The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducts exams every year for the recruitment of several posts. They are all for civil services like IAS, IPS, IRS and many others. IRS stands for Indian Revenue Services, and it is one of the most prestigious posts, which comes under Group A services. It comes under the Department of Revenue in India, which is under the Union Ministry of Finance. Many people every year aspire to become IRS officers as well. If you are also one of them, then you will have to continue reading this article.
This exam conducted by the UPSC is not easy to crack. It takes a lot of efforts to prepare for the exam. Many students start their preparation quite early to make sure they crack the exam. Every year, a few lakhs of students appear for the UPSC exam for IAS, IPS and IRS service exams. The paper is going to be one of the toughest exams that you have given so far. You will have to make sure that you spend at least 10 to 12 hours to pass the exam.
If you wish to become an IRS officer, then here in this article, we have provided some very useful information. You can use this information to prepare for the UPSC exam and understand all you need to have to take the exam. If you start your preparation at the right time, it will not be a tough job.
Who is an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) Officer in India?
IRS or Indian Revenue Service officer will be posted as an Assistant Commissioner in the departments like Income Tax services, service tax establishments, excise units and customs units. These officers can also be posted as assistant director in the tax department. That means an IRS officer will be dealing with both direct and indirect taxes.
There are two branches for IRS:
- IRS for customs and central excise
- IRS for income tax.
Once you pass the UPSC exam and score a good rank, you will be posted in either of these departments, and both of them come under the Department of Revenue in India.
You will have to first pass the entrance exam, which is again divided into two parts. Once you clear both the exams, you will have to take up the personal interview. Only if you quality all three rounds you will be posted as an Indian Revenue Service officer in India. We have discussed all this information in detail.
Eligibility Criteria:
If you wish to become an IRS officer, then you need to have the following eligibility criteria:
- You should be the citizen of India.
- Only any person of Indian Origin and has migrated to India with an intention to settle down in India permanently can also apply. But you should migrate from countries Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Vietnam, Malawi, Ethiopia or Zaire. People from any other country will not be allowed to take up this exam.
Educational Qualification:
If you have the above-mentioned eligibility criteria, you will have to check out the educational qualification required for appearing in the UPSC exam for an IRS officer. So, here is what should be your educational qualification if you wish to take up this examination.
- The candidate should have a valid degree from any state, central or a deemed university in India.
- If you have completed your degree from a distance education or correspondence can also apply for the UPSC exam.
- Any candidate who has obtained the degree from an open university is also eligible to apply for the UPSC exam.
- Also, any qualification that is recognized as a valid degree by the government of India can also apply for the exam.
Along with this, there are another set of candidates who are eligible for applying for the examination. But it is very important they submit proof that they are eligible for the exam on or before the main examination. If you fail to submit the proofs, and even if you qualify for the prelims exams, you will not be allowed to take up the mains.
- Students who have completed and passed all the exams of MBBS but are still doing their internship are eligible to apply for this exam.
- If you have completed your final Chartered Accountant exams from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, then you are eligible.
- If you have a valid degree from any private university, you can still apply for it.
- If you have a valid degree from a foreign university and accepted by the AIU (Association of Indian Universities).
Age Limit:
Along with all other information, the age limit is another important factor that you need to consider before you apply for the UPSC exam. The age limit is different based on your caste or reservation, and hence here are the details about it:
- You should be at least 21 years old to apply for this exam.
- The upper age limit for General category people is 32 years.
- The upper age limit for OBC category people is 35 years.
- The upper age limit for ST/ SC category people is 37 years.
So, based on the category that you belong to, you will have to check the age limit and apply.
No of attempts allowed:
There is an age limit for you to appear for the exam, and that is one of the main reasons why you should start your preparation as soon as possible. But again, there is a limit over the number of times you will be allowed to appear for the exam. So, here are the details about it and it is also based on the category or reservation you have:
- For the general category, you can attempt six times.
- For the OBC category, you can attempt nine times.
- There is no restriction for the ST/ SC category candidates. They can attempt as many times as they want till they become 37 years old.
So, you will also have to keep this point in view before you apply the next time. Make sure that you are prepared well; otherwise, you can wait for the next time and write well. If there is no age left for you, then you can try all the attempts possible before you are not allowed to give the exam.
Exam Pattern:
Another important thing that you should know before you start your preparation is the exam pattern. The style or pattern of the exam is very important; otherwise, you will not be able to prepare well. Every year lakhs of student apply for this exam, and only 1000 candidates will be shortlisted from across India. This is one of the toughest exams that is conducted by the government of India. The examination and interview process is going to take at least one year to complete.
The exam will be conducted in three phases:
- Preliminary Exam
- Mains
- Personal Interview
The preliminary exam is for 400 marks, and you will have two papers. Each paper carries 200 marks. Both the exams are objective type only. The first paper is all about general studies, and in the second paper, you will have the aptitude test. It is called CSAT, which means the Civil Services Aptitude Test. For each exam, you will get a duration of two hours. You will receive a question paper in both Hindi and English. But the questions that are related to the English language will be asked in English only. The preliminary exams will be conducted in the months of April or May every year.
Once you qualify for the preliminary exams, you will have to give your mains. The mains exam is conducted in the month of September or October every year. This is an exam for a total of 2025 marks, and it has Paper A and Paper B and Papers 1 to 7. Paper A is all about a language that you choose, and it is a paper of 300 marks. Paper B is on the English language, and that is also a paper of 300 marks. The rest of the seven papers, from Paper 1 to paper 7, are very important as they will be calculated for merit listing and hence it is important for you to score well in these papers. Out of the seven papers, two papers will have Optional subjects, and you will be able to choose a subject that you are familiar with or easy for you to prepare.
Once you clear the main exams, you will be called for the personal interview, which will be conducted in March or April. So, the entire process is going to take almost one year.
Training or Probation Period:
If you are among those lucky 1000 candidates that get selected for the Indian Revenue Services after clearing the personal interview, then you will have to undergo training. The training will be conducted at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie. The training period is going to be for 15 weeks. This training is offered to all the candidates who are selected for the civil services. This will lay a strong foundation, which will help do their jobs in a better way.
The next level of training is held at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT) at Nagpur. This part of the training is specialized and not common, like the earlier training program. It is separate for IAS, IPS and IRS officers. The duration of this training is 16 months. The candidates will be given intense training on taxes and other accounting procedures to follow during their job course.
Duties of an IRS officer:
The duties and responsibilities of an IRS officer are very tough.
- IRS officers will have to identify the tax evasions. They can raid any property at any time to search the property and seize it if it is found to be illegal property.
- They are also posted on the borders to stop smuggling and keep the country’s economy safe.
- An IRS officer goes on patrolling service on high sea to prevent piracy and smuggling.
- They are also responsible for exposing many scams in India.
Salary Structure:
The pay scale of the IRS office is something very important for you to know. You will usually start your career as an IRS officer with the Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax rank. The salary is going to be something between Rs 15,000 to 40,000. It is going to remain the same for Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax and Joint Commissioner of Income-tax, but there is the difference in the grade pay. As your career grows to Additional Commissioner of Income-tax, you will see a hike in your pay scale. It is going to be between Rs 37,000 to 67,000. Once you reach the position of Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, you will have a fixed salary of Rs 85,000/-. This is the highest salary, but along with that, you will be able to enjoy other perks of working in the central government office.
This was some of the most useful information about the IRS and how to become an IRS officer. It needs a lot of preparation and dedication towards work. If you are interested in giving the exam conducted by UPSC, you will have to make sure that you start your preparation very early. As there is a limit on age and the number of times you will give this exam, you need to be very careful while applying for the exam. Ensure that you are not wasting your attempts or not waiting beyond your age to miss the chances. There are several previous papers available on the internet, which can help you prepare for the UPSC exam conducted by the government of India. It needs a lot of hardwork, but it is not an impossible exam for you to crack. So, you should give it a try if you wish to become an IRS officer.
Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.
