SSC CHSL 2026: Vacancies, Age, Fee, Tier-I Pattern and Dates
Staff Selection Commission's Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2026 (SSC CHSL 2026) recruits Group C posts such as Lower Division Clerk / Junior Secretariat Assistant and Data Entry Operator for central ministries and other listed organisations. The detailed notice uploaded on ssc.gov.in on 7 September 2026 kept online applications open from 7 September to 7 October 2026, with fee payment until 8 October and an application-correction window from 14 to 16 October 2026.
This article sticks to the official notice for vacancies, pay levels, age, education, fee and Tier-I pattern. The September notice left Tier-I and Tier-II schedules as "to be notified later". Coaching websites later circulated a Tier-I window of 30 November to 31 December 2026; treat that as unverified until SSC publishes an Important Notice. Compare other SSC / graduate routes via SSC CGL 2026, RRB NTPC 2026, CTET December 2026 and UGC NET December 2026.
Posts, pay and vacancies
- LDC / JSA: Pay Level-2 (Rs 19,900-63,200).
- DEO: Pay Level-4 (Rs 25,500-81,100) and Level-5 (Rs 29,200-92,300) as applicable.
- DEO Grade A: Pay Level-4 (Rs 25,500-81,100).
- Tentative vacancies: about 2,536 in the notice, to be updated on SSC's tentative vacancy page after user departments finalise numbers.
Final allotment follows merit-cum-preference. If you fail a post's medical or educational requirement after allotment, the notice warns that the candidature for that post can be rejected.
Application window and fee (from the notice)
- Online applications: 7 September 2026 to 7 October 2026 (23:00).
- Online fee payment: until 8 October 2026 (23:00).
- Correction window: 14 October 2026 to 16 October 2026 (23:00).
- Application fee: Rs 100. Women, SC, ST, PwBD and eligible ESM candidates are exempt.
- Helpline for form difficulty: 18003093063 (toll free).
Pay via BHIM UPI, net banking or listed debit cards. If fee is not received, the form shows as Incomplete. Always verify payment status on the SSC portal rather than trusting a UPI SMS alone.
Age and education
Age (as on 1 August 2026): 18 to 27 years. Candidates born not before 2 August 1999 and not later than 1 August 2008 are eligible in the general band, with category relaxations in the notice (SC/ST five years, OBC three years, and other listed codes).
Education (as on 7 October 2026): for most LDC/JSA and DEO posts, 12th pass or equivalent from a recognised board. For DEO / DEO Grade A in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, SSC and Ministry of Culture, the notice requires 12th in Science stream with Mathematics. Candidates who appeared for 12th may apply provisionally but must possess the essential qualification by 7 October 2026.
Tier-I pattern
The Computer Based Examination has Tier-I and Tier-II. Tier-I is objective MCQ with four parts of 25 questions / 50 marks each: English Language, General Intelligence, Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness. Total duration is 60 minutes with a sectional timer of 15 minutes per subject (80 minutes with scribe concessions as per the notice). There is negative marking of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer. Multi-shift scores are normalised under SSC's published procedure.
Tier-II details sit in the same notice with session-wise modules; read the PDF for DEO skill-test / typing requirements after CBT shortlisting. Do not skip the post-specific skill standards when you fill preferences.
What to do while Tier dates are pending
- Watch ssc.gov.in Notice Board for an Important Notice on Tier-I cities and dates.
- Keep Aadhaar, photo and signature files that match your application.
- Practise timed sectional mocks that mirror the 15-minute split.
- Ignore Telegram "admit card out" forwards unless the URL is ssc.gov.in.
Candidates who also track scholarships or teaching exams can keep NSP and CTET timelines separate so CHSL preparation blocks stay clean.
Preparation focus while you wait for Tier-I dates
CHSL Tier-I rewards accuracy under sectional timers more than endless untimed quizzes. Build a daily mix of English error spotting, short DI or arithmetic sets, reasoning puzzles, and a current-affairs capsule for General Awareness. Keep a wrong-answer log so negative marking does not erase thin gains.
Document hygiene matters as much as mocks. Ensure your Category certificate date format matches SSC norms, and that your photo background is plain. Candidates who appeared for 12th must track board results against the 7 October 2026 qualification cut-off stated in the notice. Preference order for posts should reflect genuine willingness to take DEO skill tests, not only higher pay levels on paper.
When SSC finally publishes Tier-I cities, prefer centres you can reach without an overnight bus if you have morning shifts. Read the admit card instructions for calculators, watches and barred items the night before; CHSL CBT rooms are strict about digital watches.
After Tier-I: what the notice says next
Shortlisted candidates move to Tier-II as described in the notice, including modules relevant to DEO and typing/skill standards. Keep practising typing layouts even while Tier-I dates are pending if DEO is high in your preference list. Normalisation means raw scores from different shifts are not compared directly; focus on accuracy rather than chasing unofficial "safe scores" circulating on YouTube.
Frequently asked questions
How many vacancies are there in SSC CHSL 2026?
About 2,536 tentative vacancies in the September notice; final numbers can change.
What is the Tier-I date?
Not fixed in the September notice. Wait for SSC's official update. Secondary reports of 30 November-31 December 2026 are unverified here.
What is the application fee?
Rs 100, with listed exemptions for women, SC, ST, PwBD and eligible ESM.
Sources: SSC Notice for Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2026 (uploaded 7 September 2026 on ssc.gov.in), including age, education, fee and Tier-I scheme tables. Tier schedule remains subject to later SSC notices.
Featured image: Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized). Generic exam-centre photo (WBJEE 2011, Howrah); not SSC-specific.
