Government jobPay Level 4Group CNon‑gazetted
Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service)
छंटाई सहायक
Pay Level 4 post in the Railway Mail Service, filled through SSC CGL — sorting and dispatching mail, often in night shifts.
Department of Posts (Railway Mail Service) · Ministry of Communications · central government
In-hand pay at joining, per month
₹42,000–₹50,000
Lower in small towns, higher in metros. Work out your own city below.
- Exam
- SSC CGL
- Qualification
- Graduate
- Age limit
- 18–27 years
- Transfers
- Within your allotted zone/region
- Work hours
- Shift work, with a large share of night shifts
- Probation
- 2 years
Estimated in-hand / month
₹44,500
Gross ₹48,780 · CTC ≈ ₹6.5 lakh/yr
Where are you posted?
Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service) · rates as of January 2026 (DA 60%). Excludes CGHS, GPF/insurance deductions and special allowances. Estimate only.
New to pay slips? Read how in-hand salary is worked out.
What you will actually do
- Sorting letters and parcels by destination in a mail office or hub
- Scanning and bagging mail in the tracking system
- Preparing and closing mail bags for dispatch by train, road or air
- Receiving and checking incoming bags
- Reporting missing, damaged or mis-sent articles
A typical day
Mail offices work around train and flight timings, so much of the sorting happens in the evening and at night. A shift means standing or sitting at a sorting case or scanner, working through trays of letters and parcels against dispatch deadlines. There is no public counter and no cash, so the work is quieter than a post office, but it is repetitive and the night shifts take a toll.
Promotion path
Timelines are ranges and vary by cadre. See how promotions and MACP work.
Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service) (joining)
Pay Level 4
₹42,000–₹50,000 in-hand
Lower Selection Grade (Supervisor)
8–12 years, or earlier by exam · Level 5 · via departmental exam
₹48,000–₹56,000 in-hand
Inspector of Posts
Through the limited departmental exam after about 5 years of service · Level 7 · via departmental exam
₹72,000–₹84,000 in-hand
Promotion timelines vary by cadre and vacancies. If not promoted, MACP gives a pay upgrade after 10, 20 and 30 years.
How to get in
Staff Selection Commission
- 1.Tier-I computer-based test
- 2.Tier-II computer-based test (including the data entry speed test)
- 3.Document verification
Eligibility: Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university. The post moved from SSC CHSL to SSC CGL from the 2022 examination. Age 18–27. SC/ST: 5 years, OBC: 3 years, PwBD: 10 years (more for SC/ST/OBC PwBD), as per the notification.
The good
- No public dealing or cash handling
- Mostly city postings near big stations
- Same pay and exam route upward as Postal Assistant
The hard parts
- Frequent night shifts
- Repetitive, physically tiring work
- Fewer offices, so less choice of place
Postings
Posted to an RMS division, with mail offices located at major railway stations and parcel hubs in cities. Transfers are within the division.
Questions people ask
What is the in-hand salary of Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service)?+
Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service) is a Pay Level 4 post with a starting basic pay of ₹25,500. At current rates (DA 60%, January 2026), the starting in-hand salary is roughly ₹42,000–₹50,000 a month, depending on whether you are posted in a Z, Y or X class city.
What is the qualification and age limit for Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service)?+
Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university. The post moved from SSC CHSL to SSC CGL from the 2022 examination. Age: 18–27 years. Relaxation: SC/ST: 5 years, OBC: 3 years, PwBD: 10 years (more for SC/ST/OBC PwBD), as per the notification.
Which exam do I need to clear for Sorting Assistant (Railway Mail Service)?+
SSC CGL (Staff Selection Commission).
Do Sorting Assistants travel in trains?+
Mail sorting on moving trains has largely ended. Almost all work is now in stationary mail offices and hubs.
Compare with similar posts
Postal Assistant
डाक सहायक
Pay Level 4 counter and back-office post in post offices, filled through SSC CGL — savings, mail booking and customer service.
Inspector of Posts
डाक निरीक्षक
Pay Level 7 post in the Department of Posts via SSC CGL — managing and inspecting post offices across a postal sub-division.
Senior Secretariat Assistant / Upper Division Clerk
वरिष्ठ सचिवालय सहायक / उच्च श्रेणी लिपिक
Pay Level 4 clerical post via SSC CGL in central government offices — file work, noting and record keeping.
Books to prepare for SSC CGL
- See on Amazon
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations
R.S. Aggarwal (S. Chand)
The standard practice book for arithmetic. Strong on volume of questions; weak on shortcuts, so pair it with solved papers.
- See on Amazon
SSC Mathematics Chapterwise Solved Papers
Kiran Prakashan
Thousands of actual SSC questions sorted by topic. The quickest way to see what is really asked.
- See on Amazon
Objective General English
S.P. Bakshi (Arihant)
Grammar rules with exam-style practice sets. Good for error spotting and sentence improvement.
All 7 books for SSC CGL, CPO and other graduate-level exams
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra and does not affect which books we list.
Sources
- SSC CGL 2026 notice (official PDF)
- Staff Selection Commission — official website
- India Post — official website
This profile is being reviewed. Confirm details in the latest official notification. Salary computed from pay rules as of January 2026.