To become an Income Tax Officer, one should first of all enter the Income Tax Department as Income Tax Inspector or Tax Assistant. Then they can get promotion to the designation of Income Tax Officer after qualifying the departmental examination. First step required for joining as Income Tax Inspector or Tax Assistant is to qualify Combined Graduate Level examination. After that, personal interview is there for Income Tax Inspector post and Skill test is there for Tax Assistant post. Interested aspirants can apply for this All India Level competitive exam either online or offline.

Eligibility requirements

Educational requirements - Aspirants who want to appear for the written examination should complete their graduation (any discipline) from any University/College approved by University Grants Commission (UGC).

Age requirements - Maximum age limit specified to apply for the written examination is 27 years while minimum age limit is 18 years. Upper age relaxation of 3 years will be given for OBC candidates while 5 years will be given for SC/ST candidates.

Exam Pattern

Written Examination - Two separate sections are there in the written examination that is Tier I and Tier II. Those who get qualified in Tier I can appear for Tier –II examination. Duration specified to complete Tier I is 2 hours while for Tier II is 4 hours. Subjects included in Tier I are

• General Intelligence + Reasoning
• General Awareness
• Numerical Aptitude
• English Comprehension

A total of 200 marks is specified for this section which is divided equally among these subjects.

Tier II includes the following subjects with 200 marks each.

• Arithmetical Abilities
• English Language and Comprehension

Total 100 questions will be there for Arithmetical Abilities while English Language and Comprehension include total 200 questions.

Candidates can score 1 mark for each right answer while they will lose 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.

Final Selection

Interview - Interview will include questions which test the personality of the candidates. There may be questions regarding the Income Tax Department, Corruption and other scenarios related to Taxation. A total of 100 marks are specified for the personal interview.

Skill Test - Data entry speed of the candidates is tested during the Skill Test. This test is conducted at the Regional/Sub Regional office of Staff Selection Commission. Candidates can qualify this test only if they possess a data entry speed of 2000 words per 15 minutes.

Application Procedure

Candidates can forward their application when the notification is published before the examination. While applying for the exam, candidates should indicate whether they are applying for Tax Assistant or Income Tax Inspector post. If the candidates prefer offline application procedure, then they should submit the forms at the Regional/Sub Regional offices of Staff Selection Commission after paying Rs. 100/- as Central Recruitment Fee Stamps (CRFS). Those who prefer online submission should perform Registration I and Registration II processes. After completing Registration I, candidates can take the print out of challan by which they can pay the fee at the nearest SBI branch. Candidates can also pay the fee by cash or through online payment. While doing Registration II, candidates should enter the details of fee payment. Forms can be submitted only after completing these two processes.