Indian Revenue Services (IRS) Exam 2024 | Eligibility Criteria: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts civil service exams including the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) exam and is the largest Group A central service. It plays a crucial role mainly in the implementation of direct taxes laws through the income tax department. There are three stages of the exam, preliminary exam, main exam, and interview. In the final stage selected candidates will be called for an interview. In this article, we discuss the Indian Revenue Services exam 2024.
About Indian Revenue Services
Indian Revenue Service is a civil services competitive exam in India conducted by UPSC for recruitment to the revenue department. The Indian Revenue Service is the executive profit service of the government of India. It is one of the Group A services.
IRS comprises two branches
- IRS (Income Tax)
- IRS (Customs and Central Excise)
The work culture and work profile are mainly attached to the income tax and customs departments but are also deputed to many other agencies and departments on tax policy matters by playing a significant role in the framing of statutes and framing regulations in relation to taxes. They also participate in both bilateral or multilateral forums like OECD and global forms on transparency in tax matters.
Eligibility Criteria for Indian Services
Candidates must be citizens of India.
Age Limit: The minimum age limit for the candidate is 21 years and the upper age limit for the general candidate is 32 years.
For OBC Candidates: 35 Years
For SC/ST Candidates: 37 Years
The upper age limit relaxation is provided to certain candidates who are backward with respect to other factors and physically handicapped people.
Educational Qualification: Candidates must have a degree from any recognized organization. Candidates who have passed the final exam of the MBBS degree but have not completed their internship.
Roles and Responsibilities
Policy Formulation
Through the central board of direct taxes, the policy formulation and changes are indirect taxes that are conducted by the IRS officers.
Tax Administration
The function is to ensure that tax evaders are brought to book and the collection of revenue is complete and regular. As tax administrators, the officers also play the part of investigators and prosecutors.
Fight against Black Money
Curbing black money is also important to IRS officers. They have to negotiate international agreements with other tax jurisdictions.
Training of IRS Officers
IRS officers are mainly trained at the national academy of direct taxes in Nagpur. There is a foundation course for four months post which the officers receive extensive training for 16 months in specially designed modules on taxation and laws, accounting, public finances, office procedures, etc. During the training, they are also sent to several field offices and organizations across India.
Exam Pattern
The IRS exam pattern is divided into three parts.
- Preliminary exam
- Mains exam
- Interview
Prelims Exam
The prelim exam contains two papers. Every paper is worth 200 points and lasts two hours. Candidates can get extra 20 minutes for each paper in the test. Both papers have objective questions with multiple-choice answers. Both papers are printed in both Hindi and English languages.
Mains Exam
Candidates who pass the prelims exam advance to the mains exam, which has a total of 1750 marks, The final candidates are selected on their performance in the mains and interviews. The main exam contains nine papers.
Paper 1- Language is chosen
Paper 2- English
Paper 3- Essay
Paper 4- General Studies I
Paper 5- General Studies II
Paper 6- General Studies III
Paper 7- General Studies IV
Paper 8- Optional Paper 1
Paper 9- Optional Paper 2
Interview
Candidates who pass the mains exam are eligible for the interview stage and are called by UPSC. The final interview stage is more than only examining the applicant’s academic knowledge. Candidates are recommended to participate in multiple mock interviews to gain adequate practice and identify their weak points.
Skills Required
- Communication Skills
- Analytical Skills
- Leadership and Decision-making Skills
- Research Skills
- Perseverance
- Quality of Patience
Endnote: IRS is a position that allows them to serve the country in a variety of roles and capabilities. If any queries regarding the post on the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) exam 2024 comment here and keep on visiting this site for more updates.