Grade Pay to Pay Level: How the 6th CPC Maps to the 7th CPC Matrix
14 Oct 2026
- Salary
Quick answer
Older notices and recruitment rules describe pay as a pay band and grade pay; the 7th CPC replaced both with a single pay level. This guide gives the official mapping from every grade pay to its level, explains why grade pay ₹5,400 maps to two different levels, and shows how pay was converted on 1 January 2016.
Recruitment rules, old notices and service records still describe posts as "Pay Band-2, Grade Pay ₹4,200" or "PB-3 with GP ₹5,400". Since 1 January 2016 the central government has paid on a pay matrix instead, in which each post has one pay level. To read an older document, or compare it with a current notice, you need the translation — and it is printed in the pay rules themselves.
To see which recruitments are open to you, start from jobs for graduates or 12th pass.
One Level for Each Pay Band and Grade Pay
The Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016 define a post's level by its old pay band and grade pay. Rule 4 says: "The Level of posts shall be determined in accordance with the various Levels as assigned to the corresponding existing Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale as specified in the Pay Matrix." The matrix in the Schedule to the Rules prints the old structure above each level:
| 6th CPC pay band | Grade pay | 7th CPC level |
|---|---|---|
| PB-1 (₹5,200–20,200) | ₹1,800 | Level 1 |
| ₹1,900 | Level 2 | |
| ₹2,000 | Level 3 | |
| ₹2,400 | Level 4 | |
| ₹2,800 | Level 5 | |
| PB-2 (₹9,300–34,800) | ₹4,200 | Level 6 |
| ₹4,600 | Level 7 | |
| ₹4,800 | Level 8 | |
| ₹5,400 | Level 9 | |
| PB-3 (₹15,600–39,100) | ₹5,400 | Level 10 |
| ₹6,600 | Level 11 | |
| ₹7,600 | Level 12 | |
| PB-4 (₹37,400–67,000) | ₹8,700 | Level 13 |
| ₹8,900 | Level 13A | |
| ₹10,000 | Level 14 | |
| HAG (₹67,000–79,000) | — | Level 15 |
| HAG+ (₹75,500–80,000) | — | Level 16 |
| ₹80,000 (fixed) | — | Level 17 |
| ₹90,000 (fixed) | — | Level 18 |
The Rules add one qualification: a post takes the level corresponding to its old pay band and grade pay "unless a different revised Level is notified separately for that post". So the table is the default; a post that was upgraded or merged may sit at a different level.
The ₹5,400 Trap
Grade pay ₹5,400 appears twice. In PB-2 it is Level 9; in PB-3 it is Level 10. A document that says only "Grade Pay ₹5,400" is ambiguous until you know the band.
The difference matters beyond pay. Under the current classification of central posts, Level 9 is Group B and Level 10 is Group A — so the same grade pay can mean a Group B post or a Group A one. The Group A, B, C and D guide explains the classification.
How Pay Was Converted on 1 January 2016
An employee's pay was not re-read from a table; it was converted by a formula in Rule 7. The "existing basic pay" — pay in the pay band plus the grade pay — was multiplied "by a factor of 2.57, rounded off to the nearest rupee", and placed in the employee's level at the cell equal to that figure or, if there was none, "the immediate next higher Cell".
The Rules give a worked example:
| Step | Figure |
|---|---|
| Pay band and grade pay | PB-1, grade pay ₹2,400 |
| Pay in the pay band | ₹10,160 |
| Existing basic pay (₹10,160 + ₹2,400) | ₹12,560 |
| × 2.57 | ₹32,279.20, rounded to ₹32,279 |
| Level for grade pay ₹2,400 | Level 4 |
| Revised pay: the cell equal to or next above ₹32,279 | ₹32,300 |
The 7th Pay Commission calculator applies the same factor to a 6th CPC basic pay, and the basic pay calculator shows the cell your level and index land on.
Reading Old and New Documents Together
- An old recruitment rule or service book gives a pay band and grade pay. Find the level in the table above.
- A current notice gives a level, and often a starting pay — Level 6 starts at ₹35,400, for example. The starting pay of each level is the first cell of its column in the matrix.
- A grade pay of ₹5,400 needs its pay band before you can name the level.
- A post that has been upgraded since 2016 may have been "notified separately" at a different level; the current notice or recruitment rule is the authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 7th CPC level for grade pay ₹4,200?
Level 6. Grade pay ₹4,200 in Pay Band-2 corresponds to Level 6, which starts at ₹35,400.
Is grade pay ₹5,400 Level 9 or Level 10?
Either, depending on the pay band. In PB-2 it is Level 9; in PB-3 it is Level 10.
How was 6th CPC pay converted to the 7th CPC?
Pay in the pay band plus grade pay was multiplied by 2.57, rounded to the nearest rupee, and fixed at the equal or next higher cell of the corresponding level.
Does grade pay still exist?
Not for central government pay since 1 January 2016, when the pay matrix replaced pay bands and grade pay. It still appears in older records, recruitment rules and some state pay structures.
Where is the official mapping?
In the Schedule to the Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2016, which prints the old pay band and grade pay above each level of the pay matrix.
In Summary
Every 6th CPC pay band and grade pay has a 7th CPC level, printed in the pay matrix of the 2016 pay rules: grade pay ₹1,800 to ₹2,800 are Levels 1 to 5, ₹4,200 to ₹5,400 in PB-2 are Levels 6 to 9, ₹5,400 to ₹7,600 in PB-3 are Levels 10 to 12, and so on up to Level 18. Grade pay ₹5,400 is the one to watch, because its level depends on its band. Pay on 1 January 2016 was converted by multiplying the old basic pay by 2.57 and fixing it at the next cell of the new level.