Government Salary Scale 2026 Sri Lanka

What changed in the 2025 public sector pay revision?

Circular 10/2025, dated 25 March 2025, put the Budget 2025 salary proposals into effect. It replaced the scales of Public Administration Circular 03/2016 with new scales from 1 January 2025, and every officer was converted step to step onto the new scale.

• The Rs. 2,500 interim allowance (Circular 09/2019) and the Rs. 5,000 allowance (Circular 03/2022) were absorbed into the new basic salaries and stopped from 1 April 2025.
• The Rs. 17,800 cost of living allowance under Circular 03/2024 continues on top of basic pay.
• Pensions of officers who retire after 1 April 2025 are calculated on the full new scale.
• Institutional allowances paid as a fraction of salary were reduced in proportion, for example from one third to one quarter of salary, because the salary base is now higher.

Because the increase is large, it is paid in three steps rather than all at once. Budget 2026 set aside Rs. 110 billion for the second phase that started in January 2026.

How is the salary increase phased in 2025, 2026 and 2027?

The circular first works out each officer's net increase: the new basic salary minus the old basic salary, less the Rs. 7,500 of allowances that were folded in. That net increase is then released in stages:

Here is what that means in rupees for the first step of some common posts, taken from the conversion tables in Schedule III of the circular:

Government salary scale Sri Lanka: all main salary codes

The table lists the main codes in Schedule II of Circular 10/2025. "Entry" and "Maximum" are the full basic salaries payable from 1 January 2027. "Paid 2026" is the basic salary actually paid at the first step from 1 January 2026. All figures are monthly, in rupees, before the Rs. 17,800 cost of living allowance.

Schedule II also contains separate scales for the postal service (PPL and PSO), the State Audit Service (AS 1 to AS 4), the Attorney General's Department (AGS), the Legal Draftsman's Department (LDS), Law Officers (SL 5-2025) and higher police ranks (RS 2 to RS 5). If your post is not listed above, find it in Schedule I of the circular, which maps every service and grade to its code.

How do I read a salary scale like MN 2-2025?

Each scale is written as a starting salary followed by blocks of yearly increments. The MN 2-2025 scale for Management Service Officers, for example, is:

That means an officer starts at Rs. 48,470, gains Rs. 540 a year for ten years, then Rs. 630 a year for eleven years, and so on to the maximum. Promotions to Grade II and Grade I move the officer to a higher step of the same scale rather than to a new code.

The letters group similar jobs: PL for primary level posts, MN for management assistants and associate officers, MT for technical, nursing and para medical services, GE for teachers, advisors and principals, MP for registered and assistant medical officers, RS for police and regulatory services and SL for executive, medical officer and senior grades.

How much does a government employee take home in 2026?

Gross monthly pay in 2026 is the amount paid under Schedule III plus the Rs. 17,800 cost of living allowance. Overtime, holiday pay and post-specific allowances come on top where they apply.

Pensionable public servants do not pay EPF. They contribute to the widows' and orphans' pension scheme, and APIT only applies above Rs. 150,000 a month, so most entry-level officers have no tax deducted. For how these figures compare with private jobs, see government vs private salaries in Sri Lanka.

Detailed salary guides by post

For grade-by-grade tables, allowances and recruitment rules, use the post-specific guides:

• Teachers salary scale 2026: GE 1 and GE 2 by grade, graduate and trained teacher entry points, and principals.
• Nursing officer salary: MT 7 grades, Special Grade and pupil nurse allowances.
• PHI salary: the MT 5 scale for Public Health Inspectors and how to train as one.
• Management Service Officer salary: MN 2 and MN 7 with the MSO exam.
• Station master salary: the Railway-2025 scale.
• Doctor salary: SL 2 medical officer pay and consultants.
• How to become a diplomat: the Foreign Service exam and SL 1 pay.
• Government teacher salary and how to become a government officer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Public Administration Circular 10/2025 (25 March 2025) - Ministry of Public Administration (Schedules I to III)
2. Public Administration Circular 10/2025 (I) (24 April 2026) - Ministry of Public Administration (amendments)
3. Government Salary Scales Sri Lanka 2025 (English PDF mirror) - Gazette.lk
4. Public Administration Circular 03/2024 - cost of living allowance
5. Budget Highlights 2026 - Sunday Times (Rs. 110 billion for the second phase)