In recent years, it was observed that today’s youth is mainly focusing on how to get a government job after the completion of graduation. Generally, most candidates search for jobs based on their preferences, knowledge area, and skillsets.

In those searches for government jobs, one of the job searches is How to become income tax officer popularly known as IT officer.

Opting a career as income tax officer is considered as one of the most prestigious jobs offered by the Government of India through various placement examinations.

In this article, we will be discussing on “How to become a Income Tax Officer” its eligibility criteria, details of examination conducted for the same, salary package, and role of the income tax officer in India.

How to become an Income Tax Officer?

If a candidate wants to become an income tax officer, then first he or she needs to complete the bachelors degree examination. After that, a candidate has to appear in two main examinations such as SSC and CGL respectively.

SSC and CGL examinations are conducted for Grade B and Grade C officers respectively for the department of income tax under the administration of the Government of India. The details of examination structure, the process of selection, and eligibility criteria have been discussed in the below-mentioned paragraphs.

Income Tax Officer Eligibility Criteria

In case a candidate wants to become eligible for the post of income tax officer, then he or she must satisfy the below mentioned eligibility criteria such as age limit and qualification;

Educational Qualification

The eligibility criteria for educational qualification to become a income tax officer is completion of bachelors degree program in any stream from a recognized university.

Age Limit

The age limit for enrollment for the post of income tax officer through the examination of SSC and CGL is between 21 to 27 years. However, some of the categories have certain relaxation in age. The details whereof are mentioned below;

Apart from the age limit, the candidates must satisfy the physical requirement and physical fitness as well. The physical requirement and physical fitness requirement are different from male and female candidates. The details whereof are provided below;

Selection Process to become Income Tax Officer

The selection process under SSG CGL examination consists of four stages.  A candidate has to qualify all the four stages, followed by a personal interview, physical fitness, physical requirement and medical test as well. The details of the four stages of selection to become an income tax officer is provided below

Examination Pattern for SSC CGL

As mentioned earlier, there are four stages in the SSC CGL examination to become a income tax officer. The details of syllabus for these four stage examinations are provided below;

Tier-I Exam Pattern

Tier-II Exam Pattern

Candidates who manage to qualify in the Tier–II exam will have to write the SSC CGL Tier–III examination. In the Tier-III examinations, the candidate will have to go through the descriptive test. The details whereof are mentioned below;

Tier – III Exam Pattern

How many marks are required for a candidate to get the post of an Income Tax Officer?

In case a candidate wants to become an income tax officer, he or she needs to get the highest score in all Tiers – I, Tier – II, and Tier – III as well.  The maximum mark a candidate needs to obtain in all these three tiers is 700.  Thus, it is to be noted that the cut-off score is high.

It is advisable to be consistent with the examination preparation and work on the weakness in order to get a top score in all the examinations to get posted as an income tax officer.

Verification and Medical examination of the Candidates

The commission wills shortlist the eligible candidates to appear for the document verification based on the performance of the Tier II and Tier III examination.  The shortlisted candidates after successful verification of shortlisted candidate and then undergo the medical fitness examination.

Candidates meeting the physical requirement and passing the medical examination can become an inspection officer in the income tax department.

The Departmental Examination for Income Tax Officer

After serving as an inspection officer in the income tax department, the departmental examination can be cleared after confirmation, and the income tax officer department examination for the promotion to become an income tax officer.

The department examination for Income Tax officers consists of 100 multiple-choice questions.  After passing this examination, a candidate gets a promotion to income tax depending upon the number of vacancies and experience.

Income Tax Officer Syllabus

The students become eligible to become an income tax officer and get shortlisted after the examination referring to the syllabus of the income tax officer. The syllabus patterns change frequently as per the requirement. The details of the syllabus have been mentioned below to provide an idea to of the topics covered for the income tax officer examination;

Key Skills required to become an Income Tax Officer

Some of the key skills required to become an income tax officer in India are provided below;

Duties of an Income Tax Officer

Some of the primary duties of an income tax officer are as follows;

What is the salary of an income tax officer?

The starting salary range of an income tax officer is ₹9,300 to 34,800 including grade pay of ₹4,800/₹5,400.  A table containing some of the different salary range of different posts in the income tax department is provided below;

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Yes, working as an income tax officer is a good work profile as it is a Government job where on needs to do both fieldworks as well and a desk job. The role of an income tax officer is regarded as a reputed and demanding opportunity. Also, this job also provides an opportunity to maintain a work-life balance properly.

The age limit to become an income tax officer is between 21 years to 27 years for general category candidates. However, for candidates of other categories it has been extended. The details whereof are provided below;

An aspiring candidate has to appear in the SSC CGL examination in order to become an income tax officer. The aforesaid examination has been divided into four stages namely Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, and lastly group discussion followed by a personal interview.

A candidate must have completed his or her Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized university with an aggregate mark of 50% in any stream

The average salary of an income tax officer ranges from INR 64,000 to INR 73,000. However, it also depends on the experience, skill sets, relevant department, etc.

No, the job of an income tax officer includes both desk jobs as well as some interesting fieldwork.

Yes, it is possible as the minimum educational qualification for income tax officer examination is a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized university with an aggregate mark of 50% in any stream.

Yes, the examination for income tax officers is a lengthy process followed by a difficult syllabus to cover in a short span of time. However, consistency is required to score good marks in the examination.