How Much Does a Postman Make? (With Allowances and Duties)

Updated 15 March 2023

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Postal Services Board is the apex management body of the Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The country has been divided into 23 postal circles to provide postal services to the citizens. A postman ensures the safe and timely delivery of mails and parcels to residences and businesses. In this article, we discuss the salary of a postman, their perks and allowances, their duties and responsibilities and how to become one.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

How much does a postman make?

The pay of an entry-level postman ranges from ₹5200 to ₹20,200 per month and they receive a grade pay of ₹2000. An entry-level postman or mail guard makes about ₹3200 on a monthly basic pay scale. This salary can increase up to ₹4900 as a postman gains more experience and skills. The pay scale of a TBOP postman ranges from ₹4000 to ₹6000 per month. A BCR level postman receives a monthly basic pay scale of ₹4500 to ₹7000 per month, depending upon a postman's skills and experience.

A TBOP level postman receives a grade pay of ₹2400 per month and a BCR level postman or mail guard gets a grade pay of ₹2800 per month. Depending on the changes in postal services and government policies, a postman's average annual salary may increase over the years. A postman also receives several perks and allowances along with their basic pay salary.

Allowances and perks of a mail carrier

Some perks and allowances that a postman receives are:

Dearness allowance

Dearness allowance, or DA, refers to the amount that central government employees receive from the government to counter the effects of inflation and maintain a decent living standard. The government calculates and pays a postman's DA according to their salary. The urban or rural living area also determines the amount of DA a central government employee receives in India.

According to the 6th pay commission, the government authorities set the DA rates to 113% in January 2015 to 119% in July 2015. As of June 2021, the government established the dearness allowance rates for central government employees at 164% of the basic pay.

Housing rent allowance

A housing rent allowance, or HRA, refers to an allowance paid to central government employees, along with their basic pay. An employee's salary contains a part reserved for HRA and is eligible for tax exemption while filing the income tax return (ITR). HRA allows an individual to deduct their taxable amount. The housing rent allowance of a central postman depends upon their salary structure and the type of city they live in, so a mail carrier residing in a metro city with high living standards receives a higher HRA than those residing in semi-urban or rural areas.

People who receive salaries from the central government are eligible to avail of HRA and tax exemption benefits. Self-employed people do not receive tax benefits under the HRA. If a mail carrier lives with their parents and pays rent, the authorities require certain documents before considering their HRA application. If you want to calculate your HRA for tax deduction purposes, then the government authorities can consider one of the following three aspects:

the actual HRA amount received by the employee
40% of salary for employees living in non-metro cities or 50% of the salary if the rented property is in metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata or Chennai
if actual rent paid is less than 10% of the individual's salary

Travel allowance

A postman's job involves a significant amount of travel while delivering mail to citizens. The government has set aside a fixed amount as a travel allowance, or TA, to help with the travel expenses of all salaried central government employees. A postman, being a government employee, is also eligible for a Leave Travel Allowance or LTA. Any central government employee can avail of an LTA if they have taken official leave for travel and can show the same using flight or railway tickets. A mail carrier can also apply for several LTA benefits if it is domestic travel.

If a postman is travelling with their family, they can also avail of the family travel allowance or FTA. According to government guidelines, the term 'family' includes spouse, children, parents, brother and sister, given that the children depend on the government employee.

Pension after retirement

The government of India has the policy of providing pensions to retired central government employees. Implementing the 7th pay commission has ensured that all salaried government employees receive an increased pension amount after retirement. A mail carrier is eligible for government pensions and the monthly medical benefits of ₹500 and life insurance, with the government covering about 50% of the total payable amount.

The government authorities have set up a pension calculator to calculate the pension structures of salaried central government employees. The pension amount offered to a postman comes with several retirement benefits. To determine the pension amount, you can add the basic pay with the grade pay of the current pension with the number of increments an employee has received before retiring.

Duties and responsibilities of a postman

As a postman, you have multiple duties and responsibilities, which include:

knowing the rates of inland postage and commission of money orders, insurance charges and registration fees
filling out forms, especially money orders (MOs) and forms related to the VP items
describing the principal features and charges of the SB post office certificate, MO registration and other postal systems
carrying required forms and supply them to the public when necessary
keeping a Postman Book MS 27, in which you have to enter the details of money orders (MO), registered articles given to you for the delivery along with the class, name, addressee and other details of the article
examining every item you receive for delivery and notifying the postmaster immediately in case of damages
taking special care of insured articles and ensuring that you deliver them safely to each recipient
asking for addressee whereabouts from their neighbours if a postman cannot find the addressee at their given address
ensuring you are not delivering any articles on which any postage or customs duty is due or any sum that is to be recovered, especially in cases of VP articles, until the concerned person has paid the due amount in full
prohibiting from distributing advertisements, handbills, trade circulars or notices on behalf of public
observing the delivery procedure laid down for the delivery of postal articles (including money orders) to illiterate addressees, women, minors and people without fingers
returning all articles that you could not deliver to the concerned postal assistant at the hour fixed by the postmaster within 24 hours of possession of the postal article

How to become a postman in 3 steps

Follow these three steps if you want to become a postman:

Complete your education. You need to complete your 12th grade from any recognised educational board to appear for the postman qualifying exam. If you have a different relevant qualification, you can provide proof of academic equivalence to submit your candidature.
Meet minimum requirements. You need to meet the minimum age and local language requirements to become a postman. You must have studied Hindi at least up to 10th grade and must be between 18 and 27 years to apply for the qualifying examination.
Pass the aptitude exam. You need to pass the aptitude exam to prove your general knowledge, Hindi and English language and arithmetic skills. The examination authorities prepare a final merit list based on the candidates' performance in the aptitude test.

Additional requirements to fulfill as a postal delivery officer

Once you become a mail deliverer, there are additional requirements that you must fulfill, which include:

Driving license: You need to gain a valid driving license within two years of your appointment as a postal worker to drive two or three-wheelers or light motor vehicles while on official duty. Persons with disabilities are exempt from the requirement of a driving license.
Basic computer training: You need to provide a basic computer training certificate from a recognised computer training institute before receiving your appointment letter as a postman. You are exempt from fulfilling this basic computer knowledge requirement if you studied computer as a subject in your 10th, 12th or higher educational qualification.