How Age Is Calculated for Government Exams

Step 1: find the cut-off date

Every notification says the age is counted "as on" a date, often 1 August or 1 January of the exam year. That is the cut-off date. Your age on that date is what counts, even if you apply months earlier or later. Take your date of birth from your Class 10 certificate, which most exams accept as proof.

Step 2: understand the rule

UPSC, SSC and bank notices usually write the rule like this: you must have reached the lower age, and must not have reached the upper age, on the cut-off date. The calculator uses exactly this rule.

"Not reached the upper age" is the part people get wrong. For a limit of 21 to 32 years, someone who turns 32 on the cut-off date is out. Someone born one day later is 31 years, 11 months and 30 days old on that date, and is in.

Step 3: read the born-between dates

Most notices also print the same rule as two dates. They are worked out like this:

Born on or before:  cut-off date minus the lower age
Born on or after:   cut-off date minus the upper age, plus 1 day

Example: 21 to 32 years as on 1 August 2026
Born between 2 August 1994 and 1 August 2005, both days included

Another example: for 18 to 27 years as on 1 January 2026, you must be born between 2 January 1999 and 1 January 2008.

Step 4: add your relaxation

Relaxation only raises the upper age. The lower age and the latest birth date stay the same. These are the figures the calculator uses for central government jobs:

PwBD (persons with benchmark disability) adds 10 years on top of the category relaxation. Ex-servicemen relaxation depends on the years served and the post, so the calculator does not work it out. State jobs, and some posts, follow their own rules, for example for women, widows or local candidates. For all of these there is an Extra relaxation box, and those years are added to the upper age.

The relaxation figures above are the usual central rules. Limits, cut-off dates and relaxation can change each year and differ by post, so the notification you apply under always decides.

Worked example: UPSC-style limit, 21 to 32

Date of birth 10 May 1992, age counted as on 1 August 2026, limit 21 to 32.

On 1 August 2026 this candidate is 34 years, 2 months and 22 days old. That is over 32, but under 35, so only the OBC relaxation brings them in. The calculator also shows the last cut-off date on which they are still under the upper age: 9 May 2027 with OBC relaxation. A notice with a later cut-off date is too late.

Worked example: SSC-style limit, 18 to 27

Date of birth 1 June 1990, age counted as on 1 January 2026, limit 18 to 27. The candidate is 35 years, 7 months and 0 days old on that date.

• SC, upper age 27 + 5 = 32: over the age limit.
• SC with PwBD, upper age 27 + 5 + 10 = 42: eligible, born between 2 Jan 1984 and 1 Jan 2008.

Too young?

The lower age works the other way. Someone born on 1 March 2008 is 17 years and 10 months old on 1 January 2026, so they are too young for an 18 to 27 limit on that date. The calculator shows the day they reach the lower age, 1 March 2026, so they know which later notices they can try.

Exam limits in the calculator

The calculator has the usual limits for UPSC Civil Services (21 to 32), SSC CGL (18 to 32), SSC CHSL (18 to 27), SSC MTS (18 to 25), SSC GD Constable (18 to 23), IBPS PO (20 to 30), IBPS Clerk (20 to 28), SBI PO (21 to 30) and SBI Clerk (20 to 28). SSC CGL limits differ by post: the upper age is 27, 30 or 32, and a few posts start at 20. For any other exam, choose Other / state exam and type the limits from your notice.

What it does not check

• Only age. Not the number of attempts, education or other conditions.
• A few notifications count age differently. If the born-between dates shown do not match the ones printed in your notice, follow the notice.

Common questions

If the limit is 32, can I apply at 32 years and 6 months? Usually no. You must not have reached 32 on the cut-off date, so you must be 31 years, 11 months and some days or younger, unless relaxation applies.

Does EWS get age relaxation? Not in the central rules the calculator uses. EWS candidates with PwBD get the 10 PwBD years.

What is my age as on 1 August 2026 if I was born on 15 March 2000? 26 years, 4 months and 17 days.