Amended Departmental Examination Rules for Ministerial Staff, 2026 – CBDT Notification

Amended Departmental Examination Rules for Ministerial Staff, 2026 – CBDT Notification

MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECT TAXES
AMENDED DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATION RULES FOR MINISTERIAL STAFF – 2026
(Effective from 2026 Examination onwards)

SHORT TITLE AND COMMENCEMENT

These Rules may be called the Amended Departmental Examination Rules for MINISTERIAL STAFF, 2026. These Rules will be applicable for the Departmental Examination from the calendar year 2026 and onwards.

RULE I: DEFINITIONS

In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires

1. Authority for Departmental Examination for Ministerial Staff means Directorate of Income Tax, HRD on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, New Delhi.
2. Betterment Chance means further chance(s) allowed to SC/ST/PwWBD candidates under these Rules for attaining the pass marks prescribed under these Rules for the General candidates for passing the individual papers and qualifying the examination on own merit.
3. Competent Authority means the Addl. Director General of Income-tax-2, HRD.
4. New Pattern Examination means the examinations held under the Departmental Examination Rules for Ministerial Staff, 2026 as amended from time to time.
5. Old Pattern Examination means the examination(s) held under the Departmental Examination Rules for Ministerial Staff, 1998 as amended from time to time.
6. Partially qualified candidate means a candidate who 1s yet to qualify three or less papers (except Rajbhasha Hindi) of the Old Pattern of examination Rules, 1998.
7. Periodicity of the examination means examination shall ordinarily be held once in a year, preferably in the first half of the calendar year. This is, however, subject to change at the discretion of the Directorate of Income Tax, HRD. The Directorate of Income Tax, HRD will notify the exact dates of examination and fix the timetable, well in advance of the examination.
8. Reviewing Authority means the Pr. Director General of Income-tax, HRD, New Delhi.

RULE I: IN-CHARGE OF EXAMINATION

A Pr. Commissioner / Commissioner of Income Tax nominated as the In-charge of Examination by the Pr. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax of shall be responsible for proper conduct of the Departmental Examination for Ministerial Staff in that Region/Charge. The Pr. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax shall authorize the Pr. Commissioner/ Commissioner of Income Tax so nominated for performing duties such as:

1. to receive applications in the prescribed proforma from the candidates appearing for the examination;
2. to scan, verify, and attest/certify the application forms of the candidates of their respective regions (in Roll Number/ Registration Number Wise), and to forward the same to the Directorate of Income Tax, HRD in electronic mode within the notified period, in the manner and time prescribed under Rule XIII and Rule XIV of these Rules;
3. to make necessary arrangements for sending the answer sheets to the Directorate of Income Tax, HRD, for the subjective paper;
4. to furnish all statements that have a bearing on conduct of the examination in the form as prescribed by the Directorate of Income Tax, HRD from time to time;
5. to make all arrangements for proper conduct of the examination and declaration of results thereof, prescribing the procedure in the Examination Hall, etc., and
6. to perform such other essential functions not covered by Sub-Rules II(1) to II(5) as may be deemed necessary by the Directorate of Income Tax, HRD.

RULE II: ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility of candidates to appear in the Departmental Examination for Ministerial Staff shall be as under:

1. Directly recruited Office Superintendent (for confirmation)
2. Tax Assistant (TA) (for promotion)
3. Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS), Notice Server (NS) and Lower Division Clerk (LDC) who have qualified Data Entry Skill Test (for promotion)
4. Stenographer Grade I and II (for eligibility to appear in ITI Exam)

Provided that such SC/ST/PwBD candidates, who have fully qualified under the old pattern or new pattern examination in the past with relaxed standards, shall also be eligible to take the examination for betterment of their results subject to the ceiling on the number of chances stipulated in Rule IV below.

This eligibility is for the limited purpose of allowing the Old Pattern candidates the concession of passing the unqualified paper(s) of the Old Pattern, and shall lapse as soon as they reach the chance ceiling stipulated below in Rule IV.

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