix – 15

• General

• • • Description – It is a very senior position in the Army. A general retires at the age of 62 or after 3 years of service as chief of Army Staff. Practically, this is the senior-most position in the army.
    • Starting Salary with allowances – Rs. 2, 50, 000/-
    • Retirement Age – 62 or 3 years as Chief of Army Staff whichever is earlier
    • Level of Pay matrix – 18

• Field Marshal

• • Description – It is a senior-most position in the Indian Army. Till now, only two people are appointed at this post i.e. SHFJ Manekshaw, and KM Cariappa. In the normal hierarchy of the army, no one is appointed on this post.
  • Starting Salary with allowances – NA
  • Retirement Age – NA
  • Level of Pay matrix – NA

Indian Army Commissioned Officer Salary as per the 7th Pay commission

Indian Army Ranks and Salary 2023 of Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO)

Let’s go the ranks and salary of Junion Commissioned Officers in the Indian Army.

• Naib Subedar

• • • Description – A havildar becomes a Naib Subjedar after promotion. At this post, a soldier gets a patch on his soldier instead of his arm.
    • Retirement Age – 52 years or 30 years of service whichever is earlier
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 35, 400/-
    • Level in pay matrix – 6

• Subedar 

• • • Description – A naib subedar becomes a Subedar after promotion. It is often observed that most of the people recruited as soldiers get retired as Subedar.
    • Retirement Age –  52 years or 30 years of service whichever is earlier
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 44, 900/-
    • Level in pay matrix – 7

• Subedar Major (SM)

• • • Description – Subedar Major or SM is also known by the name of Risaldar Major in the armor department and cavalry.
    • Retirement Age – 54 years or 34 years of service whichever is earlier
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 47, 600/-
    • Level in pay matrix – 8

• Honorary Lieutenant

• • • Description – The rank of Honorary Lieutenant is given to those JCOs who serve exceptionally well in the army.
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 56, 100/-
    • Level in pay matrix – 10

• Honorary Captain

• • Description – An honorary Lieutenant can get promoted to the post of Honorary Captain.
  • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 61, 300/-
  • Level in pay matrix – 10B

Indian Army Ranks and Salary 2023 for Soldiers and other Non-commissioned officers

Not all posts in the Indian Army have direct entries. For the rest of the posts, you have to get prompted step by step. Let’s discuss ranks and salary for entry-level/ smaller posts i.e. Sepoy.

• Sepoy or Rifleman

• • • Description – A sepoy or Rifleman is the most basic level position in the Indian Army. Still, the Salary is quite good and attractive.
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 21,700/-
    • Retirement Age – 19 years of service or 42 years of age whichever is earlier
    • Level in pay matrix – 3

• Lance Naik

• • • Description – After getting the first promotion, a sepoy becomes Lance Naik.
    • Starting salary without allowances – NA
    • Retirement Age – 24 years of service or 49 years of age whichever is earlier
    • Level in pay matrix – NA

• Naik

• • • Description – A lance naik after getting promoted gets the rank of Naik.
    • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 25, 500/-
    • Retirement Age – 24 years of service or 49 years of age whichever is earlier
    • Level in pay matrix – 4

• Havildar

• • Description – The havildar is the highest rank of Non-commissioned officers category.
  • Starting salary without allowances – Rs. 29, 200/-
  • Retirement Age – 26 years of service OR 42 years of age whichever is sooner.
  • Level in pay matrix – 5

Frequently Asked Questions

Question – 1: What salary does a Sepoy get during the training period?

Answer: The salary during the training period depends upon the pay band of the rank in which the candidate is selected. Generally, the amount paid during the training period is around Rs. 15000/- to Rs. 20000/-

Question – 2: What allowance does a person gets in the Indian Army?

Answer:  It depends on his post and rank. However, you may check some of the allowances as given below.

• Housing Allowances
• Kit Maintenance Allowances
• Field Area Allowances
• Special Forces
• Annual Leave of two Months
• Casual Leave of twenty Days
• Study Leave of up to 2 Years with Full Pay and all Benefits
• MBA Program for Retired Officers
• Death Cum Retirement Gratuity and Foreign Postings.
• Lifelong Pension
• Transportation Allowances
• Dearness Allowances
• Parachute Pay
• High Altitude Allowances
• Leave encashment.

Question – 3: What is the lowest rank in the Indian Army?

Answer: The lowest rank in the Indian Army is a sepoy.

Question – 4: Will I get any salary while studying in NDA? 

Answer: No, you will not get a salary in NDA. The salary starts only after a cadet joins IMA, Air Force Academy, or Naval Academy.