745 Officer Posts Across 11 Banks: What IBPS SO 2026 Applicants Need to Know

Applicants eyeing a banking-sector career now have a fresh window to act on. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has released its CRP SPL-XVI notification for IBPS SO Recruitment 2026, opening 745 Specialist Officer (Scale I) posts across 11 public sector banks.

The 745 posts break down as 301 IT Officer, 190 Agricultural Field Officer, 105 Law Officer, 89 Rajbhasha Adhikari and 60 HR/Personnel Officer positions, with no vacancies this year for Marketing Officer. IBPS notes the figures are indicative and may change as per final bank requirements.

Online applications are open from 1 July 2026 to 21 July 2026 via ibps.in. Qualification requirements vary sharply by post — from a four-year engineering degree for IT Officer to an LLB with Bar Council enrollment for Law Officer, and a postgraduate degree in Hindi or Sanskrit for Rajbhasha Adhikari.

The age bracket for eligibility is 20 to 30 years as on 1 July 2026, with relaxation available for SC/ST, OBC, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen candidates. The application fee is ₹175 for SC/ST/PwBD applicants and ₹850 for General, OBC and EWS applicants, paid online during registration.

Selection unfolds over three stages: a qualifying Preliminary Examination, a Main Examination with objective and descriptive components, and a Common Interview, with the final merit list based on an 80:20 weightage between Main Exam and Interview scores. Prelims are tentatively scheduled for 29 August 2026, Mains for 1 November 2026.

Selected officers join at Junior Management Grade Scale I, starting at a basic pay of ₹48,480 and progressing to ₹85,920, along with DA, HRA and other allowances, at one of 11 banks including Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India and Canara Bank.