Chief Secretary and Federal Secretary sit at BPS-21 and BPS-22, the top of Pakistan's civil service, with basic pay of Rs. 136,680 and Rs. 146,770 respectively under the July 2026 revision. Additional Chief Secretary, one step below, sits at BPS-20 with basic pay of Rs. 123,090. This is the final post in our PAS salary ladder series, and the numbers circulating for these top grades are, if anything, more inconsistent than anything we've corrected so far, with some sources quoting gross figures nearly triple others for the same grade.
Quick Facts: Top PAS Grades
Additional Chief Secretary
BPS-20, Rs. 123,090/month
Chief Secretary / Federal Secretary
BPS-21–22, Rs. 136,680–146,770/month
Current Allowance
7% Ad-hoc Relief 2026
Who Reaches BPS-21/22
A small fraction of any cohort
Time to Reach BPS-20
20–25 years
Time to Reach BPS-21/22
28–35 years
Who Holds These Grades, and What They Do
Additional Chief Secretary, at BPS-20, is a senior provincial posting, effectively deputy to the Chief Secretary, overseeing major departments or a cluster of divisions within a province. It's the same grade tier as Additional Secretary at the federal level or DIG in the police service, reflecting how BPS-20 functions as a shared senior-executive band across occupational groups rather than a PAS-specific title.
Chief Secretary is the most senior civil servant in a province, effectively running the provincial administrative machinery and reporting to the Chief Minister on administrative matters. At the federal level, the equivalent is Federal Secretary, heading an entire federal ministry. Both are typically BPS-21 or BPS-22 postings, with Federal Secretary generally regarded as the single most senior civil service role in the country. Two current real-world examples: Shahab Ali Shah, a BPS-21 PAS officer, currently serves as Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Muhammad Iqbal Memon, also BPS-21, serves as Additional Chief Secretary (Home & Prisons) in Sindh, which shows these two titles can genuinely overlap at the same grade depending on the specific posting and province.
Basic Pay Under the 2026 Revised Scale
Here's how the July 2026 revision changed basic pay across these three top grades.
| Grade | Old Min (2022) | Revised Min (2026) | Revised Max (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BPS-20 | Rs. 102,470 | Rs. 123,090 | Rs. 235,650 |
| BPS-21 | Rs. 113,790 | Rs. 136,680 | Rs. 261,560 |
| BPS-22 | Rs. 122,190 | Rs. 146,770 | Rs. 293,350 |
As with every other grade under the revision, that's roughly a 20 percent rise in minimum basic pay at each level. Annual increments also grew, up from Rs. 6,690 to Rs. 8,040 at BPS-20, Rs. 7,420 to Rs. 8,920 at BPS-21, and Rs. 8,710 to Rs. 10,470 at BPS-22.
Beyond Basic Pay: What These Grades Actually Come With
At this level, the compensation package shifts almost entirely toward institutional perks rather than cash allowances. Officers at BPS-20 and above are entitled to senior government residences, officially categorized by type, with BPS-20 typically qualifying for a Type-C residence and BPS-21/22 officers moving into Type-A or Type-B residences, the most senior accommodation tier in the civil service. Full protocol, dedicated security details, official vehicles with drivers, and a substantial support staff come standard at this level. Pension, when these officers eventually retire, is calculated on their highest last pay drawn, which is a meaningfully different, and better, calculation than for officers retiring at lower grades.
As with every post in this salary series, there's no single verified "total compensation" figure for these grades that holds across every posting, department, and province. The institutional perks at this level vary by specific role and location more than the cash components do.
How Rare Is It to Reach These Grades?
Genuinely rare. Based on typical federal promotion timelines, most officers who progress steadily reach BPS-20 after roughly twenty to twenty-five years of service. Reaching BPS-21 or BPS-22 typically takes twenty-eight to thirty-five years, and represents a small fraction of any CSS entry cohort, since these postings depend on a mix of sustained strong performance, seniority, and the availability of a limited number of senior positions across the entire federal and provincial administration.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of the July 2026 pay revision, Additional Chief Secretary is a BPS-20 posting with basic pay of Rs. 123,090 per month.
Chief Secretary is typically a BPS-21 or BPS-22 posting, with basic pay ranging from Rs. 136,680 to Rs. 146,770 per month under the revised 2026 scale, depending on the specific grade.
Reaching BPS-21 or BPS-22, the grades associated with Chief Secretary and Federal Secretary, typically takes twenty-eight to thirty-five years of combined civil service.
They're equivalent in seniority. Chief Secretary is the senior-most civil servant at the provincial level, while Federal Secretary is the equivalent role heading a federal ministry.
Senior Type-A or Type-B government residences, full protocol and security, an official vehicle with driver, extensive support staff, and pension calculated on the officer's highest last pay drawn.
This wraps up the PAS salary ladder series: Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner, and now Chief Secretary. See the full CSS Officer Salary pillar for the complete overview, or check the CSS exam syllabus and CSS success stories. For everything else, visit the CSS Bureau blog.