Architects design buildings and the spaces around them, from homes, offices and hospitals to campuses, heritage sites and whole neighbourhoods, and see a design through planning approvals, drawings and construction on site.
Read this first. This page rests on 2 dated pay figures, each from a named source. That is evidence of what those sources state, not of what Architect roles pay across India.
●VERIFIED
≡2 observations
◷Latest 2025-06-14
Salary✓VERIFIED2 obs · MEDIUM
Demand↑SIGNAL+12% real estate postings · October 2026, year-on-year
Skills◔LISTED0 of 1 with a sector signal
Location◐LIMITED32 cities · PLFS state factor
Industry↑SIGNAL+9% projected 2027 (Aon)
What the work is
In India the title is protected: under the Architects Act, 1972, only a person registered with the Council of Architecture may call themselves an architect. Most architects work in private practice or for architecture and construction firms; government departments employ them for public buildings, defence works and heritage conservation. The two figures on this page are central government posts filled by UPSC — Deputy Architect in the Military Engineering Service and Deputy Superintending Archaeological Architect in the Archaeological Survey of India.
How people enter it
A Bachelor of Architecture
The B.Arch is a five-year degree. Admission is through NATA, the aptitude test conducted by the Council of Architecture, or through JEE Main Paper 2 for the institutions that use it.
Registration
A graduate registers with the Council of Architecture before practising under the title. Both UPSC posts on this page ask for that registration.
Experience in practice
Most architects begin in a firm, preparing drawings and coordinating consultants. UPSC's Deputy Architect post asks for two years in the profession; the ASI post asks for three years in the design and construction of buildings.
Government posts
The Central Public Works Department, the Military Engineering Service, the ASI and State public works departments recruit architects, many through UPSC or a State public service commission.
What the pay figures say
Two dated figures are on file. Both come from employers' own notices. The latest took effect on 14 June 2025. Each card says what the figure is; open "How the figure is read" for the method and what it leaves out.
Military Engineering Service (Ministry of Defence) · Deputy Architect, Group A (Level 10)₹6,73,200 a year
Deputy Architect basic × 12 (Level 10) 16 Deputy Architect posts, Military Engineering Service, Ministry of Defence
Deputy Architect, Level 10; level start ₹56,100 per month (Government of India pay matrix, as printed in the UPSC CDS (II) 2026 notice) × 12. Starting basic pay of the level × 12; excludes DA, HRA and other allowances.
Limits. Basic pay only; allowances excluded. A central government post asking for a degree in architecture, Council of Architecture registration and two years in the profession; private practice is not covered.
Deputy Superintending Archaeological Architect, Level 10; level start ₹56,100 per month (Government of India pay matrix) × 12. Starting basic pay of the level × 12; excludes DA, HRA and other allowances.
Limits. Basic pay only; allowances excluded. A heritage-conservation post asking for a B.Arch, Council of Architecture registration and three years in building design and construction.
Practice: an architect's own practice earns from fees agreed with each client, so income follows the projects won rather than a scale.
Specialisation: conservation, urban design, landscape, interiors and project management each have their own employers and clients.
Employer: government posts follow the pay matrix — both UPSC posts here are at level 10 — while private firms set their own pay.
Questions
What do the Architect posts on this page pay?
Military Engineering Service (Ministry of Defence), Deputy Architect, Group A (Level 10): Deputy Architect basic × 12 (Level 10), recorded here as ₹6,73,200 a year (UPSC Advertisement No. 07/2025, item 5). Archaeological Survey of India (Ministry of Culture), Deputy Superintending Archaeological Architect (Level 10): Dy. Supdtg. Archaeological Architect basic × 12 (Level 10), recorded here as ₹6,73,200 a year (UPSC Advertisement No. 05/2025, item 2).
Is that the take-home pay?
No. A figure given as basic pay leaves out dearness allowance, house rent allowance and the other allowances paid on top of it, and it is before income tax and provident fund or NPS deductions. The CTC breakup calculator on this site works out a monthly in-hand figure from a CTC.
Can anyone call themselves an architect?
No. Under the Architects Act, 1972, only a person registered with the Council of Architecture may use the title "architect". Others may do design work, but may not use the title or style themselves as architects.
Basic pay only; allowances excluded. A central government post asking for a degree in architecture, Council of Architecture registration and two years in the profession; private practice is not covered. Basic pay only; allowances excluded. A heritage-conservation post asking for a B.Arch, Council of Architecture registration and three years in building design and construction.
Roles in Architecture & Interiors first, then the rest of the covered set. Listed so a comparison is one click away — no role is ranked above another, and a role appears here only when it has sourced observations of its own.