How many years of age relaxation do OBC candidates get?

Three years in the SSC CHSL 2026, SBI Clerk 2026 and RRB Group D notices, for the non-creamy layer. OBC candidates in the creamy layer get the General limit.

Do EWS candidates get age relaxation?

Not in these three notices. EWS candidates have the same upper age limit as General candidates.

Can I get two age relaxations together?

No. The SBI notice says only one relaxation applies, and the RRB notice says you get the largest one. The PwBD years already include the category years.

How is age relaxation worked out for ex-servicemen?

SSC and RRB take your years of service off your actual age and then allow 3 more years (6 or 8 for OBC, SC and ST in the RRB notice). SBI adds your period of service plus 3 years to the limit, up to an age of 50.

Does relaxation change the lower age limit?

No. Relaxation only raises the upper limit. You still have to reach the minimum age on the cut-off date.

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Age relaxation in exam notices: who gets extra years, and how many

Updated 24 October 2026

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The age limit at the top of an exam notice is the one for General candidates. Other groups get extra years on the upper limit, called age relaxation, and the details change from notice to notice. Here we walk through three notices we've read: SSC CHSL 2026, SBI Clerk (Junior Associates) 2026 and RRB Group D (CEN 09/2025). OBC here means the non-creamy layer, as in the notices.

Relaxation only raises the upper limit

The lower limit never moves. If a notice says 20 to 28 years, an OBC candidate still has to be 20 on the cut-off date, but the upper limit goes from 28 to 31, and you must not have reached it on that date. Age is counted on the notice's cut-off date (the "age as on" date), not on the day you apply.

The category years in three notices

The upper age limit for each group, in years. The lower limit stays at 18, 20 and 18.

Group	SSC CHSL 2026	SBI Clerk 2026	RRB Group D
Age counted on	1 August 2026	1 April 2026	1 January 2026
General and EWS	27	28	33
OBC (3 more years)	30	31	36
SC and ST (5 more years)	32	33	38
PwBD, General and EWS (10 more)	37	38	43
PwBD, OBC (13 more)	40	41	46
PwBD, SC and ST (15 more)	42	43	48

EWS candidates get no extra years in any of the three. The years for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) replace the category years rather than being added to them, which is why they're 13 for OBC and 15 for SC and ST. RRB's notice even prints the birth dates with the relaxation counted in: on or after 2 January 1993 for UR and EWS, 2 January 1990 for OBC and 2 January 1988 for SC and ST.

One person, three notices

Imran is OBC and was born on 20 November 1995.

SSC CHSL 2026: on 1 August 2026 he's 30 years, 8 months and 12 days old. His upper limit is 27 + 3 = 30, and he turned 30 on 20 November 2025, so he's over it.
SBI Clerk 2026: on 1 April 2026 he's 30 years, 4 months and 12 days old. His limit is 28 + 3 = 31, so he can apply.
RRB Group D: on 1 January 2026 he's 30 years, 1 month and 12 days old, well inside 33 + 3 = 36.

The same birthday gives three answers, because each notice has its own cut-off date and limit. So check every notice yourself rather than going by what a friend found for another exam.

Ex-servicemen: your service comes off your age

Each notice counts your years in the forces in its own way:

SSC CHSL 2026: 3 years, after your military service is deducted from your actual age on 1 August 2026.
SBI Clerk 2026: your actual period of service in the defence forces plus 3 years (8 years for disabled ex-servicemen who are SC or ST), up to an age of 50.
RRB Group D: with at least 6 months of service after attestation, 3 years for UR and EWS, 6 for OBC and 8 for SC and ST, after your service is deducted from your age.

Say Suresh, a General candidate born on 5 May 1988, served 10 years in the Army. On 1 August 2026 he's 38 years and 2 months old. Take away his 10 years of service and he counts as 28 years and 2 months, under SSC's limit of 27 + 3 = 30. For SBI his limit becomes 28 + 10 + 3 = 41, and on 1 April 2026 he's 37 years and 10 months old. For RRB he counts as 27 years and 7 months, under 33 + 3 = 36. Each notice also says who counts as an ex-serviceman, so read those lines too.

Widows, divorced women and people already in service

Women who are widowed, divorced or judicially separated and haven't remarried get extra time in all three. SSC CHSL 2026 lets them apply up to an age of 35 (40 for SC and ST). SBI Clerk 2026 gives 7 years, up to 35 for General and EWS, 38 for OBC and 40 for SC and ST, and RRB Group D allows the same 35, 38 and 40.

People already in service get their own limits. SSC CHSL 2026 allows Central Government civilian employees with at least 3 years of regular, continuous service up to 40 (45 for SC and ST). RRB Group D allows railway Group C staff, former Group D staff and substitutes with 3 years of service up to 40, 43 for OBC and 45 for SC and ST. SBI gives its own trained apprentices 1 to 16 years, depending on category.

When relaxations don't add up

If you qualify on two grounds, say as a widow and as a person with a disability, you don't get both. The SBI notice says only one relaxation applies, and the RRB notice says you get the largest one. A few relaxations also depend on the vacancy: RRB's notice says SC, ST and OBC candidates applying against unreserved (UR) vacancies get no age relaxation.

Some people get none. OBC candidates in the creamy layer get the General limit, as the SBI notice says, and SSC's notice gives nothing to the sons, daughters and dependents of ex-servicemen.

Which date of birth counts

Your age is worked out from the date of birth in your Class 10 (matriculation or secondary) certificate. The SSC and RRB notices both say so, and SSC adds that no change is allowed later. If another document shows a different date, the notice still goes by the Class 10 certificate.

Check your own limit

Open the age calculator, pick your exam and category, tick PwBD if it applies, and it works out your exact age on the cut-off date and the birth dates allowed for you. For an ex-serviceman, widow or departmental limit, choose My own date and limits and type the years from your notice. Your date of birth stays on your device; nothing you type is sent anywhere. The notice is always the final word, so read its age section before you pay the fee.

Questions people ask

How many years of age relaxation do OBC candidates get?: Three years in the SSC CHSL 2026, SBI Clerk 2026 and RRB Group D notices, for the non-creamy layer. OBC candidates in the creamy layer get the General limit.
Do EWS candidates get age relaxation?: Not in these three notices. EWS candidates have the same upper age limit as General candidates.
Can I get two age relaxations together?: No. The SBI notice says only one relaxation applies, and the RRB notice says you get the largest one. The PwBD years already include the category years.
How is age relaxation worked out for ex-servicemen?: SSC and RRB take your years of service off your actual age and then allow 3 more years (6 or 8 for OBC, SC and ST in the RRB notice). SBI adds your period of service plus 3 years to the limit, up to an age of 50.
Does relaxation change the lower age limit?: No. Relaxation only raises the upper limit. You still have to reach the minimum age on the cut-off date.