BTSC 2026 Age Limit: Counted on 1 August 2026, and the Four Maximums
Sarkari Naukri Khabar • Bihar
All four BTSC recruitments open now count age as on 1 August 2026, not on the closing date, and not on the date you apply. The minimum is 21 for every post. The maximum depends on your category and, for unreserved candidates, on whether you are a man or a woman: 37, 40 or 42. This guide sets out the four maximums, the relaxations the advertisements allow on top, and the rule that your matriculation certificate settles your date of birth for good.
One date for all four
Advertisements 27, 28, 29 and 30 of 2026 all count age as on 1 August 2026. That is the cut-off date, and it does not move with the closing date of the application, which is 23 or 24 October depending on the advertisement.
Work out your age on 1 August 2026 before you decide you are too old or too young. Using the wrong date is how eligible candidates talk themselves out of applying.
Minimum: 21 years
The minimum age is 21 years as on 1 August 2026, for every one of the four posts. There is no relaxation on the minimum for any category.
The four maximums
On the same date of 1 August 2026:
- Unreserved men: 37 years
- Unreserved women: 40 years
- Backward Class and Extremely Backward Class, men and women: 40 years
- Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe, men and women: 42 years
Relaxations on top of the maximum
The advertisements allow these further relaxations. Each needs a certificate from the competent authority, and a claim without one is not accepted.
- Disabled candidates: an additional 10 years, under General Administration Department resolution 962 dated 22 January 2021
- Regular Bihar government servants who have completed three years of continuous service: 5 years, for entering a higher pay scale, under resolution 2374 of 16 July 2007 and letter 13107 of 20 September 2019
- Ex-servicemen: 3 years plus the period of service in the armed forces, provided the actual age on the date of applying is not more than 57 years
- Candidates who served on contract in a non-private institution in Bihar under the state government, panchayat, urban local body or similar: relaxation equal to the period of that engagement, with part of a year counted, under resolution 2447 of 6 March 1990 and letter 5374 of 2 April 2013
Only one relaxation, not several
The advertisements state it plainly: a candidate gets only one of these relaxations, whichever one applies. They do not stack. A disabled ex-serviceman takes the larger of the two, not both.
Contract service relaxation is tied to the same post
The relaxation for contract service is allowed against regular appointment to the same post the candidate is serving on contract in. Serving on contract in a different post does not give you age relaxation for this one.
For candidates counting that service, the cut-off date for calculating the relaxation is also 1 August 2026.
Your matriculation certificate settles it
The Commission accepts the date of birth printed on the matriculation certificate or its equivalent, and nothing else. Not an Aadhaar card, not a birth certificate, not a school leaving certificate that disagrees with it.
Enter it in the online form exactly as it appears there. If the two disagree, the form is what will be held against you at document verification, and by then the application cannot be corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
On which date is age counted for BTSC 2026?
1 August 2026, for all four advertisements. Not the closing date and not the date you apply.
What is the maximum age for an unreserved man?
37 years as on 1 August 2026. For unreserved women it is 40, for Backward Class and Extremely Backward Class 40, and for SC and ST 42.
What is the minimum age?
21 years as on 1 August 2026, for every one of the four posts, with no relaxation for any category.
Can I claim two age relaxations together?
No. The advertisements say only one relaxation is given, whichever applies.
How much age relaxation do disabled candidates get?
An additional 10 years, with a valid certificate from the competent authority.
Which document decides my date of birth?
The matriculation certificate or its equivalent. The Commission accepts no other document, so enter that date in the form exactly.
ℹ️ Government rules, fees and processing times can change. Always confirm the current position on the official portal or at your block office before acting.
Last updated: 26 Sep 2026