What is the in-hand salary at Level 18?

In-hand salary at Level 18 depends on your basic pay (which sits within the pay-matrix row), your city category (X / Y / Z) and the prevailing DA rate (currently 60% from January 2026). For the entry cell of ₹2,50,000 in a Y-category city, the in-hand monthly salary works out to roughly basic + 60% DA + 20% HRA + transport + DA on transport, less NPS (10%), CGHS, CGEIS and any TDS. Use the calculator on this page to see the exact number for your situation.

What will my Level 18 salary be under the 8th CPC?

Under the projected 8th Pay Commission (analyst estimate, not yet official), Level 18 basic pay multiplies by a fitment factor of about 1.92×. Starting basic of ₹2,50,000 therefore moves to approximately ₹4,80,000 when the new commission is implemented. DA resets to 0% on day one and accrues again from there. Final figures depend on the actual fitment factor and allowance structure the government notifies — the 1.92× value is an analyst projection only.

What is the Grade Pay for Level 18?

Level 18 corresponds to Cab. Sec. Scale under the legacy 6th CPC pay-band system. Although Grade Pay was discontinued under the 7th CPC's new pay-matrix structure in 2016, the term is still widely used for cadre-mapping, recruitment notifications and seniority lists.

How does annual increment work at Level 18?

Increments are awarded each year on 1 July (or 1 January, post-2016 OM, whichever is applicable to your service). Each increment moves you one cell forward in the Level 18 row of the pay matrix — typically a ~3% raise. To be eligible for an increment, you must have completed at least 6 months of service at the current cell as of the increment date.

Cabinet Secretary · Cab. Sec. Scale

Level 18 — 7th CPC Pay Matrix & Salary

Level 18 is the highest civilian pay grade in the Government of India — fixed at ₹2,50,000 — applicable only to the Cabinet Secretary, the seniormost civil servant of the country.

Quick Snapshot

Starting Basic

₹2,50,000

Maximum Basic

₹7,92,000

Grade Pay

Cab. Sec. Scale

Pay Band

Cabinet Secretary

Level 18 In-Hand Salary Calculator

Pick your basic pay cell, city category and DA rate to see your monthly take-home — plus the projected 8th CPC figure.

Your Details

Basic Pay (cell from Level 18 matrix)

City Category

DA %60%

Salary BreakdownPer month

7th CPC (Current)

Basic Pay₹2,50,000

DA (60%)₹1,50,000

HRA (30%)₹75,000

Transport (TA + DA)₹11,520

Gross₹4,86,520

NPS (10%)− ₹40,000

CGHS + CGEIS− ₹1,620

Income Tax (TDS)− ₹1,05,570

Net Take-Home₹3,39,330

8th CPC Projection (×1.92 fitment)

New Basic₹4,80,000

Net (DA reset to 0%)₹4,11,284

Level 18 Pay Matrix — All 40 Cells

Each cell represents one annual increment. You move one cell forward every 1 July (or 1 January, per your service rules).

Annual increments for Level 18 from cell 1 to cell 40.
Cell	Basic Pay (₹)	Approx Gross (Y city, DA 60%)
1	₹2,50,000	≈ ₹4,50,000
2	₹2,57,500	≈ ₹4,63,500
3	₹2,65,200	≈ ₹4,77,360
4	₹2,73,200	≈ ₹4,91,760
5	₹2,81,400	≈ ₹5,06,520
6	₹2,89,800	≈ ₹5,21,640
7	₹2,98,500	≈ ₹5,37,300
8	₹3,07,500	≈ ₹5,53,500
9	₹3,16,700	≈ ₹5,70,060
10	₹3,26,200	≈ ₹5,87,160
11	₹3,36,000	≈ ₹6,04,800
12	₹3,46,100	≈ ₹6,22,980
13	₹3,56,500	≈ ₹6,41,700
14	₹3,67,200	≈ ₹6,60,960
15	₹3,78,200	≈ ₹6,80,760
16	₹3,89,500	≈ ₹7,01,100
17	₹4,01,200	≈ ₹7,22,160
18	₹4,13,200	≈ ₹7,43,760
19	₹4,25,600	≈ ₹7,66,080
20	₹4,38,400	≈ ₹7,89,120
21	₹4,51,600	≈ ₹8,12,880
22	₹4,65,100	≈ ₹8,37,180
23	₹4,79,100	≈ ₹8,62,380
24	₹4,93,500	≈ ₹8,88,300
25	₹5,08,300	≈ ₹9,14,940
26	₹5,23,500	≈ ₹9,42,300
27	₹5,39,200	≈ ₹9,70,560
28	₹5,55,400	≈ ₹9,99,720
29	₹5,72,100	≈ ₹10,29,780
30	₹5,89,300	≈ ₹10,60,740
31	₹6,07,000	≈ ₹10,92,600
32	₹6,25,200	≈ ₹11,25,360
33	₹6,44,000	≈ ₹11,59,200
34	₹6,63,300	≈ ₹11,93,940
35	₹6,83,200	≈ ₹12,29,760
36	₹7,03,700	≈ ₹12,66,660
37	₹7,24,800	≈ ₹13,04,640
38	₹7,46,500	≈ ₹13,43,700
39	₹7,68,900	≈ ₹13,84,020
40	₹7,92,000	≈ ₹14,25,600

About Level 18 — Cabinet Secretary

The Cabinet Secretary chairs the Committee of Secretaries, coordinates between all Union ministries, oversees the bureaucracy and acts as the principal adviser to the Prime Minister on civil service matters. There is exactly one Cabinet Secretary at any time, traditionally drawn from the IAS.

Common posts at Level 18

Cabinet Secretary

Promotion ladder

Level 18 is the apex civilian post — there is no further promotion. Tenure is normally two years, extendable by the ACC.

Available on Android

Install CG Seva for the full experience

Calculators, leave tracker, document vault, retirement countdown, official orders and AI Assistant — built specifically for Indian Central Government employees.

Ad-free experience
The web shows ads to keep calculators free. Inside the app — zero ads, ever.
Offline calculators
Run pay slip, DA, HRA and pension calculations even with no signal.
Push alerts for orders
Get instant notifications the moment dopt.gov.in publishes a new order.
Document vault
Store APAR, payslips, posting orders securely — encrypted and offline-accessible.