Rs. 35,400 basic pay. That's the number every SSC CPO aspirant Googles at 2 AM before an exam. But basic pay is not what lands in your bank account, and if nobody has explained that to you clearly yet, this post will.
The Delhi Police SI post, recruited through the SSC CPO exam, is one of the most fought-over uniformed jobs in the country right now. Not because of the badge alone — because of what the salary slip actually looks like once DA, HRA, and the police-specific perks are added on top of the basic. Let's break it down, line by line, no vague statements.
Three reasons, and none of them are "it's a government job."
• Posting location is fixed — you serve in Delhi, the national capital, which means X-category HRA (the highest slab in the country).
• Promotional avenues are fast — SI to Inspector, then ACP, then DCP over a career. Very few Group B posts move this quickly.
• It's Group B, Non-Gazetted, Non-Ministerial — meaning better pay level than most SSC CGL posts at entry, with faster field exposure.
Now let's talk numbers.
• Pay Scale: Rs. 35,400 – Rs. 1,12,400
• Grade Pay (pre-7th CPC equivalent): Rs. 4,200
• Basic Pay at entry: Rs. 35,400
This is the starting cell of Level 6. Every increment you earn — annual, or through promotion — moves you further along this same matrix, not into a new scale.
| Component | Approx. Amount (Rs.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Pay | 35,400 | Fixed entry point, Level 6 |
| Dearness Allowance (DA) | ~55% of Basic ≈ 19,470 | Revised twice a year, keeps rising |
| House Rent Allowance (HRA) | 27% of Basic ≈ 9,558 | Delhi is X-category city, highest HRA slab |
| Transport Allowance (TA) | ~3,600 (+DA on TA) | Fixed slab for this pay level |
| Gross Salary | ≈ 70,000 – 72,000 | Before deductions |
Note: DA percentage changes with every revision (January and July), so this figure moves. Always check the latest DA rate before you calculate your own numbers — don't rely on old YouTube videos with 2021 DA rates.
This is the part that shocks freshers the most. Gross salary is not in-hand salary. Here's what gets cut every month:
• NPS (National Pension System): 10% of (Basic + DA), deducted from your side. The government matches this with 14%.
• CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme): A fixed slab, roughly Rs. 350–650 depending on your basic pay bracket.
• CGEGIS (Group Insurance Scheme): A small fixed monthly deduction, usually Rs. 120–500 depending on your scheme slab./p>
• Professional Tax / Income Tax: Applicable once your gross crosses the taxable slab, varies per individual.
Add these up and you're typically looking at Rs. 8,000 – 10,000 in total monthly deductions for a fresh SI.
Gross salary of roughly Rs. 70,000–72,000, minus deductions of Rs. 8,000–10,000.
Net in-hand salary for a Delhi Police SI: approximately Rs. 60,000 – 63,000 per month at entry level.
This is before any night duty allowance, overtime, or risk-related payments that police staff often get on top, depending on posting and deployment.
This is where the job pulls ahead of a regular desk-based SSC post.
• Uniform Allowance — a fixed annual amount for maintaining uniform, boots, and kit. Not huge, but it's a genuine addition, not a paper entry.
• Ration Money / Special Allowance — police personnel get a ration money allowance that effectively works out to something extra beyond the 12 monthly salaries. Aspirants often call this the "13th-month salary," and while it's not literally a bonus month's pay, the cumulative annual value does function that way.
• Free or subsidized quarters —if you're allotted police accommodation, your HRA gets adjusted, but you save heavily on Delhi's rent.
• Medical cover through CGHS —for you and dependents, at a fraction of private insurance cost.
Nobody prepares aspirants for this part, so let's be direct.
• This is a 24/7 job. Law and order doesn't run in shifts that suit your convenience. Night duty, VIP duty, festival duty — it's part of the role, not an exception.
• Festival leaves get cancelled more often than they get sanctioned in your first few years. Diwali, Holi, election season — SI staff are usually on ground, not at home.
• Physical fitness isn't a one-time PST during recruitment. It's a lifestyle requirement for the entire career.
If you're chasing this post only for the salary figure, you'll burn out in year two. If you're chasing it because you actually want the responsibility that comes with a police uniform, the salary is simply the reward that follows.
The written exam (Paper 1 and Paper 2) rewards consistency over last-minute cramming — General Awareness and Quantitative Aptitude usually decide who clears the cutoff, while the PET/PST stage filters out those who ignored fitness during preparation.
If you're based in Delhi and serious about structured preparation, look for a coaching setup that actually runs dedicated batches for this exam rather than clubbing it with generic SSC classes. Several aspirants comparing notes between hubs like SSC Coaching in Mukherjee Nagar and SSC Coaching in Laxmi Nagar will tell you the same thing — faculty who've actually taught the CPO pattern make a visible difference in how fast your GK and Reasoning speed improves.
If you're coming from outer Delhi and travel is a concern, check whether your local area has a serious option too — areas like Karala and North Delhi now have their own dedicated setups, so SSC Coaching in Karala or SSC Coaching in North Delhi are worth checking before you commit to a long daily commute.
And if you're still undecided between CPO, CGL, or MTS as your primary target this cycle, sit down and actually compare the posts on paper before choosing where to put your energy — a structured SSC CGL Coaching in Delhi program can help you keep both CGL and CPO preparation aligned, since a large chunk of the syllabus overlaps.
A fresh Delhi Police SI takes home somewhere in the range of Rs. 60,000–63,000 a month, on a gross of around Rs. 70,000–72,000, once DA and HRA are added to a Level 6 basic pay of Rs. 35,400. Add the uniform allowance, ration money, and medical cover, and the total package easily competes with — and in several cases beats — many private sector jobs that demand far longer working hours.
The number is real. So is the responsibility that comes with it. Prepare for both.
If you're serious about clearing this exam and not the next one, find a batch that treats SSC CPO as its own exam, not a leftover topic squeezed into a general SSC course. Look for a genuine SSC Coaching Institute in Delhi that has a track record with Delhi Police and CPO-specific selections, not just CGL toppers on a poster.
OUR COACHING CENTERS IN DELHI
PITAMPURA (HEAD OFFICE)
A: Gate Number 3, Madhuban Chowk, FD-1, 2nd floor Near Madhuban chowk metro station, Pitampura, New Delhi, Delhi 110034
Mobile : 09625657619
: 09625657619
E : contact@bharatsofttech.com
ROHINI(BRANCH OFFICE)
A : 1st Floor, Pocket D, East Metro Station, 77-78, 12, Sector 8, Rohini, Delhi, 110085
Mobile : 09650 61 3377
: 9650613377
E : contact@bharatsofttech.com
BURARI(BRANCH OFFICE)
A : House no. 3, Rj Computers, land mark, Gali No. 2, near Aggarwal sweets, Block B, Sant Nagar, Burari, Delhi, 110084
Mobile : 09289308217
: 092893 08217
E : contact@bharatsofttech.com
LOCATION