CDS Salary Structure, Pay Scale, Job Profile, Allowances & Benefits

Mohit Dhulia
Updated on March 11, 2024

You must know the CDS Salary 2023 and the CDS Job Profile 2023 before applying for the CDS Exam. Every year, the UPSC conducts a CDS examination. The CDS 1 Exam 2023 notification has been officially released. The main goal of this exam, however, is to find qualified candidates for the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, and OTA. The following information will inform you everything you need to know about the CDS Salary Structure based on the rankings in each sector.

Understanding CDS Salary and CDS Job Responsibilities will assist you in determining whether you are a good fit for the job and setting realistic goals. Basic pay and allowances such as DA, High Altitude Allowance, Uniform Allowance, and others make up the CDS Salary. The amount of the salary will vary depending on the officer’s rank and academy.

Table of Contents

Various Defence Sectors in CDS

Before learning about the CDS Salary 2023 and CDS Job Profile 2023, it’s important to understand which defence sectors the vacancies correspond to. The following are given below:

INA or Indian Naval Academy
IMA or Indian Military Academy
OTA or Officers Training Academy
AFA or Air-Force Academy

Every year, the CDS or Combined Defence Service Exams recruit candidates for various positions such as Captain, Major, Lieutenant, and others. Employees at various positions have different pay scale slabs. All of them are defined in CDS Salaries 2023 according to the CDS Work Profile.

Fixed Stipend For CDS

After passing the CDS 2023 selection process, candidates will go through Cadet training, during which officers in the Army, Navy, or equivalent posts receive a fixed stipend of INR 56,100 equal to the Level 10 base salary. However, this time period is not considered as commission service. Candidates will be able to receive all remaining arrears based on their pay matrix after being successfully commissioned, with effect from their training period.

Rank-wise CDS Pay scale and Salary

Every employee will receive a CDS Salary Slip, which will specify the CDS Basic Pay and other salary divisions. For your convenience, the following table shows the detailed CDS Salary Structure. Look over this to learn more about the various positions and their corresponding salaries. Based on the levels, different pay scales are determined according to the 7th Commission.

S.No	Rank	Level	Pay Scale/Salary
1.	Lieutenant	Level 10	INR 56,100 – 1,77,500
2.	Captain	Level 10 B	INR 61,300 – 1,93,900
3.	Major	Level 11	INR 69,400 – 2,07,200
4.	Lieutenant Colonel	Level 12 A	INR 1,21,200 – 2,12,400
5.	Colonel	Level 13	INR 1,30,600 – 2,15,900
6.	Brigadier	Level 13 A	INR 1,39,600 – 2,17,600
7.	Major General	Level 14	INR 1,44,200 – 2,18,200
8.	Lieutenant General HAG Scale	Level 15	INR 1,82,200 – 2,24,100
9.	HAG + Scale	Level 16	INR 2,05,400 – 2,24,400
10.	VCOAS/ Lieutenant General (NFSG)/ Army Cdr	Level 17	INR 2,25,000 (Fixed)
11.	Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)	Level 18	INR 2,25,000 (Fixed)

Military Service Pay (MSP) Details: Officers in the ranks of Lieutenant to Brigadier also receive a monthly Military Service Pay of INR 15,500 monthly.

CDS Allowances and Benefits

As per the CDS Salaries 2023 salary structure, you can expect some pretty good allowances and perquisites in addition to an attractive salary package.

Flying allowance: Pilots on the level 10 and above pay scale receive a fixed allowance of INR 25,000 per month.
Uniform Allowance: This has been covered by the newly proposed INR 20,000 per year dress allowance.
Kit Maintenance Allowance: INR 20,000 per year, combined with the newly proposed dress allowance.
Qualification Grant: Employees will be governed according to the newly proposed Higher Qualification Incentive Program (HQI). The order has yet to be issued by the Ministry of Defense.
Dearness Allowance: From time to time, the same rates as applicable to civilian personnel.
Siachen Allowance: The monthly Siachen allowance is INR 42,500.
Children’s Education Allowance: From nursery to class 12, children are eligible for a monthly allowance of INR 2,250. Only the two oldest children receive assistance.
Free Ration: Officers serving in field areas and in the peace are eligible for free ration.
High Altitude Allowance: Officers’ high altitude allowances differ in the following ways:
1. CAT I – Officers in rank 10 and above receive INR 3,400 per month.
2. CAT II – Officers in rank 10 and above receive INR 5,300 per month.
3. CAT III – Officers in rank 10 and above are paid INR 25,000 per month.
Field Area Allowance: Officers get the following field area allowances depending on the area and rank of posting.
1. Officers in rank 10 and above receive INR 16,900 per month in the Highly Active Field Area (HAFA).
2. Officers in rank 10 and above receive INR 10,500 per month in the Field Area Allowance.
3. Officers in rank 10 and above receive INR 6,300 per month for in the Modified Field Area Allowance.
Transport Allowance: The transportation allowance varies depending on the officer’s city:
1. Officers working in TPTA cities with a level of 9 or higher receive a monthly allowance of INR 7,200 + DA.
2. Officers working in level 9 or higher receive a monthly allowance of INR 3,600 + DA.
3. Officers in pay levels 14 and above who are allowed to use the official car have the option of using it or receiving a monthly allowance of INR 15,750 + DA.

High TPTA cities are as follows:

Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Coimbatore, Chennai, Jaipur, Pune, Nagpur, Greater Mumbai, Indore, Kozhikode, Kochi, Bengaluru, Surat, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Patna, Hyderabad are among the high TPTA cities.
This allowance is not available if the person has been provided with government transportation.
Officials with a pay level of 14 or higher who are entitled to use the official car may do so or receive a monthly transportation allowance of Rs. 15,750+DA.

Promotion Details in CDS

You will receive promotions in addition to the lucrative allowances during your tenure. The various promotions available are listed below:

Captain- Commissioned service for two years.
Major- Commissioned service for six years.
Lieutenant Colonel- Commissioned service for thirteen years.
Colonel- Commissioned officer for fifteen years.
Colonel (TS)- Commissioned officer for twenty-six years.
Major General- Commissioned service for twenty-five years
Brigadier- Commissioned service for twenty-three years.
Lieutenant General- Commissioned experience for twenty-eight years.
General- No restrictions for General.
Lieutenant- Promotion is contingent on successful completion of training.

Additional Benefits with CDS Salary

Officers in the Navy, Army, and Air Force can take 60 days of annual leave and 20 days of casual leave each year. Officers in the CDS can use up to 10 days of annual leave and the Leave Travel Concession for up to 60 days in a career span to cover incidental travel expenses.
Other benefits for officers and their families include free medical care, group insurance, low-cost housing, canteen services, group housing, and family assistance programmes, among others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques- Are AFA employees eligible for promotion?

Ans- Promotions are given to Flight Lieutenants, Squadrons, Wing Commanders, and Group Captains based on their commissioned service years. Others are promoted based on merit.

Ques- Who is eligible to receive Military Service Pay?

Ans- Lieutenant, Major, Captain, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, or Brigadier in the Army, as well as personnel in similar Air Force and Navy positions, are eligible for MSP.

Ques- What are the SSCOs’ promotion requirements?

Ans- Short Service Commission recipients are eligible for promotion to the ranks of Captain, Major, and Lieutenant Colonel.

Ques- What is CDS’s starting salary?

Ans- At Level 10, the starting pay is 56,100, which is the same as the stipend during the training period.

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