IRS Officer: Uniform, Promotion, Work, Life of an IRS Officer

What is IRS Officer?

IRS officer full form is Indian Revenue Service officer who is responsible for planning and implementing the policies on tax and revenue generation for the country. The primary responsibility of IRS officers is to levy and collect taxes and book all those accused of tax violations. Learn more about the IRS officer profile by reading the information in the sections below.

Life of IRS Officer

The life of an IRS officer is filled with many ups and downs. To state the obvious, work life is not easy and is concerned with dealing with financial matters of the country. An IRS Officer is required to have the following set of skills to order to perform their duties well:

• Analytical Skills
• Good Communication
• Leadership traits
• Decision-making skills
• Research Skills
• Patience

But before starting with the UPSC preparation, it is important to check out the reasons to become an IRS officer as listed hereunder:

• There is zero or limited political interference in the work of IRS officer which makes it a convenient option as compared to IAS or IPS.
• Those interested in revenue and taxation should choose IRS over other civil services.
• More stable job in terms of tenure as compared to IAS or IPS.
• More work-life balance and less work pressure for Indian Revenue Service officers as compared to other civil services.

Since you have got an idea about the skills and the reasons one should opt for IRS, now is the time to understand the daily routine in the life of an IRS officer. After clearing the UPSC Prelims, Mains, and Interview, the Commission releases a final list of candidates who can join the Indian Revenue Service. Those candidates must attend 4 months of foundational training in Nagpur at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT). After its completion, they get 16 months of extensive professional training in specially designed modules for laws, taxation, fiscal policy, allied accounting, public finances, office procedures, etc. During this training period, they also get a chance to learn the taxation practices followed worldwide by going out of India and also get a chance to visit various organizations and offices across India to get field experience.

Roles and Responsibilities of IRS Officer

If you are preparing to clear the IRS exam, you must be familiar with the roles and responsibilities associated with the IRS officer profile. The following are the roles and responsibilities of an IRS officer:

• Tax Administration: An important role of an IRS officer is to levy and collect taxes. It includes proper maintenance of records of the collection of revenue, ensuring that the tax violators must be punished on appropriate terms, etc.
• Formulation of Policies: IRS officers are involved in forming policies and implementing changes in the existing policies on taxes in collaboration with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• Curbing Black Money: Including negotiations on international agreements with other tax jurisdictions that might lead to an increase in the black money accumulation by the citizens.

IRS Officer Uniform

The IRS officers (C&CE) are required to wear a prescribed uniform up to the rank of Deputy Commissioner. It means there is no prescribed uniform for officers holding higher ranks. Some other details on the IRS officer uniform are given below:

• There is no uniform for IRS IT Officers.
• For Indian Revenue Service Central Excise officers, the color of the uniform is Khaki with stars on the shoulders and I.R.S. is written on the shoulder plate, the same as IPS.
• Just like the Indian Navy uniform, the Customs officers wear a white colored uniform with golden and black stripes on the shoulder.

IRS Officer Salary

While learning about the life of an IRS officer, it is also crucial to know about their salaries and career prospects. The starting salary of an Indian Revenue Service Officer is Rs. 56,100 per month with grade pay of Rs. 5400, while the highest salary is Rs. 2,25,000 for the post of Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax. Go through the following table to learn about the IRS Officer salary in detail:

Rank/Post	Grade Pay	Pay Band	IRS Officer Salary Per Month
Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax	₹ 5,400	₹ 15,600-39,100	₹ 56,100 – 1,77,500
Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax	₹ 6,600	₹ 15,600-39,100	₹ 67,700 – 2,08,700
Joint Commissioner of IT	₹ 7,600	₹ 15,600-39,100	₹ 78,800 – 2,09,200
Additional Commissioner of Income Tax	₹ 8,700	₹ 37,400-67,000	₹ 1,23,100 – 2,15,900
Commissioner of Income Tax	₹ 10,000	₹ 37,400-67,000	₹ 1,44,200 – 2,18,200
Principal Commissioner of Income Tax	Fixed	₹ 75,500-80,000	₹ 1,82,200 – 2,24,100
Chief Commissioner of Income Tax		₹ 75,500-80,000	₹ 2,05,400 – 2,24,400
Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax		₹ 80,000	₹ 2,25,000 (Fixed)

IRS Officer Career Prospects

There are multiple options available to IRS officers, which makes this profile even more interesting:

• They have the option to be posted overseas.
• IRS officers are experts in taxation-related work. Therefore, they have the option to join the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Intelligence Bureau (IB).
• They can also work as Income Tax Ombudsman.
• They can serve in Ministries of the Union Government.
• IRS Officers can also work as a chairperson of CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes).

IRS Officer Facilities

Apart from the basic IRS officer salary which ranges from Rs. 15,600 to Rs. 39,100, there are various other facilities available to them.

• IRS Officer House: A well-maintained accommodation is provided to them by the Central Government.
• Travel allowances, Dearness Allowances, City Compensatory Allowances, Automobiles, etc. are provided to them.
• A car with a driver.

However, these services are associated with the ranks of the officers. For many newly created posts, some of these facilities might not be available in the beginning.

IRS Officer Training

After the final selection was done through the UPSC exam, IRS officers training is initiated in Nagpur at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT). It is a four-month foundation course after which IRS officers get 16 extensive months of training in modules specially designed on accounting, taxation, fiscal policy, office procedures, public finances, and so on. During the training period, they are also sent to various field offices and organizations all over India and abroad to give global exposure to the best taxation practices worldwide.

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