IFS Officer Salary: Indian Foreign Service and Forest Service

The IFS officer salary starts at a basic pay of ₹56,100 per month, the Level 10 rate of the central pay matrix, for both meanings of "IFS": the Indian Foreign Service (diplomats) and the Indian Forest Service (forest officers). Pay grows with service up to ₹2,25,000 basic at the apex level. Diplomats posted abroad also get a foreign allowance that depends on the country. Students often mix up the two services, so this page explains each one, its exam, eligibility and career path.

Two services called IFS: Foreign and Forest

So the Indian foreign service salary and the Indian forest service salary start at the same level. What differs is the work, the exam and where you live.

Indian Foreign Service: what the job is

An Indian Foreign Service officer represents India in other countries. You work in Indian embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad, and in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. Daily work includes meeting officials of the host country, writing reports on politics and trade, helping Indians abroad, handling passports and visas, and planning visits of leaders. Every officer learns a foreign language during training. The job means moving countries every few years, so it suits people who like travel, reading and talking with people.

The usual ladder is Third Secretary, Second Secretary, First Secretary, Counsellor, Minister, then Ambassador or High Commissioner. The top post is Foreign Secretary.

Indian Forest Service: what the job is

An Indian Forest Service officer manages the forests and wildlife of a state. You start as an Assistant Conservator of Forests or Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), in charge of a forest division with many range officers and forest guards under you. You fight forest fires, stop illegal cutting and poaching, plan plantations, work with tribal and forest villages and protect national parks. Later posts are Conservator, Chief Conservator and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF). It suits people who love nature and are fine with remote postings and walking long distances. See our forest guard page for the field staff who work under these officers.

IFS officer salary per month and pay levels

Both services use the central pay matrix. The table shows the usual grade and starting basic pay at each level. Exact posts vary with seniority and posting.

The IFS salary per month is made of:

• Basic pay from the table, plus about 3 percent increment each year.
• DA, which the government revises every six months.
• HRA for X, Y or Z cities in India, unless you get government housing.
• Transport allowance in India.
• Foreign allowance for diplomats abroad, along with a furnished house, school support for children and medical cover. The amount depends on the country and the cost of living there.
• Deductions: NPS, income tax and insurance.

The IFS starting salary in hand moves with DA, so look at the pay summary box above for the current figure, or work it out here:

On IAS vs IFS salary: both start at Level 10 and move up the same matrix, so pay in India is almost the same. The highest salary of an IFS officer is at Level 17. A Foreign Service officer abroad can earn much more in total because of the foreign allowance. Compare on our IAS salary page and highest paying govt jobs list.

IFS exam eligibility and age limit

For the Indian forest service exam eligibility, a BSc, BTech, BE or BSc Agriculture student fits. A BA or BCom student can only try for the Foreign Service. Read our BSc courses page if you are choosing a degree with this goal. Final year students can apply for both. To check your age with category relaxation:

IFS exam pattern and IFS exam syllabus

Indian foreign service exam: this is the Civil Services Examination. Prelims has two objective papers of 200 marks (CSAT qualifying at 33 percent). Mains has two qualifying language papers and seven merit papers (Essay, General Studies I to IV, two optional papers) for 1,750 marks. The interview is 275 marks. You get the Foreign Service only if your rank is high enough and you have put it in your preference list. Full detail is on our UPSC civil services page. The Indian foreign service exam syllabus is the same as the civil services syllabus, with a big role for international relations in General Studies II.

Indian forest service exam pattern: you fill one form for the civil services prelims and tick the Forest Service. The prelims works as a screening test, and a separate list of candidates is called for the IFoS mains. The mains and interview are:

Each mains paper is 3 hours. The two optional subjects come from a list of science, engineering, agriculture and forestry subjects, and some pairs are not allowed together. Check the list in the notification.

Training and career progression

Officers of both services begin with the foundation course at the academy in Mussoorie. Foreign Service probationers then train at the foreign service training institute in New Delhi, learn a compulsory foreign language and do their first posting abroad. Forest Service probationers train at the national forest academy in Dehradun (IGNFA), with long field tours across India's forests, and then do field training in their state cadre.

IFS career progression is based on years of service and vacancies. A good Foreign Service officer can head an embassy after about 20 years. A Forest Service officer usually heads a division in the first years and a circle or wing later.

How to prepare and where to apply

• Plan 1 to 2 years of focused study. NCERT books first, then standard books and daily news.
• For the Foreign Service, read on world affairs and India's neighbours, and practise essay writing.
• For the Forest Service, pick optional subjects from your degree. Two optionals means four science papers, so start early.
• Solve old papers from the UPSC website for both exams.
• Keep backup options such as state PCS and other jobs after graduation.

Both exams are notified on upsc.gov.in, and you apply on the UPSC online portal. Dates, vacancies and cut-offs change each cycle, so follow only the latest official notification.