The IRS Exam (Indian Revenue Service) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which falls under the Union Ministry of Finance’s Department of Revenue. Officers working in this department collect and manage direct and indirect taxes that accrue to the Union Government.
Indian Revenue Service is one of the most prestigious jobs in India. An IRS officer has to perform various roles, such as the collector, cabinet secretary, chief secretary, etc. However, their responsibility might sometimes change depending on their posting in a specific department. IRS has two branches:
1. IRS (Customs and Central Excise).
2. IRS (Income Tax)
The majority of IRS Officers work under the Department of Revenue and Customs. However, in some cases, they have to work with different central government agencies and departments such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), etc. The IRS officer post is second to none for candidates seeking to enter the central government’s revenue department.
The IRS Officers come under the Department of Revenue and Customs. They also come under a variety of other agencies and departments. They serve as vanguards of the economic frontiers under the Intelligence Bureau, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and more. Read below to learn about their roles & responsibilities:
As per the official calendar of the Union Public Service Commission, the IRS Prelims Exam date 2025 is 25th May 2025, and the Mains exam will take place from 22nd August 2025 onwards for the qualified candidates. All the important information related to the IRS Exam is mentioned in the table below.
| Organization | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Post Name | IRS (Indian Revenue Service) |
| Vacancy | 979 |
| Exam Date | 25th May 2025 |
| Participating Bodies | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Exam Mode | Offline (Pen and paper-based) |
| Recruitment Process | Prelims, Mains, and Interview |
| Education Qualification | Bachelor’s degree |
| Age Limit | General: 21 to 32 years, age relaxation for reserved candidates. |
| Salary | Basic Pay: Rs15,600 – 80,000, Grade Pay: 5,400 – 10,000 |
| Official website | www.upsc.gov.in |
The important dates related to the UPSC IRS exam 2025 are mentioned in the table below.
| Important events | Date |
| UPSC IRS Exam 2025 Notification | January 22, 2025 |
| Registration Start | January 22, 2025 |
| Registration Ends | February 21, 2025 |
| UPSC IRS 2025 Admit Card release | To be declared soon |
| UPSC IRS 2025 Exam Date | Prelims: 25 May 2025; Sunday Mains: 22nd August 2025 onwards |
| UPSC IRS Exam 2025 Result | To be declared soon |
| UPSC IRS Exam 2025 Score Card | To be declared soon |
While applying for the UPSC CSE examination, the candidates coming under the category have to submit an application fee as mentioned below.
| Reservation | UPSC Exam Fee | Mains Exam Fee |
| General/OBC/EWS(Male) | Rs. 100 | Rs. 200 |
| Female | No Fee/Exempted | No Fee/Exempted |
| SC/ST/Candidates | No Fee/Exempted | No Fee/Exempted |
Candidates can pay the application fee both Offline and Online.
For Offline:
The eligibility of the aspirants to take part in the UPSC IRS government exam depends upon multiple factors. An aspirant must pass all these criteria to be eligible to take this test. Candidates can be eligible based on three factors. Those are nationality, educational qualification, and age. Any candidate who is lacking in any of these three criteria must be considered ineligible.
The age limit for any candidate eligible in the UPSC IRS Exam is 21 to 32 years. Therefore, the lower age limit for an aspirant is 21 years and the upper age limit for a candidate is 32 years. For reserved category candidates, there will be age relaxation. Category-wise, age relaxation is mentioned below.
Educational qualification for the IRS exam is very simple. Aspirants with bachelor’s degrees from a Central University/ State University/ Open University/ Private University, or Deemed University are eligible to apply. Candidates who graduated through distance learning or correspondence education are also eligible for this exam. Candidates must provide proof of eligibility from a competent authority/ institute/ university at the time of the main examination; otherwise, they will not be permitted to take the exam.
A few things candidates must remember:
Here is the Nationality requirement from a candidate for the Indian Revenue Service exam mentioned below.
The number of times a candidate can take the UPSC IRS exam is mentioned in the table below.
| Category | No. of attempts |
| General | 6 |
| OBC | 9 |
| SC/ ST/ PWD | No limitations up to the maximum age limit. |
Candidates need to submit their online application to the UPSC official website.
As per the official calendar of the Union Public Service Commission, the IRS Prelims Exam date 2025 is 25th May 2025, and the Mains exam will take place from 22nd August 2025 onwards for the qualified candidates.
An aspirant needs to pay his/ her application fees at the time of submitting the application form. The category-wise detailed application fees are mentioned in the table below.
| Category | UPSC Exam Fee | Mains Exam Fee |
| General/ OBC/ EWS(Male) | Rs. 100 | Rs. 200 |
| Female | No Fee/Exempted | No Fee/Exempted |
| SC/ ST/ PWD Candidates | No Fee/Exempted | No Fee/Exempted |
UPSC only accepts applications that are submitted in online mode for any of its exams, including the IRS Exam 2025 Hence, candidates can not submit applications in any other way. Here is a step-by-step procedure mentioned below.
THE UPSC IRS 2025 admit Card is an essential document before appearing at the exam center. No candidate can enter the exam center without an admit card. UPSC usually releases the admit card for a particular exam a few weeks before the examination date. Candidates can download the UPSC 2025 IRS Admit Card from the official website. There will be separate admit cards for the prelims and main exams. Candidates who will qualify for the prelims exam will be allowed to take the main exam.
The UPSC Admit Card for the IRS 2025 exam has the following information.
Apart from the admit card, all the candidates must carry other essential documents with them on the exam day. Those are as follows.
All the candidates can download the UPSC IRS 2025 Admit Card from the official website. Here is the step-by-step guide to download the UPSC IRS 2025 Admit Card mentioned below.
UPSC mentioned a list of prelim and main exam centers with the official notification. Candidates had the opportunity to choose a few exam centers of his/ her convenience. The allocated exam center for a candidate will be mentioned on their admit card. Here are all the prelims and mains admit cards mentioned in the table below.
| Agar tala | Agra | Ahmedabad | Aizwal |
| Ajmer | Aligarh | Almora (Uttarakhand) | Anathapuru |
| Aurangabad | Bareilly | Bengaluru | Bhopal |
| Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) | Chandigarh | Chennai | Coimbatore |
| Cuttack | Dehradun | Delhi | Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) |
| Dharwar | Dispur | Faridabad | Gangtok |
| Gautam Buddh Nagar | Gaya | Ghaziabad | Gorakhpur |
| Gurgaon | Gwalior | Hyderabad | Imphal |
| Indore | Itanagar | Jabalpur | Jaipur |
| Jammu | Jodhpur | Jorhat | Kochi |
| Kohima | Kolkata | Kozhikode (Calicut) | Leh |
| Lucknow | Ludhiana | Madurai | Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) |
| Mumbai | Mysuru | Nagpur | Nasik |
| Navi Mumbai | Panaji (Goa) | Patna | Port Blair |
| Paraygraj (Allahabad) | Puducherry | Pune | Raipur |
| Rajkot | Ranchi | Sambalpur | Shillong |
| Shimla | Shiliguri | Srinagar | Srinagar (Uttarakhand) |
| Surat | Thane | Thiruvananthapuram | Tiruchirapalli |
| Tirupati | Udaipur | Varanasi | Vellore |
| Vijayawada | Vishakhapatnam | Warangal |
| Ahmedabad | Aizawl | Bengaluru | Bhopal |
| Chandigarh | Chennai | Cuttack | Dehradun |
| Delhi | Dehradun | Dispur (Guwahati) | Hyderabad |
| Jaipur | Jammu | Kolkata | Lucknow |
| Mumbai | Patna | Prayagraj (Allahabad) | Raipur |
| Ranchi | Shillong | Shillong | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Vijayawada |
The IRS Exam Pattern is divided into three parts: Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. UPSC conducts all three phases of this exam to identify appropriate candidates for the posts. A candidate’s academic expertise and ability to present themselves consistently and steadily through these three phases are identified. The Examination pattern in the UPSC India Revenue Services is given below.
The Preliminary Exam is the starting stage or the introductory phase of the UPSC IRS examination. Candidates must prepare for two papers: General Studies & Aptitude Test for Civil Service. The question papers are in the Hindi and English languages. However, English language skills questions would only be in English.
| Prelim Exam Papers | Marks |
| Paper I: General Studies | 200 |
| Paper II: Aptitude Test | 200 |
Candidates acquiring the minimum qualifying marks can only be eligible to appear for the mains examination of the IRS (Indian Revenue Service) Mains Exam 2025.
| Exam Paper | Marks |
| Paper A: Compulsory Indian Language | 300 |
| Paper B: English | 300 |
| Paper I: Essay | 250 |
| Paper II: General Studies I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, Geography of the World and Society) | 250 |
| Paper III: General Studies II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations) | 250 |
| Paper IV: General Studies III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security and Disaster Management) | 250 |
| Paper V: General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude) | 250 |
| Paper VI: Optional Subject Paper I | 250 |
| Paper VII: Optional Subject Paper II | 250 |
| Total Marks | 1750 |
The marks secured for both the Preliminary & Mains are the key elements for selecting the Interview process. The total marks of both Mains & Interview will be the result.
| Total Marks in Mains Exam | 1750 |
| Personality Test | 275 |
| Overall Marks | 2025 |
The UPSC IRS Exam has three phases: Preliminary, Main, and Interview.
The detailed syllabus of the Preliminary Exam evaluates the aspirant’s knowledge and understanding of current events and skills in aptitude. The detailed syllabus of the Preliminary and Main Exams is mentioned below.
Paper I: General Studies
Paper-II: Aptitude Test
The main examination syllabus is from the Subject selected by the candidate. The Main Exam consists of a total of 9 Papers.
Here is a list of the compulsory Indian Languages and Scripts mentioned below.
| Indian Languages | Scripts |
| Assamese | Assamese |
| Bengali | Bengali |
| Gujarati | Gujarati |
| Hindi | Devanagari |
| Kannada | Kannada |
| Kashmiri | Persian |
| Konkani | Devanagari |
| Malayalam | Malayalam |
| Manipuri | Bengali |
| Marathi | Devanagari |
| Nepali | Devanagari |
| Odia | Odia |
| Punjabi | Gurumukhi |
| Sanskrit | Devanagari |
| Sindhi | Devanagari or Arbi |
| Tamil | Tamil |
| Telegu | Telegu |
| Urdu | Persian |
| Bodo | Devanagari |
| Dogri | Devanagari |
| Maithili | Devanagari |
| Santhali | Devanagari or Olchiki |
This year, the UPSC has not conducted the prelims and mains exams. Therefore, the result and cutoff marks will be published only when both phases are completed.
After completing the IRS selection processes, UPSC will release the results on the official website. The addition of both the marks in the UPSC Main Exam and the Personality Test will give the overall mark. The name and roll number of all the shortlisted candidates will be declared in the merit list. The results are expected to be released within 3 to 4 weeks after the examination.
UPSC will release the Preliminary and Main Exam results on the official website separately. Aspirants who have taken the exam can check the results of either exam on the website by following the instructions.
Candidates need to secure good marks in each step (preliminary, mains, and interview) to be able to qualify for this UPSC IRS 2025 Exam. The candidates who will score more than the Cutoff marks/ qualifying marks in the UPSC Preliminary Exam will get a chance to appear in the Main Exam. The UPSC will declare the final cutoff marks after the Main Exam and Interview.
The salary structure of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Officers selected through the UPSC exam get a wealth package. However, the actual salary may vary from one department to another. The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Officers will have many benefits apart from their salary. Here is an approximate salary structure of the IRS Officers mentioned in the table below.
| Designation of the IRS Officer | Pay Scale | Grade Pay | Approx Salary |
| Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 15,600 – 39,100 | Rs.5,400 | Rs. 56,100 – 1,77,500 |
| Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 15,600 – 39,100 | Rs. 6,600 | Rs. 67,700 – 2,08,700 |
| Joint Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 15,600 – 39,100 | Rs. 7,600 | Rs. 78,800 – 2,09,200 |
| Additional Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 37,400 – 67,000 | Rs. 8,700 | Rs. 1,23,100 – 2,15,900 |
| Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 37,400-67,000 | Rs. 10,000 | Rs. 1,44,200 – 2,18,200 |
| Principal Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 75,500-80,000 | Fixed | Rs. 1,82,200 – 2,24,100 |
| Chief Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 75,500-80,000 | Rs. 2,05,400 – 2,24,400 | |
| Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax | Rs. 80,000 | Rs. 2,25,000 |
The candidates have to go through some intensive preparation for the UPSC IRS 2025 exam. Candidates need to follow a well-planned study arrangement throughout their preparation for the exam. All the candidates should understand the exam pattern well and go through the previous years’ questions completely to understand the categories of the test. Here are a few points for the candidates mentioned below:
Aspirants need to study the UPSC IRS 2025 syllabus published on the official website before starting to prepare for the exam. This is the foundation for preparing for the UPSC IRS Exam 2025. It will help them to select their goal and to move forward step-by-step. Without the idea of the syllabus, an aspirant can not do better in the exam.
Candidates must download the previous year’s question papers to learn the question types and weightage of each section of the syllabus. After that, the candidates need to check the exam pattern of the UPSC IRS 2025 to become familiar with the question papers. They must look into the topics paper-wise to have a clear idea from which topic how many questions can come. It will help in boosting their performances and give them confidence.
An aspirant needs to prepare a precise study plan to crack the UPSC IRS 2025 Exam. They need to make a table/ chart to prepare for this exam on a daily/ weekly/ monthly basis. Candidates can follow the study plan before the exam to be prepared well for this exam. Candidates need to complete each section of the syllabus according to the study plan.
Candidates need to collect books and well-versed study materials from reliable sources. There are lots of study materials available on the internet too. Candidates need to identify the best books and materials to prepare for the UPSC IRS 2025 Exam.
Candidates can take mock tests to identify their weaknesses. Giving mock tests from time to time helps candidates judge their preparation level and helps them prepare better for their exams. Therefore, candidates must include mock tests in their UPSC IRS 2025 Exam preparation.
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The UPSC exam is given for IRS. The UPSC exam includes IPS, IAS, IRS, and IFS, among others. Also, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the IRS exam to fill the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) positions.
Yes, the exam for IRS and IAS is the same. UPSC conducts a single civil service exam for more than 20 services. IRS and IAS are two of them. A candidate will get into IRS or IAS depending on their rank and interest. Top-rank holders are selected for the IAS, and lower-rank holders are chosen for the IRS. However, the exam for IRS and IAS is the same.
IRS falls under the UPSC’s civil servant exam, and it is one of the 20 services that also includes IAS (Indian Administrative Services). Therefore, the IRS exam is the toughest exam to crack out of all civil services exams. It is one of the toughest exams in India.
Yes, UPSC conducts civil service examinations for more than 20 services. The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) exam is one of those services and comes under the UPSC exam.
Serving for the Indian Revenue Service is a good career path. IRS includes only class A services that hold great potential for progression. A third category IRS officer can level up to the second and first category, Counsellor and then High Commissioner. Along with it, the IRS career path is prestigious and lucrative.
Authored by, Amay Mathur | Senior Editor
Amay Mathur is a business news reporter at Chegg.com. He previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. His areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. He is a Columbia University graduate.
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Chegg India does not ask for money to offer any opportunity with the company. We request you to be vigilant before sharing your personal and financial information with any third party. Beware of fraudulent activities claiming affiliation with our company and promising monetary rewards or benefits. Chegg India shall not be responsible for any losses resulting from such activities.
