The starting salary of an IBPS PO is around ₹70,000 per month in 2026, while an IBPS Clerk earns around ₹37,000 per month. When people hear these figures, many feel that bank employees are getting a very high salary today. But if we compare the salary with what bank employees were earning around 10 years ago, the picture looks quite different.
In reality, the salary of bank employees has not increased as much as the headline figures suggest. A large part of the increase has simply been an adjustment for inflation and the rising cost of living.
IBPS PO Salary in 2026
At present, the monthly salary of an IBPS PO is around ₹70,000–₹73,000 in hand, depending on the place of posting, allowances and deductions.
The approximate salary structure is:
| IBPS PO Salary Structure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic Pay | ₹48,480 |
| Dearness Allowance | ₹7,742 |
| Special Allowance | ₹14,899 |
| Learning Allowance | ₹986 |
| House Rent Allowance | ₹4,363 |
| CCA/LOC A | ₹2,300 |
| Gross Salary | ₹78,770 |
| Deductions | ₹6,027.60 |
| Net Salary | ₹72,742.40 |
So, when someone says that an IBPS PO earns around ₹70,000 per month, the figure is broadly correct. But now let’s go back 10 years.
What Was the IBPS PO Salary in 2016?
In 2016, an IBPS PO was earning around ₹38,000–₹42,000 per month, with a basic pay of approximately ₹23,700. At first, it appears that the salary has increased dramatically—from around ₹40,000 in 2016 to around ₹70,000 in 2026. But simply comparing these two numbers can be misleading. Why?
Because ₹40,000 in 2016 was not the same as ₹40,000 today. The cost of almost everything has increased over the last decade. Rent, food, transportation, education, healthcare and other household expenses have all become more expensive.
Therefore, a salary increase from ₹40,000 to ₹70,000 does not mean that the employee’s purchasing power has increased by ₹30,000.
₹70,000 in 2026 Is Not Really ₹70,000 Compared With 2016
If we adjust the 2026 salary for inflation, ₹70,000 in 2026 is roughly equivalent to ₹43,400 in 2016 in terms of purchasing power. This means that the ₹70,000 salary that looks very high today has purchasing power similar to only around ₹43,400 in 2016. This means a ₹ 70,000 salary in 2026 is almost equal to ₹ 43,000 in 2016.
| Year | IBPS PO Salary | Approximate Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ₹38,000–₹42,000 | ₹38,000–₹42,000 |
| 2026 | ₹70,000 | ≈ ₹43,400 in 2016 money |
This shows that the real increase in purchasing power over the decade is much smaller than the salary figures suggest.
What About IBPS Clerk Salary?
The same situation can be seen in the case of IBPS Clerks.
In 2016, the starting basic pay of an IBPS Clerk was around ₹11,765 per month, while the approximate net salary was around ₹19,000–₹21,000 per month. Today, an IBPS Clerk earns around ₹37,000 per month.
Again, ₹37,000 looks much higher than ₹20,000. But after adjusting for inflation, ₹37,000 in 2026 is roughly equivalent to ₹22,900 in 2016 purchasing power.
| Post | 2016 Salary | 2026 Salary | 2026 Salary in 2016 Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBPS PO | ₹38,000–₹42,000 | ₹70,000 | ≈ ₹43,400 |
| IBPS Clerk | ₹19,000–₹21,000 | ₹37,000 | ≈ ₹22,900 |
Conclusion
The next time you hear that an IBPS PO earns ₹70,000 per month, it is important to look beyond the headline number.
Yes, the salary is ₹70,000 today. But around 10 years ago, an IBPS PO was already earning around ₹38,000–₹42,000 per month. Once inflation is taken into account, today’s ₹70,000 salary is roughly equivalent to ₹43,400 in 2016.
This means that the salary has not really doubled in terms of purchasing power. A large part of the increase has simply compensated for inflation and the rising cost of living.
In simple words, ₹70,000 in 2026 may look much bigger than ₹40,000 in 2016, but in real terms, the difference is not nearly as large.
Therefore, saying that bank employees are earning dramatically higher salaries today just because the salary figure has increased from ₹40,000 to ₹70,000 does not tell the full story. The real question is not how many rupees an employee earns, but how much those rupees can actually buy.
