Grama Niladhari Salary in Sri Lanka 2026
The GN 1-2025 and GN 2-2025 scales grade by grade, what a grama sevaka takes home, and how the GS exam works
How much does a Grama Niladhari earn in Sri Lanka?
A Grama Niladhari in Sri Lanka is paid on the GN 1-2025 scale: Rs. 50,630 to Rs. 84,960 basic a month once fully paid in January 2027. In 2026 a new Grade III officer gets Rs. 47,834 basic plus the Rs. 17,800 cost of living allowance, about Rs. 65,600 a month. The Supra Grade (GN 2-2025) reaches Rs. 120,860.
How we checked this
- We read Public Administration Circular 10/2025: Schedule I for the service, Schedule II for the GN scales and Schedule III for the phased amounts.
- We read the October 2025 gazette notice for the Grama Niladhari Grade III exam for the entry rules.
- We checked both in October 2026. Every salary figure is official; only the rounded gross totals are our arithmetic.
Grama Niladhari salary scale (GN 1-2025 and GN 2-2025)
We started with Schedule I of Circular 10/2025, which maps every public service to a salary code. The Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari Service has two lines: Grades I, II and III are on GN 1-2025, and the Supra Grade is on GN 2-2025. These are the service's own codes. The GN scale is not one of the general management assistant scales, although it starts close to them.
Read it left to right: Rs. 50,630 at entry, ten annual increments of Rs. 540, then eleven of Rs. 630, and so on up to Rs. 84,960. The October 2025 recruitment notice quoted this exact scale for new Grade III officers.
What is the Grama Niladhari salary by grade in 2026?
The 2025 increase is being paid in stages. The table below comes from the Schedule III conversion tables for GN 1-2025 and GN 2-2025. It shows the old December 2024 basic at each step, the amount paid from April 2025, the amount paid from January 2026 and the full figure from January 2027.
| Grade point | Code / step | Dec 2024 | Apr 2025 | Jan 2026 | Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade III, entry | GN 1-2025, step 1 | 30,140 | 45,037 | 47,834 | 50,630 |
| Grade III, top of table | GN 1-2025, step 19 | 35,540 | 51,733 | 56,042 | 60,350 |
| Grade II, entry | GN 1-2025, step 12 | 33,490 | 49,191 | 52,926 | 56,660 |
| Grade I, entry | GN 1-2025, step 23 | 37,550 | 54,226 | 59,098 | 63,970 |
| GN 1 maximum | GN 1-2025, step 42 | 49,190 | 68,671 | 76,816 | 84,960 |
| Supra Grade, entry | GN 2-2025, step 1 | 42,335 | 60,165 | 66,383 | 72,600 |
| Supra Grade, maximum | GN 2-2025, step 30 | 69,180 | 93,434 | 107,147 | 120,860 |
Two things stand out to us. First, the 2025 revision lifted the entry basic by more than Rs. 20,000 once fully paid, from Rs. 30,140 to Rs. 50,630. Second, the grades overlap: a Grade III officer near the top of the Grade III table can earn more basic than a newly promoted Grade II officer, because increments keep running inside each grade.
How much does a grama sevaka take home each month?
Every public officer also receives the cost of living allowance of Rs. 17,800 a month. Adding it to the 2026 basic gives these rounded gross figures:
| Grade point | 2026 basic + COLA (Rs.) |
|---|---|
| Grade III, new appointment | about 65,600 |
| Grade II, entry | about 70,700 |
| Grade I, entry | about 76,900 |
| GN 1 maximum | about 94,600 |
| Supra Grade, entry | about 84,200 |
Grama Niladharis are pensionable, so no EPF is deducted. All of these amounts sit below the Rs. 150,000 monthly threshold for APIT, so there is no income tax at these levels. The main deduction is the widows' and orphans' pension contribution. Grama Niladharis also receive post-specific allowances under separate circulars. We could not find a current official figure for them, so we leave them out rather than guess. For how the pension works, see our government pension guide.
What does a Grama Niladhari do?
The Grama Niladhari is the government's officer at village level. Sri Lanka is split into 14,022 Grama Niladhari divisions, grouped under Divisional Secretariats, and each division has its own officer who reports to the Divisional Secretary.
In practice the job is the front desk of the state for the people in one division. Typical work includes certifying residence and character for official applications, keeping records of the households in the division, supporting electoral registration, helping verify applicants for welfare and relief programmes, reporting on land and local disputes, and reporting during floods and other disasters. It is a field role: much of the week is spent in the division rather than in an office.
How do you pass the Grama Niladhari exam?
The official title is the Competitive Examination for Recruitment to Grade III of the Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari Service. It is conducted by the Department of Examinations. Based on the 2025 gazette notice, these are the steps:
- Check you meet the age and residence rules. The 2025 notice required applicants to be 21 to 35 years old on the closing date and to have lived in the Divisional Secretary's division they apply for for three consecutive years within the previous six years.
- Have the O/L and A/L results. You need six O/L subjects with credit passes in at least four, including a first language (Sinhala or Tamil) and Mathematics, and passes in all A/L subjects at one sitting, not counting the General Paper and English.
- Apply online when the gazette notice appears. The 2025 exam was gazetted on 16 October 2025 and applications closed on 24 November 2025. Applications went through the Department of Examinations online system with a Rs. 1,000 fee.
- Sit the three written papers. The exam has three papers of 100 marks each: language use and comprehension, general knowledge, and aptitude. You need at least 40% in each paper to be considered.
- Attend the interview and complete training. Candidates are called for interview in order of marks for each division. Those selected follow a three-month training course and must pass its assessment before appointment to Grade III.
Requirements can change between intakes, so read the latest notice in full before you apply. Our government jobs in Sri Lanka guide explains how gazette notices, online applications and interviews fit together across services.
Grades and promotion in the Grama Niladhari Service
New officers join in Grade III. Promotion runs to Grade II and Grade I on the same GN 1-2025 scale, and then to the Supra Grade on GN 2-2025. Promotion depends on completing the required years of satisfactory service and any efficiency bar requirements in the service minute. We have not quoted year counts here because we could not check the current service minute directly.
The jump to the Supra Grade is where the money changes most. The Supra Grade entry of Rs. 72,600 is well above the Grade I entry of Rs. 63,970, and its maximum of Rs. 120,860 is about Rs. 36,000 above the GN 1 ceiling.
Grama Niladhari salary compared with other government jobs
| Post | Code | Full scale (Rs.) |
|---|---|---|
| Management Service Officer | MN 2-2025 | 48,470 - 82,800 |
| Grama Niladhari | GN 1-2025 | 50,630 - 84,960 |
| Development Officer | MN 4-2025 | 53,060 - 94,100 |
| Station master | Railway-2025 | 57,810 - 93,810 |
| SLAS Grade III to I | SL 1-2025 | 82,150 - 195,970 |
The GN scale sits just above the Management Service Officer salary and just below the graduate Development Officer salary. Grama Niladharis work alongside both in the Divisional Secretariat, as well as with Samurdhi Development Officers. The Divisional Secretary at the top of that office is usually an SLAS officer. Every code is listed on our government salary scale 2026 page.
Our take: a strong job if you plan to stay home
We think the Grama Niladhari post is one of the best-paid routes into the public service for someone with A/L passes and no degree. It starts above the MSO scale, it is pensionable, and the residence rule means you are usually posted close to where you already live.
The trade-off is the job itself. You are on call for your division in a way an office clerk is not, and the work brings you into every family dispute and land problem in the area. If you want a quiet desk job, we would look at the MSO exam instead. If you like dealing with people and want to stay in your home area, we would sit the GN exam whenever it is gazetted, and sit the MSO exam in the same year as a backup. Compare the wider picture in government vs private salaries before you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Grama Niladhari salary in Sri Lanka?
A Grama Niladhari is paid on the GN 1-2025 scale, Rs. 50,630 to Rs. 84,960 basic a month once the 2025 revision is fully paid in January 2027. In 2026 a new Grade III officer is paid Rs. 47,834 basic, and with the Rs. 17,800 cost of living allowance that comes to about Rs. 65,600 a month.
What is the grama sevaka salary in 2026?
Grama sevaka is the old popular name for the Grama Niladhari. In 2026 the entry basic is Rs. 47,834 under the phased payment in Public Administration Circular 10/2025. Grade II officers start at Rs. 52,926 and Grade I officers at Rs. 59,098 in 2026. Each figure rises to the full scale amount from 1 January 2027.
What is the GN 1-2025 salary scale?
Schedule II of Circular 10/2025 sets GN 1-2025 as Rs. 50,630 - 10 x 540 - 11 x 630 - 10 x 1,010 - 10 x 1,190 - Rs. 84,960. It covers Grades III, II and I of the Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari Service. The Supra Grade is on a separate code, GN 2-2025.
What is the Supra Grade Grama Niladhari salary?
Supra Grade officers are paid on GN 2-2025, which runs from Rs. 72,600 to Rs. 120,860 basic when fully paid. In 2026 the first step is paid Rs. 66,383 and the top step Rs. 107,147. With the Rs. 17,800 allowance, a new Supra Grade officer receives about Rs. 84,200 a month in 2026.
What are the qualifications for the Grama Niladhari exam?
The 2025 notice asked for six O/L subjects with credit passes in four, including Sinhala or Tamil and Mathematics, and passes in all A/L subjects at one sitting, excluding the General Paper and English. Applicants had to be 21 to 35 and to have lived in the division for three consecutive years within the past six years.
What subjects are in the Grama Niladhari exam?
The 2025 competitive exam for Grade III had three papers, each worth 100 marks: language use and comprehension, general knowledge, and aptitude. A candidate needed at least 40% in every paper. Shortlisted candidates were then interviewed, and those selected attended a three-month training course before appointment.
When is the next Grama Niladhari exam?
There is no fixed calendar. The last exam was gazetted on 16 October 2025, with applications closing on 24 November 2025. In September 2026 the Minister of Public Administration said the recruitment of more than 1,500 Grama Niladharis had reached its final stage. Watch the Government Gazette and the Department of Examinations site for the next notice.
Do Grama Niladharis get a pension?
Yes. Grama Niladharis are permanent, pensionable public servants, so EPF is not deducted from their salary. Their pension is worked out on the salary scale in force when they retire, which from 2025 is the GN scale in Circular 10/2025. Like other public officers, they contribute to the widows' and orphans' pension scheme.
Is a Grama Niladhari paid more than a Management Service Officer?
Yes, slightly. GN 1-2025 starts at Rs. 50,630 when fully paid, while a Grade III Management Service Officer on MN 2-2025 starts at Rs. 48,470. The gap at entry is Rs. 2,160 a month. Both scales end close together at the top, Rs. 84,960 for GN 1 against Rs. 82,800 for MN 2.
Sources
- Public Administration Circular 10/2025 (PDF) - Ministry of Public Administration (Schedule I mapping, GN 1 and GN 2 scales, Schedule III tables)
- Government Salary Scales 2025 (English PDF mirror) - Gazette.lk
- Competitive Examination for Recruitment to Grade III of the Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari Service - 2025 (gazette notice, PDF) - eligibility, papers, fee and training
- Sri Lanka begins recruitment of over 120,000 public sector workers in 2026 - Xinhua, 25 September 2026
- Administrative divisions of Sri Lanka - Wikipedia (number of Grama Niladhari divisions)
- Public Administration Circular 03/2024 - cost of living allowance
Updated Reviewed by SalaryLK Editorial TeamHow we research salaries