Indian Audit and Accounts Service

IAAS, elaborately known as Indian Audit and Accounts Service is a formalized Group A Civil Service. This is a central government service and comes under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. And this service is free of control from any executive authority. IAAS service serves as the middle and top-level management of the organization, in which the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) performs its duties.

Indian Audit and Accounts Service

Indian Audit and Accounts Service is categorized as Group A of the Indian Government. The Indian Constitution defines the fundamental structure of the institution of the CAG of India. This represents that the CAG of India does not cater to part of the legislature or executive and is an independent constitutional authority

Being considered among the prestigious civil services in India, IAAS’s function is comparable with the US National Audit Office and GAO (United Kingdom).

Selection Process

Recruitment to the Indian Audit and Accounts Service is done through the joint competitive Civil Services Examination. The IAAS selection stage consists of three phases, including:

  1. IAAS Preliminary Exam
  2. IAAS Main Exam (written)
  3. IAAS Main Exam (Personality Test)

Preliminary Exam

The prelims exam, the first stage of the IAAS examination contains 2 objective-type papers. Each paper carries 200 marks each.

Main Examination

Candidates who clear the preliminary exam with minimum marks become eligible to apply for the mains exam. The mains examination comprises 9 descriptive type papers and is conducted for 800 marks. The papers contain:

  • 4 General Studies Papers
  • 2 Optional Papers
  • 2 language papers

 

Personality Test

Candidates successfully clearing the mains examination are qualified to undergo a personality test. This test evaluates the overall personality of the candidate and has a weightage of 200 marks.

Training

Once the candidates are hired for the IAAS post, they are trained at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla for one and a half years.

Typically, this training can be categorized into two stages.

Stage 1: This delivers a theoretical background to the students related to the Government and commercial auditing and accounting concepts.

Stage 2: This involves practical training.

Educational Qualification

To become eligible for the IAAS exam, candidates are expected to have the below criteria.

  • A Bachelor’s Degree from an approved university (any discipline)
  • Final year college students are also qualified to apply for Civil Services
  • Applicants with professional and technical qualifications from Government or renowned institutes or with equivalent professional and technical degrees are eligible for the Civil Services Examination

Age limit

  • Minimum age limit is 21 years
  • Maximum age should not exceed 30 years as of 1st of August of the examination

Age relaxation limits

CategoryAge relaxation
SC/ST candidatesUp to 5 years
OBC candidatesUp to 3 years
Applicants belonging to the State of Jammu & KashmirUp to 5 years
Ex-servicemen that include Commissioned officers and ECOs/ SSCOsUp to 5 years
Blind, Deaf-Mute, and Orthopedically Handicapped candidatesUp to 10 years

 

Exam Pattern

Prelims


Paper
Marks		 

Duration

 

Language option
Paper – 1200120 MinutesHindi/English
Paper – 2200120 MinutesHindi/English

Mains

PaperSubjectTotal Marks
Paper AOptional Language Subject300
Paper BEnglish300
Paper Counted For Merit (Ranking)
Paper 1Essay250
Paper 2General Studies 1250
Paper 3General Studies 2250
Paper 4General Studies 3250
Paper 5General Studies 4250
Paper 6(Optional) Subject Paper – 1250
Paper 7(Optional) Subject Paper – 2250
Subject Total (Written Test)1750 Marks
Personality Test275 Marks
Overall total2025 Marks

 

Application fee

CategoryApplication Fee

 

General/OBCRs. 100/-
SC/ST/PH/WomenNo fee

 

Postings Offered After Training

  • Deputy Accountant General (DAG) or Deputy Director (DD)
  • Senior DAG/Director
  • Principal Director (PD) or Accountant General (AG)
  • Principal Accountant General (PAG) or DG – Director General
  • Additional Deputy CAG (Seven Posts)
  • Deputy CAG (Six posts)

Job profile – Roles and responsibilities

  • The primary duty of an IAAS officer lies in auditing the accounts of the statutory corporations, the Union and State governments, and similar bodies as mentioned by the law. The core intention is to ensure that public funds and resources are utilized in compliance with laws and regulations.
  • Have interactions with representatives of each department of the government
  • Depending on the audit findings, IAAS officers have to provide suggestions that would improve financial management, internal controls and Governance practices of organizations (Govt)
  • Responsible for carrying out performance and compliance audits
  • Committed to fostering good governance and eradicating corruption
  • Provide expert guidance on financial matters to the government that includes resource allocation, budgeting, and financial planning.
  • Contribute to the government’s efficiency and accountability of financial management including national and international levels

UPSC IAAS Salary and Other Benefits

Job postAverage SalaryGrade
Assistant Director8000-275-13500Junior Time Scale
Deputy Director10000-325-15200Senior Time Scale
Director12300-375-16500Junior Administrative Grade
Director14300-400-18300NFSG of Junior Administrative Grade
Principal Director18400-500-22400Senior Administrative Grade
Director-General22400-525-24500Senior Administrative Grade
Additional Deputy CAG24050-650-26000Senior Administrative Grade
Deputy CAG (Six posts)26000 (fixed pay)Senior Administrative Grade

 

  • Dearness Allowance (DA) to compensate for the impact of inflation on the cost of living
  • Transport Allowance to meet the commutation expenses
  • Indian Audit and Accounts Service officers are allowed to have their own medical facilities including for themselves and their dependents.
  • Allowed for the facility availing of study leave
  • Entitled to a pension and gratuity plans after their retirement
  • Special duty allowances are given to those who work in remote or challenging areas
  • Eligible to avail of LTC that covers their travel to their native or any place in India

Indian Audit and Accounts Service is a lucrative choice for those aspirants seeking to contribute to the financial management and audit systems of our nation.

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