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TNPSC Forester salary: Level 16 pay and selection

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Forester in the 2025 TNPSC Group 2 notification (No. 11/2025) is at Level 16 of the Tamil Nadu pay matrix, which runs from ₹36,400 to ₹1,15,700 a month in basic pay. A direct recruit starts at ₹36,400. There are two Forester posts, one in the Tamil Nadu Forest Subordinate Service (code 3362, 13 vacancies reserved for outstanding sportspersons) and one in the Tamil Nadu Forest Plantation Corporation, TAFCORN (code 3363, 9 vacancies). The selection includes a physical test, which most Group 2 posts do not have.

Pay level and basic pay

The notification prints "Level 16" only; the range is from Schedule-I of G.O. Ms. No. 303 (11 October 2017), summarised on the salary hub. Candidates can opt for the Forest Subordinate Service post, the TAFCORN post or both in the application, and the TAFCORN post is a corporation job, so check its service rules separately.

What is added to basic pay

Dearness allowance is added on basic pay, and house rent allowance depends on the place of posting. The notification marks the Forester posts "EPF" (Employees' Provident Fund), so the provident fund contribution is one of the deductions, along with professional tax and income tax. Annual increments move pay one cell down Level 16 on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October. Check Forest Department orders for allowances tied to field duty.

What a Forester does

The notification does not describe duties. A Forester generally heads a forest section and supervises the forest guards and watchers under it: patrolling, checking illegal felling and poaching, plantation and nursery work, fire protection, and maintaining forest records. It is a supervisory field post.

Promotion

The Forest Subordinate Service ladder continues from Forester to higher ranger-level posts under service rules, seniority and any tests. Each promotion carries a higher level. The two lower field posts, Forest Watcher (Level 3) and Forest Guard with Driving Licence (Level 5), are Group 4 posts.

Qualification and physical standards

• Degree: a Bachelor's degree in Science or Engineering in one of these subjects: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Applications or Computer Science, Engineering (all branches, including Agricultural Engineering), Environment Science, Forestry, Geology, Horticulture, Marine Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Veterinary Science, Wildlife Biology or Zoology.
• Preference: persons discharged from the Army (Land Force).
• Height and chest: men 163 cm (152 cm for ST) with a chest of 79 cm and 5 cm expansion; women and third gender candidates 150 cm (145 cm for ST) with a chest of 74 cm and 5 cm expansion.
• Endurance Test: a walk of 25 km for men and 16 km for women and third gender candidates in four hours, held at Chennai only. Candidates are called in the ratio of 1:10 for on-screen certificate verification before it.

How to get the post

Through Group 2: a common prelims for screening, then a Mains with a qualifying Tamil Eligibility Test and a descriptive General Studies paper of 300 marks, with rank on the General Studies paper and no interview. See the Group 2 exam pattern and the Group 2 syllabus.

Frequently asked questions

What is the starting salary of a Forester in TNPSC Group 2?

₹36,400 a month in basic pay at Level 16, before allowances and deductions.

Do I need a forestry degree?

No. Any of the listed science or engineering degrees qualifies, from Botany and Physics to Computer Science and Statistics.

Is the Forester post open to persons with disabilities?

The 2025 age table marks the Forester posts as not applicable for persons with benchmark disability, because of the physical standards and endurance test.

Official sources

• TNPSC Group 2 and 2A Notification No. 11/2025: paras 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3.2 and 5.13.
• G.O. Ms. No. 303, Finance (Pay Cell), 11 October 2017: the pay matrix.

Check the latest notification for the current post list.

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