On this page 6 sections
What is the salary of BPS-18 in Pakistan in 2026? A new BPS-18 officer starts at Rs 68,330 basic pay and takes home about Rs 98,000 a month before house rent allowance, once conveyance and ad-hoc allowances are added and GP Fund and income tax are deducted. At this grade the income tax bill is real: about Rs 1,496 a month at Stage 0, because the annual salary of Rs 1,308,636 falls in the 11% slab. This guide works out the full figure from the notified pay scale, allowance by allowance, so you can see exactly where the money comes from.
BPS-18 is a gazetted officer grade, usually reached by promotion from BPS-17. Section Officer, Deputy Secretary and Assistant Commissioner are the common BPS-18 posts. Our pay scale chart 2026 guide has the full 22-grade table; this guide works out one grade in detail.
BPS-18 Salary at a Glance#
| What | Answer |
|---|---|
| Basic pay (Stage 0) | Rs 68,330 per month |
| Annual increment | Rs 5,120 |
| Maximum basic pay | Rs 170,730 (after 20 stages) |
| Gross before HRA (Stage 0) | Rs 109,053 per month |
| Net before HRA (Stage 0) | About Rs 98,000 per month |
| Gazetted | Yes |
The Basic Pay Scale for BPS-18 in Pakistan#
BPS-18 starts at Rs 68,330, rises by Rs 5,120 each year, and reaches Rs 170,730 at the top of the scale after 20 stages. The Finance Division notified these figures in O.M. No.F.1(2)IMP/2026 dated 21 July 2026, effective from 1 July 2026. The increment is added every year on 1 December, after at least six months’ service at a stage. Grades BPS-17 to BPS-19 have 20 stages, not 30 like the lower grades.
The 2026 scale replaced BPS-2022, in which BPS-18 started at Rs 56,880 with an increment of Rs 4,260 and a maximum of Rs 142,080. The revision merged the Ad-hoc Relief Allowances of 2022 (15%) and 2025 (10%) into basic pay. Employees already in service on 30 June 2026 were fixed in the new scale point-to-point, at the same stage they held in the old scale. A fresh 7% Ad-hoc Relief Allowance applies on the running basic pay: Rs 4,783 at Stage 0.
Your basic pay grows with service. After 5 increments a BPS-18 officer is on Rs 93,930 basic pay (68,330 + 5 x 5,120), with a 7% allowance of Rs 6,575 on top. At the maximum, the increment is still allowed beyond the scale as personal pay. The BPS-17 salary guide works out the same arithmetic for the grade below, where the figures are smaller and the officer is at the entry of the officer cadre.
Allowances: What Is Added to Basic Pay#
Conveyance allowance is Rs 7,500 a month for BPS-18. It was Rs 5,000 and rose by 50% from 1 July 2026. It is fully taxable. There is no official vehicle at this grade as a rule, though senior officers in some departments are assigned one.
There is no fixed medical allowance at BPS-18. From BPS-17 upward, officers generally get medical reimbursement instead of the fixed Rs 1,500 allowance that applies to BPS-1 to BPS-16, so no medical figure is added in the worked example below. Check your own pay slip: reimbursement depends on the claim, not on a fixed monthly figure.
Ad-hoc Relief Allowances 2023 and 2024 are still paid, frozen on the 2022 base. For BPS-17 to BPS-22, the rates are:
- ARA-2023: 30% of the basic pay as on 30 June 2022, Rs 17,064 a month at the 2022 minimum of Rs 56,880.
- ARA-2024: 20% of the same base, Rs 11,376 a month.
Neither allowance was merged into the new scale: they stay frozen at their 30 June 2026 level.
Disparity Reduction Allowance 2026 is 15% of the basic pay as on 30 June 2022, for existing recipients only. At the 2022 minimum that is Rs 8,532 a month. A new entrant does not get DRA-2026, so it is not in the worked example below.
House rent allowance is frozen at its 30 June 2026 level and is not recalculated on the new basic pay. The rate depends on your city category: 45% in big cities such as Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad and Faisalabad, and 30% elsewhere, on the old scale. Because it is frozen and varies by posting, this guide does not add a single HRA figure: check your own pay slip. The Finance Division publishes the federal notifications.
Worked Example: A New BPS-18 Officer in Pakistan#
A new entrant at Stage 0, before house rent allowance, grosses Rs 109,053 a month. Basic pay Rs 68,330, conveyance Rs 7,500, ARA-2023 Rs 17,064, ARA-2024 Rs 11,376, ARA-2026 Rs 4,783. There is no fixed medical allowance at this grade. DRA-2026 is not included: it is for existing recipients only.
Two deductions matter at this stage: GP Fund and income tax. GP Fund is 8% of the mean of the scale for BS-12 to BS-22: the BPS-18 mean is Rs 119,530, so the deduction is Rs 9,562 a month. Income tax is Rs 1,496 a month: the annual salary of Rs 1,308,636 falls in the 11% slab, so the yearly tax is Rs 6,000 plus 11% of Rs 108,636, which is Rs 17,950 a year. A benevolent fund deduction also applies and is small.
Net pay before HRA is about Rs 98,000 a month. That is 109,053 minus 9,562 GP Fund minus 1,496 income tax, which is Rs 97,995. House rent allowance is extra, on top of this, and varies by city. Two officers on the same BPS-18 can take home different amounts because their HRA and their stage differ. Income tax grows with basic pay, so the net figure at Stage 5 is higher but the tax bite is larger too.
BPS-18 Compared With the Grades Around It#
BPS-17 starts at Rs 54,140 with an increment of Rs 4,110 and a maximum of Rs 136,340. A BPS-18 officer starts Rs 14,190 a month higher in basic pay, and the increment is Rs 1,010 larger. That gap is the promotion step from BPS-17 to BPS-18, and it is one of the biggest jumps between neighbouring grades in the whole scale.
BPS-19 starts at Rs 105,510 with an increment of Rs 5,450 and a maximum of Rs 214,510. A BPS-18 officer at the very top of the scale (Rs 170,730) earns far more basic pay than a fresh BPS-19 officer earns at the bottom, but the BPS-19 officer is on a steeper ladder and reaches the senior grades from there.
All three grades are gazetted. Gazetted means the appointment is published in the Gazette of Pakistan and the officer can attest documents, and that starts at BPS-16. BPS-18 posts are senior officer posts: Section Officer, Deputy Secretary, Assistant Commissioner. The step from BPS-18 to BPS-19 is the step into the senior management grades.
Frequently Asked Questions#
What is the basic pay of BPS-18 in 2026?
Rs 68,330 a month at Stage 0, rising by Rs 5,120 each year to a maximum of Rs 170,730 after 20 stages, under the Revised Basic Pay Scales 2026 notified by the Finance Division on 21 July 2026, effective from 1 July 2026.
What is the total salary of a BPS-18 officer?
A new entrant grosses Rs 109,053 a month before house rent allowance: basic pay Rs 68,330, conveyance Rs 7,500, ARA-2023 Rs 17,064, ARA-2024 Rs 11,376 and ARA-2026 Rs 4,783. After GP Fund of Rs 9,562 and income tax of Rs 1,496 a month, net pay is about Rs 98,000 a month before HRA. There is no fixed medical allowance at this grade. House rent allowance is extra and varies by city.
Is BPS-18 a gazetted post?
Yes. Gazetted officers start at BPS-16, so BPS-18 is gazetted: the appointment is published in the Gazette of Pakistan and the officer can attest documents.
What is the house rent allowance for BPS-18?
It is frozen at the level admissible on 30 June 2026 and is not recalculated on the new basic pay. The rate depends on your city category: 45% in big cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, and 30% elsewhere, on the old scale. Check your own pay slip for the exact figure.
How much is the annual increment for BPS-18?
Rs 5,120 a year, added every year on 1 December after at least six months’ service at a stage. After 5 increments the basic pay is Rs 93,930; after 20 increments it reaches the maximum of Rs 170,730.
