SLAS Salary in Sri Lanka 2026

SLAS salary scale (SL 1-2025 and SL 3-2025)

Schedule I of Circular 10/2025 puts the "Sri Lanka Administrative Service (Grade I, II, III)" on SL 1-2025, the executive scale it shares with the engineering, scientific, planning, accountants' and foreign services. The Special Grade of all island services is on SL 3-2025.

The 2026 SLAS limited and merit stream notices both quoted this exact SL 1-2025 scale for new Grade III appointments, so we are confident it is the scale applied to new entrants.

What is the SLAS salary by grade in 2026?

The Schedule III conversion tables show each step's old December 2024 basic, the amounts paid from April 2025 and January 2026, and the full amount from January 2027:

Notice that the grade tables overlap. Grade I starts at step 20, which is below the top of the Grade II table, so promotion moves you onto a higher ceiling rather than giving a big immediate jump.

How much does an SLAS officer take home?

Adding the Rs. 17,800 cost of living allowance to the 2026 basic gives these rounded gross figures:

SLAS officers are pensionable, so no EPF is deducted. Unlike most posts we cover, senior SLAS pay crosses the Rs. 150,000 monthly APIT threshold, so Special Grade and top Grade I officers pay income tax on the amount above it. The Department of Manpower and Employment's occupational guide also lists professional, communication, fuel and language allowances, and a vehicle from Grade I. Amounts depend on the post and current circulars, so we have not added them.

What is the divisional secretary salary?

We often see "divisional secretary salary" searched as if it were a separate scale. It is not. Divisional Secretary and Assistant Divisional Secretary are posts held by SLAS officers, and an officer is paid by the SLAS grade they hold, not by the post.

The District Secretary is one of the few posts Schedule I names directly, alongside Additional Secretaries of ministries, all on SL 3-2025. Ministry Secretaries are on SL 4-2025, which runs from Rs. 175,000 to Rs. 238,600.

How do you join the Sri Lanka Administrative Service?

There are three entry streams to Grade III. Fresh graduates use the open exam. Serving officers can use the limited exam or the merit stream.

For the open stream, these are the steps:

1. Earn a recognised degree. The open stream is for graduates. You need a degree from a university recognised by the University Grants Commission.
2. Check the age limit. Recent open competitive exams have set an age range of 22 to 28. Read the gazette notice for the exact qualifying date.
3. Apply when the open exam is gazetted. The Ministry of Public Administration publishes the Open Competitive Examination for Recruitment to Grade III of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in the Government Gazette. Applications are made online as the notice directs.
4. Pass the written exam. Candidates are ranked on the written papers set out in the notice. Only those high enough in the merit order are called for interview.
5. Face the structured interview. For the exam whose interviews were held in February 2025, the structured interview carried 25 marks: management skills 10, leadership 5, communication 5 and personality 5.
6. Get appointed to Grade III. Successful candidates are appointed to SLAS Grade III on SL 1-2025, starting at Rs. 82,150 when fully paid, and posted to a ministry, department or Divisional Secretariat.

Our government jobs in Sri Lanka guide puts the SLAS next to the other recruitment routes, and how to become a government officer covers the general process.

Grades and promotion

The timings come from the Department of Manpower and Employment's occupational guide. Promotion also depends on efficiency bar exams and vacancies, so treat them as minimums, not promises.

SLAS vs other public service jobs

The gap between the SLAS and graduate posts outside the executive services is large. A Development Officer on MN 4-2025 starts at Rs. 53,060 and tops out at Rs. 94,100. A Grama Niladhari on GN 1-2025 tops out at Rs. 84,960. SLAS Grade III starts at Rs. 82,150 and the scale runs past Rs. 195,000.

The SLAS is also different from the generic job title covered in our government administrative officer salary guide. "Administrative officer" is used for several posts outside the SLAS. Graduates interested in other executive services on the same SL 1-2025 code can read how to become a diplomat or the government accountant salary guide. All codes are on the government salary scale 2026 page.

Our take: the best-paid exam a young graduate can sit

Looking only at the numbers, we think the SLAS open exam is the single most valuable exam for a graduate aged 22 to 28 who wants a public service career. It starts almost Rs. 30,000 above the Development Officer scale, the ceiling is more than double, and the Special Grade and secretary posts above it pay more again.

The catch is the age window. Once you pass 28, the open route closes and the limited exam needs years of service first. If you are a graduate in your early twenties, we would prepare for the open exam now, even if you accept another government post while you wait. Compare the long-term numbers with the private sector in government vs private salaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. Public Administration Circular 10/2025 (PDF) - Ministry of Public Administration (Schedule I mapping, SL 1, SL 3 and SL 4 scales, Schedule III tables)
2. Government Salary Scales 2025 (English PDF mirror) - Gazette.lk
3. SLAS Grade III Limited Competitive Examination 2026 - Guruwaraya (gazette of 28 August 2026)
4. Sri Lanka Administrative Service Grade III Recruitment 2026 (merit stream) - Guruwaraya (gazette of 10 August 2026)
5. SLAS open exam interview notice - interview dates and structured interview marks
6. Occupational guide: Sri Lanka Administrative Service (PDF) - Department of Manpower and Employment (age limit, promotion, posts)
7. Public Administration Circular 03/2024 - cost of living allowance