Government is a dream for most of the youth these days. Much aspiring youth give a number of exams every year to crack one or the other exams. Once you have completed your graduation exams, you can try for the government posts. There are several different government exams conducted every year. One of the most popular posts for most of the youth is an Income Tax Officer or ITO.
It is the dream of many students to crack the exam for Income Tax Officer in India. An income tax officer works in the income tax department. An income tax officer deals with tax-related issues with the Central Board of Direct Taxes. This officer is responsible for checking all the personal tax and business-related taxes, accounts and all other information to make sure that tax is paid on time and the correct amount is paid. This is one of the top posts in the Department of Revenue. Along with the name, you will also get to enjoy a good salary and other benefits that are offered by the central government.
If you are also looking for information about how to become an income tax officer in India, then this article is going to provide you with all the information that you need.
How to become income tax officer in India?
If you are eager to know about when to become an income tax officer, then here are the details for you. If you have completed your graduation, then there are two ways to apply for the post of income tax officer. One of them is to apply for the SSC CGL exam, and the other one is by cracking the UPSC exam conducted by the government of India. A number of students apply every year for the post of Income Tax Officers. There is a lot of demand for this post as you can earn good and also there will be a good chance of growth as well.
SSC CGL stands for Staff Selection Commission, Common Graduate Level exam, and this is an exam that is conducted by the central government of India.
What is the role of an income tax officer in India?
As an income tax officer, you will have to do a lot of things. One of the main responsibilities includes collecting or gathering revenue for the government of India in the form of tax paid by the public. All the citizens of India or those who run any kind of business will have to pay tax depending on their income. If a person crosses a certain income limit, then they are liable to pay tax. It again depends on the total income that they earn or the total profit that they make from their business. As part of their job, an income tax officer will have to assess the records of those who have filed for tax returns and make sure that no one files fraud tax statements or pays less than they have to pay. For all this, they need to go through all the financial statement of an individual or the company.
Qualification required for an Income tax officer:
There are certain eligibility criteria or qualification that you need to meet when you wish to apply for the post of income tax officer. These are the rules set by the government of India, and so you need to fulfil them before you apply for the entrance exams.
- You should have completed your bachelor’s degree from any recognized university in India. There is no specific percentage or qualifying marks that you need to score in your bachelor’s degree.
- You should not have crossed the age of 30 years at the time of applying for this position. But there is some relaxation for the reserved candidates. For OBC, there is a relaxation of three years, and ST / SC, they have a five-year relaxation. Physically Handicapped also receive a relaxation of ten years to 15 years depending on their category. Ex-servicemen also get an opportunity to apply for the post of income tax officer. They also get a relaxation of three to eight years.
- It is good if you complete your degree in Arts, Commerce or Science. This will help you better in achieving your goal.
Both male and female candidates can apply for the post of income tax officer. Female candidates have the same eligibility criteria as male candidates. So, anyone can apply for the post of income tax officer.
Entrance exam – SSC CGL:
Like we already discussed, there are two ways of getting the post of income tax officer. So, if you choose to give the SSC CGL exam for the post of income tax officer, then here is some useful information for you. You should have crossed the age of 18 years and should not be above 30 years. You should also have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from any recognized university.
Along with all this, you will also have to give a physical test. For that, you need to meet the minimum physical fitness criteria. The physical fitness requirements of the candidates are:
- Male: The height should be 157.5 cm and chest 81 cm when fully expanded.
- Female: The height should be 152 cm, and the weight should be over 48 kg.
You should also give some fitness tests like 1600 meters walking in 15 minutes and 8 km cycling in 30 minutes for male. For female, it is 1 km walking in 20 minutes and 3 km cycling in 25 minutes. If you think that you will be able to fulfil these requirements, then you can apply for the post of income tax officer.
SSC CGL Process:
As part of the recruitment process, there will be four stages or tiers of recruitment. You will have to complete the test part first, and then you will have to complete the physical test and followed by an interview. There will also be a medical test after you clear all these stages. Out of four stages, you will have to concentrate just on the first two stages, and the rest two are not required for the Income tax officer post.
Stage or Tier 1: This is the preliminary test, and it has two different papers. In the first paper, you will have General Intelligence and General Awareness for 100 marks, and the second paper is on Arithmetic and reasoning. The second paper is also for 100 marks. One important thing that you need to know here is that this is just a qualifying test, and the marks will not be added to your final score. You will get two hours for each paper and a total of four hours.
Stage or Tier 2: After you clear the Preliminary exam, you will have to start preparing for your main examination. This is the most important stage of this entrance test. It has two stages –one is a written test, and the other stage is the personal interview. As this is the toughest part and important stage, you should start your preparation immediately after you complete the preliminary stage.
In the written test, you will have General studies like general awareness and Reasoning, English Comprehension, Arithmetic Abilities, Language and Communication skills, both oral and writing. General Studies is for 200 marks, and the exam is for three hours. English Comprehension and Language test is for 100 marks each, and you get 2 hours 20 minutes for each. Arithmetic ability and Communication tests are for 200 marks each. For Arithmetic abilities, you get four hours duration, and for communication skills, you will be given two hours 20 minutes.
If you score well and pass this stage, then you will be called for the personal interview. This is going to be the final stage for the process of income tax officer selection process. You will be tested both personally and mental skills as well. Apart from this personal interview, you may have to give a skill test. That is, your typing skills will be tested. You will have to type 2000 words in 15 minutes duration.
The stage I exam is going to be an online exam, and stage two tests are offline. It is very important to make sure that you get a good score in the stage 1 test, even when the score of stage 1 is not added to the final score. There will be several people who apply for the SSC CGL exam every year. So, if you don’t score well in the first stage, you will have to come out of the race. So, whether the score is added or not, you just need to make sure that you score well.
There will be a separate cut off score for each category, and if you belong to the unreserved category, then you will have to work harder than you think.
Entrance exam – UPSC:
If you are looking for an alternate method for cracking the post of income tax officer, then you can try UPSC. UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission, and this exam is conducted for civil service posts like Indian Revenue Services, Indian Foreign Services, Indian Administrative Services, Indian Police Services and others like Income Tax officers.
If you have completed your graduation, then you can apply for the post of Income Tax Officers by clearing the UPSC exam. You should not have crossed the age of 32 years for the post of Income Tax Officer through the UPSC exam. A general candidate will be able to attempt the exam six times till the age of 32, while an OBC can attempt till he or she attains 35 years. They have nine chances to attempt this exam. An SC/ ST candidate can attempt until they attain the age of 37 years, and there is no restriction on the number of times. They can attempt as many times as they want to.
Growth in Career:
One of the most important things that anyone looks for while attempting a government post is a guarantee of a job and good growth. If you are able to crack the UPSC exam at an early age, then you will see good growth in your career. Based on your professional record, you can move from the
Income Tax Office to:
- Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax
- Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax
- Joint Commissioner of Income Tax
- Additional Commissioner of Income Tax
- Commissioner of Income Tax
- Chief Commissioner of Income Tax
Pay and Perks:
One of the best things that you will be able to enjoy when you get posted as an Income Tax Officer is your pay scale. It is quite good, and you will earn something between Rs 45,000 to Rs. 1,25,000. It all depends on the grade pay that you are offered. Along with the pay, there are some special allowances that an income tax officer will be able to enjoy.
Other Skills:
Apart from just the bachelor’s degree, you should also have certain other skills as well. They can be very useful for getting into the job and also for getting a promotion. You will need communication skills, Time Management, Numerical Ability, and you should pay attention to even details possible.
This will help you in doing your job in the right way.
There will not be any internship program in the income tax officer post. But when you get selected, you will have to undergo training for at least twelve weeks. Direct Taxes Regional Training Institute or DTRTI will help you in providing this training. You will be able to gain knowledge about investigative law, administrative law and tax law as well. This gives you an opportunity to work better as an income tax officer.
Bottom Line:
Like we already discussed, there will be several UPSC aspirants and SSC CGL aspirants that want to become an income tax officer. So, you will have to start your preparation well in advance to crack your exam on the first attempt. UPSC has a restriction on the number of attempts that you can try, and hence you need to be very sure about when you are ready to give the exam so that you crack it.
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.
