ITBP Salary, SSB Salary and Assam Rifles Pay Guide

ITBP salary starts at ₹21,700 basic pay a month at Level 3 for a fresh constable, and SSB pays exactly the same, because both forces use the central 7th CPC pay matrix. A Sub-Inspector in either force starts at ₹35,400 (Level 6) and an Assistant Commandant at ₹56,100 (Level 10). Allowances are paid over this basic. This page covers ITBP and SSB together, plus Assam Rifles, since all three guard India's borders and recruit through mostly the same exams.

ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles: what each force does

The Ministry of Home Affairs lists all three as border guarding forces.

• ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) guards the India-China border in the Himalayas and is trained to work in high altitude mountain areas. Many posts have snow, thin air and long winters.
• SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) guards the open borders with Nepal and Bhutan, and is also the lead intelligence agency for these borders. Work includes patrolling, checking movement at border points and stopping smuggling and trafficking.
• Assam Rifles guards the Myanmar border and serves mainly in the north-east, working under the operational control of the Army for counter insurgency tasks. Its GD soldiers are called Riflemen.

Like other CAPFs, these forces also go on election and internal security duty. The life is outdoor, disciplined and often far from home. If mountains and cold do not scare you, ITBP is a respected choice. An SSB job usually means postings in plains and foothills.

What is SSB exam: clearing a common confusion

Many students search "SSB exam" and mean two different things:

• Sashastra Seema Bal recruitment: the force on this page. It has no single "SSB exam". Constables and SIs come through SSC exams, and some posts through SSB's own bharti.
• Services Selection Board interview: the 5 day officer selection interview for the Army, Navy and Air Force after NDA, CDS or AFCAT. That is not a police job.

So, for SSB exam eligibility in the Sashastra Seema Bal sense, the rules are the same as for other CAPF posts, shown below.

Posts, eligibility and who conducts the exam

The upper age goes up by 5 years for SC and ST applicants, by 3 years for OBC, and by 3 years for ex-servicemen once their service is deducted. Under the MHA recruitment scheme, border guarding forces also keep a share of Constable GD vacancies for border districts in their area and for militancy affected areas. Girls can join as Constable GD in these forces through the SSC exam; see our list of govt jobs for women for more.

ITBP salary and SSB salary: rank wise table

ITBP ranks and salary, SSB ranks and salary: they are identical, because both forces sit on the same pay matrix.

Your likely take-home pay at today's DA rate is worked out in the salary box at the top of the page.

ITBP constable salary

Salary of ITBP constable posts is ₹21,700 basic at Level 3. That includes GD, kitchen services, safai karamchari and other trades. So the ITBP constable kitchen services salary and the ITBP safai karamchari salary match the GD figure. Question "ITBP ka salary kitna hai" has the same answer: ₹21,700 basic plus allowances at the start.

SSB constable salary and SSB salary per month

The SSB constable salary is also ₹21,700 basic at Level 3, for GD, driver and tradesman posts alike. The SSB salary per month grows with DA, HRA and yearly increments.

Head Constable, SI and Inspector pay

The SSB head constable salary, including the SSB HC ministerial salary and the SSB head constable communication salary, is Level 4 with ₹25,500 basic. The same goes for an ITBP head constable. An SI in ITBP or SSB starts on ₹35,400, and an Inspector on ₹44,900.

Assam Rifles salary per month

A Rifleman GD in Assam Rifles is on Level 3, ₹21,700 basic, as stated in the SSC Constable GD notice. Assam Rifles tradesman posts at constable level start on the same basic.

Officer salary in ITBP and SSB

The ITBP assistant commandant salary and SSB assistant commandant salary both start at ₹56,100 basic on Level 10. Higher officer ranks come by promotion. Read about the UPSC route on our CAPF AC page.

What else adds to the pay

Basic pay is only part of the picture. Each month you also get:

• DA: a percent of basic, revised in two steps each year.
• HRA: when no quarters are given; rate set by whether the city is class X, Y or Z.
• Transport allowance: fixed sum, bigger in large cities.
• Hard area allowances: under the 7th CPC Risk and Hardship matrix, CAPF personnel posted in high altitude, field or counter insurgency areas can get extra allowances such as High Altitude Allowance. This is one reason ITBP pay in field units can be higher than at a base.

From this, the NPS pension share and any income tax are deducted. Check the effect of your city class:

Each year your basic moves one step up the matrix. Five years in, a constable's ₹21,700 is close to ₹25,200 and an SI's ₹35,400 is close to ₹41,100, before counting any promotion. More detail is on our salary allowances page.

Selection process and exam pattern

Constable GD and Rifleman GD

Under the latest SSC notice, the computer test has 80 multiple choice questions worth 160 marks, done in one hour. Four subjects (reasoning, general awareness, elementary maths, and English or Hindi) carry 20 questions each, and every wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. After that:

• Run: 5 km within 24 minutes (men), 1.6 km within 8.5 minutes (women); easier timings for Ladakh.
• Body measurements: men need 170 cm height and women 157 cm in general; candidates from Scheduled Tribes and certain regions get relaxed limits.
• Medical under MHA guidelines, then documents.

You rank all seven forces in the form. Merit and that order decide whether you land in ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles or another force. See SSC GD Constable for the full syllabus.

Sub-Inspector

Graduates take the SSC CPO exam. Paper 1 has 100 questions in one hour on reasoning, GK, quantitative aptitude and English. Those who qualify then face a sprint, a middle distance run, long jump, high jump and, for men, shot put. Paper 2 and a medical follow.

Force-level posts

ITBP and SSB run their own bharti for many posts. Recent SSB advertisements, for example, cover Constable tradesman posts (carpenter, barber, washerman, water carrier, tailor, driver and others), Head Constable posts (communication, electrician, steward, mechanic, veterinary), ASI Stenographer, ASI and HC paramedical posts and SI technical posts. ITBP recruitment rules for its paramedical cadre ask for 12th plus a diploma for most HC and ASI posts, 10th for constable posts, and set an upper age of 25 for direct entry, with relaxation as per rules. Each notice sets its own written test, physical test and trade or skill test, so read it carefully. Only use the official force websites for these forms.

Training and promotions

Recruits train at their force's training centres in drill, weapons, field craft, law and fitness. ITBP training also prepares you for mountain and snow conditions. Probation for direct entry posts is generally two years, as ITBP recruitment rules show. Pay of your level is given during training too.

The rank ladder is the same in ITBP and SSB: Constable, Head Constable, ASI, SI, Inspector, then officer ranks from Assistant Commandant up. Promotion needs years of service, courses and a free vacancy. Where promotion is late, central government career progression rules may give a financial upgrade; ask your unit about the current scheme. Starting as SI or AC after graduation gives a much faster climb.

How to prepare and where to apply

• Build stamina early. High altitude training later is easier if you are already fit.
• Study reasoning, class 10 maths, GK and one language for 6 to 8 months, with weekly mock tests.
• Check your height, chest and eyesight before you spend money on forms.

Apply only on official sites: ssc.gov.in for GD and SI, upsc.gov.in for AC, and the ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles official websites for their own posts. Vacancies, dates and fees change in every bharti, so follow the latest notification. Compare these forces with BSF, CRPF and CISF before you set your preference order.