Short Summary
HOW TO BECOME AN INCOME TAX INSPECTOR THROUTH SSC CGL
BY: ANKITA SHARMA, VIDHYARTHI DARPAN
Government jobs are lucrative and most favored among youths. One such respectable post is of Income Tax Inspector. The income tax department is far more challenging than how it is portrayed in movies. Apart from elevated social status, serving under a reputed organization imparts a sense of satisfaction that is not present in the private sector. It is the reason why most of the youth, newly graduates study hard to fix a post in such government institutions.
The journey towards becoming a Gazette officer starts from acquiring a thorough knowledge of the type of position you want. The Income Tax Inspectors are recruited in two ways: through UPSC and SSC. In this article, we will be discussing the whole procedure of how you can become an Income Tax Inspector through SSC CGL.
Read on to know more about it!
WHO IS AN INCOME TAX INSPECTOR?
An Income Tax Inspector (ITI) is a Group “C” functionary post under the Income Tax Department working for the apex body Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). They are mainly responsible for keeping account of direct tax collection from big corporations & organizations, assess income tax returns, and analyze & report possible tax discrepancies or fraud. It is a prestigious and remunerative post held by reputed officials with a high-paying salary.
HOW TO BECOME AN INCOME TAX INSPECTOR THROUGH SSC CGL?
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination for graduates to fill vacancies of various Group B and Group C posts falling under the Government of India. One can become an Income Tax Inspector by giving and acing this exam held once a year. SSC CGL is a national level exam that offers job opportunities to people in various governmental ministries, institutions, and bodies. It is a four-stage examination starting from Tier 1 to Tier 4 with the varying difficulty level.
To become an Income Tax Inspector, the candidate only requires to attempt Tier 1 (Preliminary), Tier 2 (Paper 1 & 2), and Tier 3 (Descriptive Test). Tier 4 is not applicable for ITI, thus can be skipped.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERION
A) Qualification
Since SSC CGL is a graduate-level exam, applicants must possess a valid bachelor’s degree in any field/discipline from any recognized university or equivalent.
B) Age Limit
For the post of Income Tax Inspector, the general category upper age limit is 30 years. However, categories other than General have the privilege of age relaxation. Age relaxation of various categories to fulfill the eligibility criterion is depicted in the table below:
| Category | Age Relaxation |
| OBC | 3 years |
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| PH + General | 10 years |
| PH + OBC | 13 years |
| PH + SC/ST | 15 years |
| Ex-Servicemen (General) | 3 years |
| Ex-Servicemen (OBC) | 6 years |
| Ex-Servicemen (SC/ST) | 8 years |
C) Fee
The application fee is Rs. 100 for general/OBC candidates. Women (of all categories), SC/ST, PwD, and Ex-Servicemen are exempted from paying.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
Candidate needs to apply for SSC CGL through the official website. It is mandatory for the candidate to give first 3 exams (Tiers) for ITI recruitment.
i) Tier 1 (Preliminary)
Tier 1 is the qualifying exam consisting of one computer-based paper. The four sections, each comprising of 25 questions, need to be solved for 200 marks. The duration of the examination is 1 hour or 60 minutes.
A negative-marking of 0.5 marks is assigned for every wrong answer. However, no mark will be deducted if the question is un-attempted.
| Subject | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Exam Duration |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 50 | 60 minutes(80 minutes – For VH/ OH) |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 | |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 | |
| TOTAL | 100 | 200 |
ii) Tier 2 – Paper 1 & 2 (Mains)
In SSC CGL, the tier 2 exam consists of 4 individual papers. It is a computer-based online exam with Paper 1 (Quantitative Ability), Paper 3 (Statistics), and Paper 4 (General Studies – Finance & Economics) consisting of 100 multiple choice questions denoting two marks each. Paper 2 (English Language & Comprehension) has 200 questions, carrying one mark each. The duration span of each paper is 2 hours or 120 minutes.
The penalty for each incorrect or wrongly attempted question in Paper 1, 3 & 4 is a 0.5 mark. There is a deduction of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer in Paper 2 (English Language & Comprehension).
For the post of ITI, a candidate needs to attempt only Paper 1 & 2 and score as much as possible.
| Paper | Subject | Number of questions | Maximum marks | Exam Duration |
| 1 | Quantitative Ability | 100 | 200 | 120 minutes |
| 2 | English Language & Comprehension | 200 | 200 | 120 minutes |
| 3 | Statistics | 100 | 200 | 120 minutes |
| 4 | General Studies (Finance & Economics) | 100 | 200 | 120 minutes |
iii) Tier 3 – Descriptive Test
Tier 3 is a pen-paper based descriptive test assessing a candidate’s writing language and vocabulary skills. It is an hour-long exam constituting 100 marks. Candidates can opt for the exam in either English or Hindi language. The question generally asked, but not limited to, are Letter and Application Writing for 50 marks each.
| Scheme of Examination | Maximum Marks | Exam Duration |
| Descriptive paper in English/Hindi (Writing of Essay/ Precis/ Letter/ Application etc.) | 100 | 60 minutes(80 minutes for VH/ OH) |
2) Cutoffs
Since it is a reputed central government post, the cutoff goes comparatively high from other posts recruited through SSC CGL. One needs to score 500+ marks out of an overall 700 marks (Tier 1 + Tier 2 + Tier 3). The official cutoff score for Income Tax Inspector for the various category is represented in the below table:
Cut-off
| Category | Cut-off Marks (Out of 700) |
| General | 578.75 |
| OBC | 557.75 |
| SC | 515.25 |
| ST | 511.50 |
| Ex-Servicemen | 482.50 |
| OH | 489.50 |
| HH | 473.00 |
AFTER SELECTION
After successfully getting into merit, the candidates undergo an 8–12-week training in respective central institutions per their zonal preference. There are presently 18 zones of the IT Department from which candidates can choose as per their necessity and inclination. The training occurs at DTRTI (Direct Taxes Regional Training Institute) in one of the ten allotted regions. It includes learning tax laws, getting acquainted with various administrative protocols, financial accounting & advance accounting, capital & revenue expenditure, exposure to real-life situations and solutions, research training, etc.
An Income Tax Inspector’s job profile generally comprises assessment (desk work) and non-assessment (on-field work) tasks. As a desk job, you will principally handle tax claims and returns along with dissolving queries regarding TDS (Tax Deduction at Source). When posted on non-assessment work, you will deal with field works, conduct surprise raids with a team, and confront false income returns by companies that will become a common occurrence. Being an ITI can be tedious at times but the excellent social status that it offers is worth it.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To work in the prestigious Income Tax Department demands utmost devotion and commitment. The following are the duties and responsibilities of the Income Tax Inspector:
1) To evaluate the income tax returns of an individual or company
2) Conduct an external survey that includes home-to-home, shop-to-shop inquiry, etc.
3) Accumulate and assess the information from the Custom & Excise Department, Sales Tax Department, Banks, Railway Station, etc.
4) Conduct special surveys at a wedding or events where a large amount of money is spent.
5) General inquiries regarding anonymous complaints, complaints of tax evasion, deceitful transactions, assets owned by the taxpayer, implications received from other departments, etc.
6) Summon notices in illegal and unethical cases
7) Assist in ITOs central circles in the examination of accounts and execution of distress orders.
8) Acquisition of property work
CAREER GROWTH
Income tax inspector is merely the first step towards serving the nation with pride. Through timely promotions, the morale of the personnel is kept at par. The increment in position occurs through departmental exams. The promotions in order are as follows:
1) Income Tax Officer (ITO) in 4-6 years of service
2) The Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax (ACIT) in 10-12 years of service
3) Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT)
4) Joint Commissioner of Income Tax (JCIT)
5) Additional Commissioner of Income Tax (ADCIT)
6) Commissioner of Income Tax
It takes tremendous experience and dedication to conquer each stage.
SALARY AND PERKS
Serving under the central government pays a fortune. Compared to private firms, government jobs assure security, definitive pay, additional perks such as Dearance allowance, transport allowance, paid leaves, house rent allowance, the mobile bill (limited), and other allowances.
The grade pay of an Income Tax Inspector is 4600 with basic pay of Rs. 9300 – 34800.
