Checked 23 September 2026. Eligibility comes from the 2022 service rules and is stable. The 2021 Finance Department letter words it differently — both are set out below.
Where other pages get this wrong
SAS is not only for Finance or Treasury staff. Boards, corporations, universities and statutory bodies count.
Commonly published instead: Many candidates assume only employees of the Treasuries and Accounts Department, or of Haryana government departments proper, can sit the exam.
The 2022 service rules define the eligible "Organization" as all departments of the Haryana Government and statutory bodies, including universities, boards, corporations, federations and authorities wholly owned and controlled by the State. A regular clerk in a state board is as eligible as one in a secretariat department.
The three conditions
To be appointed Section Officer through the SAS exam, you need all three
- A regular post in Group B or Group C (or equivalent) in an eligible organisation. Contract, outsourced and daily-wage staff are not regular employees.
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Any stream.
- At least three years of regular, satisfactory service on a Group B or C post.
Source: Haryana State Accounts Subordinate (Group C) Service Rules, 2022 — G.S.R.144 of 13 December 2022. The rules set no age limit for the exam route.
Unresolved: Does the 2021 wording differ?
- The Finance Department letter of 16 July 2021 described eligible candidates as employees of Group A, B and C, including autonomous bodies and courts.
- It also required the candidate to be certified "efficient" with integrity "above board".
- The 2022 rules, which came later, say Group B or C.
Our position: The 2022 service rules are the later and higher document, so we follow them for Group A. The certification requirement may well still be applied when your department forwards your application — ask your establishment branch.
No age limit — for serving employees
The 21-42 age band that appears on some pages applies only to direct recruitment to Section Officer. The 2022 rules state no age limit for appointment through the examination. A 50-year-old assistant with a degree and three years of regular service is eligible.
The other way in: direct recruitment
The 523 Section Officer posts are split 70% through the SAS exam and 30% by direct recruitment. Direct recruitment has its own qualifications — and still requires passing the SAS exam afterwards.
| Route | Share | Qualification | After appointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through the SAS examination | 70% | Regular Group B/C employee, bachelor’s degree, 3 years’ regular service | Already qualified both parts; placed by merit on total marks |
| Direct recruitment | 30% | B.Com with 60% (first division) + 3 years’ accounting experience; or M.Com with 55% + 3 years; or CA + 3 years. Plus Hindi or Sanskrit up to Matric, or Hindi at a higher level. | Must pass Part I and Part II — two attempts each (+1 compassionate), or services are dispensed with. No annual increment until both are passed. |
| Transfer / deputation | Not specified | Already a Section Officer or equivalent who has qualified both parts | — |
Before you apply
Checks worth doing with your office
- Confirm your post is regular and classed Group B or C — your service book will say.
- Count your three years of regular service to the date the notice fixes; ad hoc or contract periods may not count.
- Ask how long your department takes to forward applications. The notice deadline is the date it must arrive, not the date you hand it in.
Practise on ProSyllabus
Past SAS-I and SAS-II papers (with the official solutions HIPA released for the practical papers), plus topic-wise practice quizzes for both parts, are on the Haryana SAS exam page. The first quiz in each topic is free.
Who is eligible for the Haryana SAS exam?
A regular Group B or Group C employee of a Haryana government department or statutory body — including universities, boards, corporations, federations and wholly state-owned authorities — with a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of regular satisfactory service.
Is there an age limit for the Haryana SAS exam?
Not for serving employees taking the exam route. The 2022 service rules set a 21-42 age limit only for direct recruitment to Section Officer.
Can employees of Haryana boards and corporations sit the SAS exam?
Yes. The 2022 rules define the eligible organisation to include boards, corporations, federations, universities, statutory bodies and authorities wholly owned and controlled by the state.
Can a contract employee appear in the SAS exam?
The rules require a regular employee on a Group B or C post. Contract and outsourced staff are not regular employees, so on the rules as written they are not eligible.
Can Group A officers sit the SAS exam?
The 2021 Finance Department letter included Group A; the later 2022 service rules say Group B or C. We follow the 2022 rules, but check the current notice.
Can I become a Section Officer without the SAS exam?
Through direct recruitment (30% of posts), with a B.Com at 60%, M.Com at 55% or CA plus three years of accounting experience. Even then you must pass both SAS parts after appointment, in two attempts each.
Sources
- official — Haryana Gazette, G.S.R.144/Const./Art.309/2022 (13 Dec 2022) — HSAS (Group C) Service Rules, 2022 (archived copy)
- reported — Finance Dept letter No. 14/30/2021-IFA (16.07.2021), as forwarded by DG Higher Education on 18.08.2021
- reported — HemSharmaClasses — Haryana SAS course page (coaching)
- official — Treasuries & Accounts Dept, Haryana — "SAS Related Instructions"
official = a Haryana Government or HIPA document. reported = a news or coaching site's transcription, which we could not check against the original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking a winner.
The rest of the Haryana SAS series
- HSAS syllabus — all nine papers of Part I and Part II, paper by paper
- Pass marks, exemption and result calculator — the 45 / 50 / 60 rules
- Previous year question papers — what exists, and which have official solutions
- HSAS 2026 notification — what has been issued, and how to apply
- Books list — every rule book, and where to download it free from the government
- Preparation strategy for working employees — with or without coaching
- SAS Related Instructions — the Treasuries circulars page, explained
- Section Officer salary, posting and promotion after SAS
- Haryana Civil Services Rules 2016 — all nine volumes, official PDFs
Every page carries a "checked on" date and stamps each source as official or reported. Spotted something out of date? These pages are rebuilt from one file, so a correction fixes it everywhere at once.
