Eligibility
SSC CHSL Eligibility 2025
Staff Selection Commission: Combined Higher Secondary Level
Eligibility at a glance
The unrelaxed age limit is 18 to 27 years as on 1 January 2026. For most posts, candidates need 12th Standard or an equivalent qualification by 1 January 2026.
Age limit
For the unrelaxed age band, the permitted date-of-birth range is 2 January 1999 to 1 January 2008, inclusive.
Upper-age relaxation
- SC / ST5 years
- OBC3 years
- PwBD (UR)10 years
- PwBD (OBC)13 years
- PwBD (SC / ST)15 years
- Ex-servicemen3 years after deducting military service from actual age
- Defence personnel disabled in operations3 years; 8 years for SC / ST
- Central Government civilian employeesUp to 40 years; up to 45 years for SC / ST, subject to the service conditions in the notice
- Widows / divorced / judicially separated women not remarriedUp to 35 years; up to 40 years for SC / ST
Additional conditions apply to the special categories listed in the official notice.
Educational qualification
LDC / JSA and most DEO posts
12th Standard or an equivalent examination from a recognised Board or University.
Specified DEO / DEO Grade A posts
12th Standard in the Science stream with Mathematics as a subject, for the departments and posts identified in the official notice.
Candidates appearing in the qualifying examination may apply, but they must possess the required qualification by 1 January 2026.
Nationality
The notice permits Indian citizens and specified eligible categories including subjects of Nepal or Bhutan and certain persons of Indian origin. Candidates in categories that require a Government of India eligibility certificate must satisfy that condition.
Official source
Age, qualification and nationality conditions can affect eligibility for a specific post. Confirm your position against the official SSC CHSL notice before applying. View the official SSC CHSL 2025 notice.
Frequently asked questions
Does meeting the SSC CHSL eligibility mean my application is confirmed?
No. Eligibility is self-declared when you apply, and the conducting body accepts the application provisionally on the strength of that declaration. It is verified later, at document verification, against original certificates. A candidate who clears every stage and cannot produce proof of age, category or qualification at that point is rejected then, with the whole cycle spent. Check each condition against your own documents before you apply rather than after.
Can I start preparing for SSC CHSL before the notification is out?
Yes, and it is the better time to start. Eligibility conditions and the examination scheme are usually stable between cycles, so the paper you will sit is close to the one already published, and the months before a notification are the only ones not spent on the application itself. There are 16 free tests for SSC CHSL here to work from in the meantime.
Where are the official SSC CHSL eligibility rules published?
In the conducting body's own notification: the official SSC CHSL 2025 notice, cited and linked at the foot of this page. That document governs, and where any other source disagrees with it, including this page, the notification is what counts. It can also be amended mid-cycle by a corrigendum, and eligibility conditions are among the things corrigenda most often change, so check for one before deciding you do or do not qualify.