# Indian Revenue Service

The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) is a [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a) central civil service of the [Government of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/government-of-india) whose officers administer the country's tax laws, working under the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for income tax and the [Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-indirect-taxes-and-customs) (CBIC) for customs, excise, and goods and services tax. It exists in two main branches, Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) and Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes, also written Customs & Central Excise), and its officers are recruited through the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Constituted | In 1953 the Group A service was formally recognized as an independent Central Service and named the Indian Revenue Service<sup>[1](https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Documents/Aarohan-itd-2022-e-book.pdf)</sup> |
| Origins | A dedicated service for the Income Tax Department was established in 1944 with the motto "कोष मूलो दण्डः", "Treasury is the backbone of administration"<sup>[1](https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Documents/Aarohan-itd-2022-e-book.pdf)</sup> |
| Cadre strength (2010) | IRS (IT) 3,072 officers; IRS (C&CE) 2,378 officers in position as of 10 March 2010<sup>[2](https://accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/blogfiles/1375_civilservicessurveyreport2010.pdf)</sup> |
| Recruitment | Direct recruitment through the UPSC Civil Services Examination; appointment as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax at pay Level 10, Rs. 56,100 to 177,500<sup>[3](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)</sup> |
| Training | Sixteen months of professional induction training at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur, preceded by the Foundation Course at LBSNAA Mussoorie<sup>[4](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/CourseManual87FC634822655148691364.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)</sup> |
| Probation | Two years, with departmental examinations to be passed within the probation period<sup>[3](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)</sup> |
| Legal framework | Officers administer the Income-tax Act, 2025, which replaced the Income-tax Act, 1961 with effect from 1 April 2026<sup>[5](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/documents/d/guest/press-release-income-tax-act-2025-comes-into-force-from-01-april-2026-pdf)</sup> |

## Origins and history

The administrative roots of the service lie in the Income-tax Act, 1922, which gave tax authorities a specific nomenclature for the first time, and the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1924, which constituted the Board as a statutory body administering the Act<sup>[6](https://incometaxgujarat.gov.in/history-of-direct-taxation.php)</sup>.

**Early recruitment.** A dedicated service for the [Income Tax Department](https://www.edgepedia.org/income-tax-department) was established in 1944. The first batch of Income Tax Officers (Class-II) was directly recruited that year through the 1943 examination conducted by the Federal Service Commission for IA&AS and Allied Services, and recruitment of Income Tax Officers (Class-I) began in 1945 with 18 officers. After the [Union Public Service Commission](https://www.edgepedia.org/union-public-service-commission) was constituted, recruitment moved to the combined civil services examination, and in 1953 the service was recognized as an independent Central Service and named the Indian Revenue Service<sup>[1](https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Documents/Aarohan-itd-2022-e-book.pdf)</sup>. The Gujarat Income Tax Department's history records that the Group A service was formally constituted as the Indian Revenue Service in 1953<sup>[6](https://incometaxgujarat.gov.in/history-of-direct-taxation.php)</sup>.

The broader administrative framework developed alongside: in 1963 the Central Board of Revenue was bifurcated to form the Central Board of Direct Taxes, and the IRS (Direct Taxes) Staff College was established at Nagpur<sup>[7](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/en/history-of-direct-taxation?doAsUserId=P8dqHo7GMNv%2FXYXPfeJIUA%3D%3D%3FcategoryId%3D10191473%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D10191473%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787)</sup>.

## Two branches and their boards

**IRS (Income Tax)** officers serve under the CBDT, which handles recruitment, training, service conditions, and career prospects for Income Tax Department personnel<sup>[8](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/cbdt?doAsUserId=VtsTlFZAgq6YKyCMcIvFjw%3D%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193)</sup>. Their work includes assessment, investigation, search and seizure, recovery, and taxpayer services under the income-tax law<sup>[9](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/w/search-and-seizure)</sup>. The Department of Revenue processes empanelment of IRS officers of both CBDT and CBIC for posts of Additional Secretary and Secretary at the Centre<sup>[10](https://www.dor.gov.in/personnel-section)</sup>.

**IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes)** officers serve under the CBIC, which administers customs, central excise, and GST laws, including prevention of smuggling and administration of matters relating to narcotics within its purview<sup>[11](https://www.cbic.gov.in/entities/who-we-are)</sup>. Its field formations include custom houses, central excise and central GST commissionerates<sup>[11](https://www.cbic.gov.in/entities/who-we-are)</sup>. The board's recruitment rules for the IRS Group A service have been issued through successive gazette notifications, most recently GSR No. 438(E) dated 22 April 2016<sup>[12](https://www.dghrdcbic.gov.in/group_a/4)</sup>.

## Recruitment, training, and seniority

Direct recruits are appointed as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax. Terms of appointment specify pay in Level 10 of the pay matrix (Rs. 56,100 to 177,500), a mandatory Foundation Course at the [Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration](https://www.edgepedia.org/lal-bahadur-shastri-national-academy-of-administration) in [Mussoorie](https://www.edgepedia.org/mussoorie), and then a sixteen-month Induction Course at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur, which includes twelve weeks of on-the-job training in field offices<sup>[3](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)</sup>. Officers are on probation for two years and must pass departmental examinations during that period; the government may extend probation or terminate service if the examinations are not passed within the extended period<sup>[3](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)</sup>.

**Seniority rules.** For a batch, inter-se seniority is determined by aggregate marks weighted as follows: 67.5% from the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 10% from the Foundation Course, and 22.5% from the NADT induction training, scaled down from 1,800 marks to 675<sup>[3](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)</sup>.

NADT, known earlier as the Income-Tax Officers' Training College and the IRS Staff College, acquired the status of a National Academy in 1981. Along with its seven Direct Taxes Regional Training Institutes and twenty-three Ministerial Staff Training Units, it caters to the training needs of more than 52,000 officers and staff of the Income Tax Department<sup>[4](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/CourseManual87FC634822655148691364.pdf)</sup>.

## Cadre size and the 2010 civil services survey

A Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances survey conducted in 2010 covered three [All India Services](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-india-services) and seven Group A central services, among them the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) and the Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise)<sup>[13](https://www.studocu.com/in/document/vellore-institute-of-technology/public-policy-and-administration/civil-services-survey-2010-insights-on-reforms-and-civil-servants-perceptions/126417919?origin=related-document)</sup>. Cadre strength in the survey refers to the number of officers in position per the civil list, which differs from the authorized or sanctioned strength<sup>[13](https://www.studocu.com/in/document/vellore-institute-of-technology/public-policy-and-administration/civil-services-survey-2010-insights-on-reforms-and-civil-servants-perceptions/126417919?origin=related-document)</sup>.

As of 10 March 2010, IRS (IT) had 3,072 officers in position, of whom 570 (18.6% of cadre strength) responded to the survey; IRS (C&CE) had 2,378 officers, of whom 807 (33.9%) responded. Across all ten services, 4,808 of 18,432 officers responded, a 26.1% response rate<sup>[2](https://accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/blogfiles/1375_civilservicessurveyreport2010.pdf)</sup>. The survey's analysts noted that services with smaller cadre strengths recorded higher response rates than those with larger cadre strengths<sup>[14](https://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Civil_Services_Survey_2010.pdf)</sup>.

The survey also recorded structural grievances from non-IAS respondents across the services, who cited perceived disparity with the Indian Administrative Service as a major cause of inter-service rivalry and demoralization, and resented IAS control of senior positions and cadre management of other services<sup>[15](https://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Civil_Services_Survey_2010_0.pdf)</sup>.

## Recent context

The service continues to operate at scale. In November 2025 the Lok Sabha Speaker addressed officer trainees of the 76th batch of the Indian Revenue Service (C&IT) in the Parliament House complex, noting reforms in direct and indirect taxes and the GST framework<sup>[16](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2195511&lang=2&reg=48)</sup>. The legal environment its officers administer has also changed: the Income-tax Act, 2025 received presidential assent in August 2025 and came into force on 1 April 2026, replacing the six-decade-old Income-tax Act, 1961, with the corresponding Income-tax Rules, 2026 notified on 20 March 2026<sup>[5](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/documents/d/guest/press-release-income-tax-act-2025-comes-into-force-from-01-april-2026-pdf)</sup>.

## References

1. [Aarohan: Income Tax Department e-book (2022), Income Tax Department, Government of India](https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Documents/Aarohan-itd-2022-e-book.pdf)
2. [State of Civil Services Survey 2010, Table 1.3 (Government of India report, hosted by Accountability India)](https://accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/blogfiles/1375_civilservicessurveyreport2010.pdf)
3. [Terms and Conditions for Joining IRS (IT), National Academy of Direct Taxes, Nagpur](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/Joining%20Forms638690813111714247.pdf)
4. [NADT Course Manual, National Academy of Direct Taxes](https://www.nadt.gov.in/writereaddata/MenuContentImages/CourseManual87FC634822655148691364.pdf)
5. [Income-tax Act, 2025 comes into force from 1st April, 2026, CBDT press release](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/documents/d/guest/press-release-income-tax-act-2025-comes-into-force-from-01-april-2026-pdf)
6. [History of Taxation Post 1922, Income Tax Department, Ahmedabad](https://incometaxgujarat.gov.in/history-of-direct-taxation.php)
7. [History of Direct Taxation, Income Tax Department, Government of India](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/en/history-of-direct-taxation?doAsUserId=P8dqHo7GMNv%2FXYXPfeJIUA%3D%3D%3FcategoryId%3D10191473%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D10191473%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787)
8. [CBDT India: Composition and Functions, Income Tax Department](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/cbdt?doAsUserId=VtsTlFZAgq6YKyCMcIvFjw%3D%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D40193%3FcategoryId%3D39787%3FcategoryId%3D40193)
9. [Search and seizure, Income Tax Department](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/w/search-and-seizure)
10. [Personnel Section, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance](https://www.dor.gov.in/personnel-section)
11. [CBIC: Chairman and Who We Are, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs](https://www.cbic.gov.in/entities/who-we-are)
12. [Recruitment Rules of IRS (Group A), Directorate General of Human Resource Development, CBIC](https://www.dghrdcbic.gov.in/group_a/4)
13. [Civil Services Survey 2010: Insights on Reforms and Civil Servants' Perceptions (overview document)](https://www.studocu.com/in/document/vellore-institute-of-technology/public-policy-and-administration/civil-services-survey-2010-insights-on-reforms-and-civil-servants-perceptions/126417919?origin=related-document)
14. [Civil Services Survey 2010 report, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances](https://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Civil_Services_Survey_2010.pdf)
15. [Civil Services Survey 2010 report (Chapter 15), Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances](https://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Civil_Services_Survey_2010_0.pdf)
16. [Lok Sabha Speaker addresses officer trainees of the 76th batch of the Indian Revenue Service (C&IT), Press Information Bureau, 27 November 2025](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2195511&lang=2&reg=48)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Commercial, financial, and employment law › Tax law and taxation*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license