SBI PO 2026 Notification Out: 1500 Posts

The State Bank of India has opened one of the most awaited bank jobs of the year. The SBI PO 2026 notification is out for 1,500 Probationary Officer posts, and any graduate could apply. Online registration closed on 8 July 2026. SBI has since held the Preliminary exam (1 and 2 August 2026) and the Main exam (12 September 2026). The Group Exercise and Interviews are tentatively set from 18 November 2026 onwards. This guide explains the vacancies, who can apply, the fee, the full exam pattern, the real salary, and the step by step way to apply, all checked against the official SBI advertisement.

SBI PO 2026 at a Glance

Why SBI PO is a Top Choice

SBI is the largest bank in India, and the Probationary Officer post is its entry level officer job. A PO joins as an officer from day one, not as a clerk, and moves into branch management and other officer roles over time. The pay is strong, the job is secure, and the promotion path is clear. This is why lakhs of graduates apply every year for a few thousand seats. If you are a graduate from any stream and want a banking career, this is one of the best openings to target.

SBI PO 2026 Vacancies

There are 1,500 vacancies in total. Of these, 1,446 are regular posts and 54 are backlog posts. SBI has clearly written that this number is provisional and may change as per the bank’s actual need. The category wise split is given below.

A few points that many websites get wrong. Backlog posts exist only in the SC and ST categories. Posts reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) are horizontal, which means they are counted within the category numbers above and are not added on top of the 1,500. As a guide, these work out to about 15 seats for visual impairment, 16 for hearing impairment, 14 for locomotor disability and 16 for the other listed disabilities. There is also no state wise or circle wise split. The whole recruitment is one all India pool, and a selected candidate can be posted anywhere in India.

SBI PO 2026 Eligibility

Nationality. You must be an Indian citizen.

Education. You need a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognised University, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government. Any stream is fine, including arts, commerce, science, engineering, medicine and so on. The notification does not fix any minimum percentage.

Final year students could also apply on a provisional basis. If you applied in your last year and are called for the interview stage, you must show proof that you passed your graduation on or before 30 September 2026.

SBI PO 2026 Age Limit

As on 1 April 2026, a candidate must be a minimum of 21 years and a maximum of 30 years. In simple terms, you should have been born between 2 April 1996 and 1 April 2005, both dates included.

Reserved category candidates get extra years on the upper age limit, as shown below.

These relaxations are not added on top of each other. The PwBD figures already include the basic category relaxation. Also, OBC candidates who fall in the creamy layer do not get reservation or age relaxation.

How Many Attempts Are Allowed

SBI puts a limit on the number of chances, and this is one of the most common points where other websites still show old numbers. The correct limits for 2026 are below.

One important rule about counting. A chance is counted only when you appear in the Main exam. Appearing in the Preliminary exam does not use up a chance. So if you cleared Prelims but could not sit for Mains, it does not count against your limit.

SBI PO 2026 Application Fee

• General, EWS and OBC candidates: ₹750
• SC, ST and PwBD candidates: no fee

The fee is non refundable and is paid online only, through debit card, credit card, internet banking or UPI. There is no separate intimation charge added on top, as the fee already covers it. Note that EWS candidates are not exempt and have to pay the full ₹750. If your bank or payment gateway adds a small transaction charge, that is extra and is borne by you. Also apply only once, because if you register more than once, SBI keeps only the last valid completed form and the fee paid on the earlier registrations is lost.

SBI PO 2026 Important Dates

Here is a point worth understanding clearly. In the official notification, only the registration and fee payment dates are fixed. Every other date, including the exam dates and results, is given as a tentative month. The notification itself calls it a tentative schedule. SBI has since held the Preliminary and Main exams and declared the results of both, so the table now shows those dates. The Group Exercise and Interview dates and the final result date are still tentative. SBI says call letters with the exact date and time will be released shortly.

SBI PO 2026 Selection Process and Exam Pattern

The selection has three phases. There is a negative marking of one fourth of a mark, that is 0.25, for every wrong answer in both the Preliminary and the Main exam.

Phase 1: Preliminary Exam

This is an online objective test of 100 marks. It is only a qualifying stage, which means the marks you score here are not added to the final merit. It is used only to shortlist candidates for the Main exam.

Each section has its own time of 20 minutes. There is no sectional cut off in Prelims. Around ten times the number of vacancies are shortlisted for the Main exam.

Phase 2: Main Exam

The Main exam has an objective part of 200 marks and a descriptive part of 30 marks, so 230 marks in total. The total time is 3 hours and 30 minutes.

The descriptive part carries 30 marks for 30 minutes and tests communication skills, with tasks such as an email, a situation based answer and a report or precis. The older pattern of a letter and an essay does not apply for 2026, so ignore sites that still show it. Unlike Prelims, the Main exam has a sectional cut off in each part. About three times the number of vacancies are shortlisted for the next phase.

Phase 3: Group Exercise and Interview

This phase carries 50 marks, made up of a Group Exercise of 20 marks and an Interview of 30 marks. There is also a Psychometric Test, but it does not carry separate selection marks. Its findings are placed before the interview panel to understand the candidate better.

How the Final Merit is Made

The final merit list does not use Preliminary marks at all. It is made by combining the Main exam and the Group Exercise plus Interview. The Main exam score of 230 marks is normalised to 75, and the Group Exercise and Interview score of 50 marks is normalised to 25, giving a total of 100. So the Main exam carries the larger weight, and the interview stage still matters a lot.

SBI PO Salary and In-Hand Pay

The starting basic pay of an SBI PO is ₹48,480 per month. On top of this, a PO is given four advance increments of ₹2,000 each, so the basic at the time of joining comes to ₹56,480 per month. The full pay scale for this grade runs from ₹48,480 up to ₹85,920 over the years through regular increments.

On top of the basic pay, a PO gets several allowances such as Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, City Compensatory Allowance and others, along with benefits like medical facility, a lease accommodation option and a contributory pension under the National Pension System. SBI states the approximate total cost to company as around ₹21.97 lakh per year, but it clearly mentions this is at the Mumbai centre. The actual figure is lower in smaller cities, because allowances depend on the place of posting.

As a rough guide, the monthly in hand salary for a new PO usually comes to about ₹80,000 to ₹85,000 in a big city, after allowances and after deductions like the pension contribution and tax. Please treat this as an estimate only. SBI does not publish a fixed in hand figure, and the exact amount changes with the city, the current Dearness Allowance rate and whether you take official accommodation or HRA.

Two more things to know. A new PO is on probation for 2 years, with assessment before confirmation. There is also a service bond of ₹2 lakh that requires you to serve a minimum of 3 years. The bond amount has to be paid if you leave before completing three years from joining.

A note on credit history. The detailed advertisement had a CIBIL clause. It applied to candidates who had defaulted on loan or credit card dues and had an adverse CIBIL record. They had to repay those dues and show proof by the date of joining, or the offer of appointment would be withdrawn. SBI removed this clause with immediate effect through a corrigendum dated 1 July 2026, so it is no longer part of the advertisement. All other terms of the advertisement stay unchanged.

How to Apply for SBI PO 2026

Online registration closed on 8 July 2026, so you can no longer apply. The steps below are kept for reference.

The application is online only. One useful point is that SBI PO does not use the IBPS One Time Registration, so you register fresh on the SBI form. Follow these steps.

1. Keep your scanned photograph, signature, left hand thumb impression and a hand written declaration ready in the sizes asked by the form.
2. Go to the SBI careers page at sbi.bank.in and open the current openings section, then click the application link against advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09. This takes you to the official apply portal.
3. Fill the basic details and save. The system gives you a provisional registration number and a password.
4. Log in again with that number and password, complete the full form and check every detail carefully, because you cannot edit after the final submit.
5. A new step in 2026 is that you also capture a live photograph through your webcam or mobile camera during the form, in addition to the scanned photo.
6. Submit the form and pay the fee online if it applies to you.
7. After a successful payment, save and print the system generated application form and e-receipt for your record. Do not post any hard copy to the bank.

For the uploads, the photograph should be about 20 to 50 KB, the signature about 10 to 20 KB, the thumb impression about 20 to 50 KB and the hand written declaration about 50 to 100 KB, all in JPG or JPEG. The signature and the declaration must be in your own handwriting in black ink, and capital letters are not accepted for them. Your category, PwBD or other certificates are checked later at the document verification stage, not at the form stage.

If you get stuck while filling the form, SBI has a helpdesk on 022-22820427, open from 11 am to 5 pm on working days. You can also raise a complaint on the official grievance portal at cgrs.ibps.in.

SBI PO is Not the Same as IBPS PO

Many candidates confuse the two, so it helps to be clear. SBI PO is conducted by the State Bank of India for its own posts, under SBI’s own advertisement. IBPS PO is a separate exam conducted by IBPS for several other public sector banks, and SBI does not take part in it. The two have different vacancies, different fees, different exam patterns and even a different minimum age, since SBI PO needs a minimum age of 21 while IBPS PO starts at 20. If you are preparing for bank jobs, you can apply for both, but do not mix up their rules. You can read our separate guide on the IBPS PO 2026 notification for that exam.

Who Gains Most From SBI PO

If you are a graduate looking for a respected and well paid banking career, SBI PO is one of the strongest options available. The officer status from the start, the good pay package, and the clear growth path make it worth the effort. The competition is high, with lakhs of applicants for a few thousand seats, so steady preparation in reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English and banking awareness is important. Registration for SBI PO 2026 closed on 8 July 2026.

SBI PO 2026 Queries, Answered

What is the last date to apply for SBI PO 2026?

The last date was 8 July 2026. Online registration and fee payment ran from 18 June to 8 July 2026, and the form is now closed.

How many vacancies are there in SBI PO 2026?

There are 1,500 vacancies in total, which includes 1,446 regular and 54 backlog posts. SBI has noted that this number is provisional and may change.

What is the qualification for SBI PO?

You need a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognised University. Final year students could apply provisionally, but they must have passed on or before 30 September 2026.

What is the age limit for SBI PO 2026?

The age limit is 21 to 30 years as on 1 April 2026, with the usual relaxation for reserved categories.

What is the in hand salary of an SBI PO?

The starting basic pay is ₹48,480 per month plus four advance increments. The monthly in hand salary is roughly ₹80,000 to ₹85,000 in a big city, which is an estimate that changes with the city and the current allowance rates.

Does the Preliminary exam score count in the final selection?

No. The Preliminary exam is only a qualifying stage. The final merit is made from the Main exam and the Group Exercise plus Interview.

Looking for more banking jobs or the latest government jobs? We verify every detail against the official notification before we publish.

✍️ Published byLokesh Rathore

Lokesh Rathore is a content writer with over 4 years of experience covering Government Jobs, Sarkari Result, Admit Card and Sarkari Yojana. He turns complex official notifications into clear, accurate and easy-to-follow updates for job seekers across India - with every post cross-checked against official government sources.

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