West Bengal raises upper age limit for state govt jobs by 5 years

Under the revised norms for recruitment through the West Bengal Public Service Commission, maximum age limit has been raised to 41 years for Group A posts, 44 years for Group B posts, and 45 years for Group C and Group D posts

PTI, Kolkata, May 18, 2026 : The West Bengal Government on Monday announced that the upper age limit for state government jobs was raised by five years.

According to a press note issued by the Office of the Chief Secretary, the revised age limits for recruitment to Group A, B, C and D state government jobs have come into effect from May 11, following a formal notification by the Finance Department.

“The Cabinet has taken this decision in fulfilment of the assurance made to the people in the government’s sankalpa patra,” the release said.

Under the revised norms for recruitment through the West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC), the maximum age limit has been raised to 41 years for Group A posts, 44 years for Group B posts, and 45 years for Group C and Group D posts.

The government clarified that in case where the prescribed upper age limit for any post is already higher, the existing ceiling would continue.

appointments made through channels other than the public service commission, including recruitments by statutory bodies, government companies and local authorities, the upper age limit has been fixed uniformly at 45 years, the statement said.

The first recruitment process to benefit from the revised norms will be the ongoing selection for assistant professor posts in government-aided degree colleges under Advertisement No 1/2026 issued by the College Service Commission, it said.

“As the College Service Commission is a state statutory body, the revised upper age limit of 45 years shall apply to this recruitment, in place of the earlier limit of 40 years,” the release stated.

The government also said the last date for submission of applications for the assistant professor recruitment process would be extended by one month to ensure that newly eligible candidates are able to apply.

“The government believes that this decision will substantially widen access to public employment opportunities across the state, particularly for many aspirants who had narrowly crossed the earlier age threshold,” it added.

Existing age relaxations available to candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and differently-abled persons will continue as per prevailing rules, officials said.

The West Bengal Government on Monday announced that the upper age limit for state government jobs was raised by five years. Under the revised norms for recruitment through the West Bengal Public Service Commission, maximum age limit has been raised to 41 years for Group A posts, 44 years for Group B posts, and 45 years for Group C and Group D postsr

Ed: the West Bengal Government has also increased the upper age limit for recruitment to state government jobs by up to five years, offering major relief to lakhs of job aspirants across the state.

Under the revised recruitment rules issued by the Finance Department on May 16, the upper age limit for Group ‘A’ posts has been increased to 41 years, while candidates applying for Group ‘B’ posts can now be up to 44 years old. For Group ‘C’ and Group ‘D’ posts, the maximum eligible age has been raised to 45 years.

The revised norms have officially come into effect from May 11, 2026.

The changes have been introduced through amendments to the West Bengal Services (Raising of Age-limit) Rules, 1981, under Article 309 of the Constitution of India. The notification was issued by Additional Chief Secretary P K Mishra “By order of the Governor.”

The government clarified that wherever the existing upper age limit is already higher than the newly prescribed ceiling, the previous higher limit will continue unchanged.

The revised age rules will also apply to recruitments conducted through statutory bodies, government companies, and local authorities outside the Public Service Commission system. In such cases, the upper age limit has been uniformly fixed at 45 years.

Officials stated that the decision was taken in fulfilment of promises made in the government’s “Sankalpa Patra” and is aimed at giving fresh opportunities to candidates who lost eligibility over the years due to stalled recruitment processes, examination cancellations, and paper leak controversies.

The BJP had earlier promised age relaxation for aspirants affected by repeated disruptions in recruitment examinations and the prolonged absence of major state-level recruitment drives since 2015.

The first recruitment process expected to benefit from the revised rules will be the ongoing recruitment of Assistant Professors in government-aided degree colleges under Advertisement No. 1/2026 issued by the College Service Commission. Since the Commission is a statutory body, the new upper age limit of 45 years will apply instead of the earlier limit of 40 years.

The government has also announced that the last date for submitting applications for Assistant Professor recruitment will be extended by one month to allow newly eligible candidates sufficient time to apply.

Existing age relaxations available for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and differently-abled candidates will continue as per existing rules.

Officials described the move as a major opportunity for educated youth across West Bengal, saying it would significantly widen access to public employment and reopen doors for thousands of aspirants who had narrowly crossed the previous age limits.