The Indian Air Force is well-known for its prestigious, rewarding, and adventurous career. As a result, many officers want to have in-depth knowledge of the salary structure, pay scales, and allowances meant for various ranks. Though an officer’s rank, branch, and years of service determine his financial spectrum, all ranks provide adequate salary and allowances that increase with experience and promotion.
The salary structure for an officer in the Indian Air Force ranges from top to bottom based on rank and years of experience. Officers with experience of 5 to 9 years have an annual base salary of approximately INR 6,03,000. This increases to roughly INR 7,80,000 for serving officers in service for a period of 10 to 19 years, while those officers who have served for more than 20 years are paid an approximate annual amount of INR 8,95,050. Please note that these figures are only approximate and may vary depending on the increase in promotion and different branches of service.
Starting monthly gross emoluments for Flying Officers in the IAF vary according to branch. For instance, the approximate gross emolument per month for the Ground Duty branch is about INR 54,860, while that for the Technical branch is roughly INR 57,360. The highest, by branch, is for the Flying branch, with a gross emolument of approximately INR 66,110 per month.
Aside from the basic salary, an officer in the IAF is entitled to several allowances. The newly inducted Flying Officers receive a Military Service Pay of INR 6,000 per month which constitutes the basic pay and, hence, affects the amount that is received as Dearness Allowance and House Rent Allowance. Grade Pay for these officers is INR 5,400 per month and the Kit Maintenance Allowance of INR 500 monthly. Transport Allowance: It depends on the place of posting. The amount is INR 3,200 plus DA in major metro cities and INR 1,600 plus DA in other areas. Flying Allowance: The newly inducted officers in the Flying branch get a flying allowance of INR 11,250 per month. Technical Allowance: For officers in the Technical branch, the amount has been tabulated as INR 2,500 for a lower-tier course and INR 3,750 for a higher-tier course per month.
The rank of Flying Officer has an initial fixed stipend of INR 56,100 per month during training. After training, though, it has a starting basic pay of INR 15,600 that extends to INR 39,100-pay band level linked to it is PB 3. In addition, the basic pay is complemented by fixed and variable components and allowances officers receive.
Monthly Emoluments – Pay Band and Grade Pay as per the existing scale-Corresponding Level as per the 7th Pay Commission
In this regard, the 7th Pay Commission has prepared a list of the monthly salaries of IAF officers based on rank as well as the number of years served. The salary of a flying officer would range between INR 56,100-1,77,500, and the salary scale of a Wing Commander varies between INR 1,21,200-2,12,400. At higher ranks, the scale is as follows: an Air Commodore draws between INR 1,39,600-2,18,200 whereas an Air Vice Marshal draws between INR 1,44,200-2,18,200.
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