NICL AO Recruitment 2026: 321 Administrative Officer (Scale I) Posts, Apply by 28 October

National Insurance Company Limited (NICL), a Government of India undertaking, has released its detailed advertisement for 321 Administrative Officer (Scale I) posts: 200 Generalists and 121 Specialists in Finance, Legal, IT, Automobile Engineering, Risk Engineering, Company Secretary and Agriculture. Online registration is open from 8 October 2026 to 28 October 2026.

You can apply for only one discipline. The form is on ibpsreg.ibps.in/niiclsep26, which is the "CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE" link on NICL's recruitment page. Read the full NICL AO 2026 advertisement (PDF) before you start: the details you enter cannot be changed after you click "COMPLETE REGISTRATION".

The advertisement calls these vacancies tentative; NICL can change them according to its needs.

Specialists (121 posts)

PwBD (included in the numbers above, not extra): the specialist disciplines together have a) 2, b) 1 + 2 backlog, c) 1 and d & e) 1. The advertisement does not split these by discipline.

Generalists (200 posts)

PwBD (included): a) 1, b) 3 + 1 backlog, c) 2, d & e) 2.

PwBD categories: a) blindness and low vision; b) deaf and hard of hearing; c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; d) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; e) multiple disabilities from (a) to (d), including deaf-blindness.

Every discipline needs at least 60% marks in either the graduation or the post-graduation degree (55% for SC/ST/PwBD), from a university recognised by UGC or an institute approved by AICTE.

How NICL checks your percentage and date

• You must have the marksheet or degree certificate as on 1 October 2026, and your final result must have been published on or before 1 October 2026. If your final result came out after that date, you are not eligible this time.
• The percentage is total marks in all subjects of all semesters/years divided by the aggregate maximum marks, including honours, optional and additional subjects. Fractions are ignored: 59.99% counts as less than 60%.
• If your university gives CGPA/OGPA, you need a certificate from the university stating its conversion norm and your percentage.
• For the date of passing, the date on the marksheet or provisional certificate is used. If the result was only posted on the university website, you need a certificate from the university showing the date it was posted.

21 to 30 years as on 1 October 2026. You must be born not earlier than 2 October 1996 and not later than 1 October 2005 (both dates included).

• If you qualify for more than one relaxation, they add up, but your age cannot go above 45 years.
• OBC candidates in the creamy layer get no OBC reservation or age relaxation and must apply as Unreserved (General).
• There is no reservation for ex-servicemen in the officer cadre. The age relaxation still applies.

Phase I: Preliminary exam (all disciplines), 17 November 2026

Online, objective, 100 marks in 60 minutes. Each section has its own time limit.

You must pass each section (passing marks are set by NICL). About 15 times the number of vacancies in each category are called for Phase II. Final selection is based on Phase II objective marks and the interview.

Phase II: Main exam, 22 December 2026

Online: an objective test of 250 marks in 3 hours, then straight after it a descriptive English test of 30 marks in 30 minutes.

Generalists

Specialists

Descriptive test: English only, typed on the computer: Essay 10, Précis 10 and Comprehension 10 marks. It is qualifying only; its marks are not counted for the interview shortlist or final selection. Your descriptive answers are checked only if you clear the objective sections.

Negative marking and scoring

• In the objective tests of both phases, one-fourth of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer. A question left blank costs nothing.
• Cut-offs are applied twice: on each section and on the total.
• If the exam runs in more than one session, scores are equated across sessions. Scores are reported to two decimal places.

• Interview shortlist: based on your Phase II objective total (minimum set by NICL), provided you also qualify in the descriptive test. Interviews are held at select centres; the call letter is downloaded from NICL's website.
• Final merit: Phase II objective marks and interview marks in the ratio 80:20. You must also clear the minimum interview marks.
• Tie: the candidate with more interview marks ranks higher; if still tied, the older candidate ranks higher.
• A waiting list of up to 50% of the vacancies may be prepared, used only if selected candidates do not accept the offer of employment.
• Appointment depends on being found medically fit.
• Biometric data (thumb impression), an iris scan and a photograph are taken on the Phase II day and verified later. Don't wear contact lenses or eye make-up, and wash off mehndi or ink from your fingers.
• For the interview, NICL pays sleeper-class rail or bus fare by the shortest route from your home, on proof of travel. You attend the online exams at your own cost.

Starting basic pay is ₹82,485 in the scale 82485-4050(14)-139185-4390(4)-156745, plus allowances. The advertisement puts total emoluments at about ₹1,14,000 a month in metropolitan centres. Other benefits: pension under NPS (PFRDA), gratuity, LTS, medical benefits, group personal accident insurance, and company or leased accommodation as per norms.

Read these conditions before you apply

• Posting: anywhere in India. The minimum stay at the first posting is 5 years, though NICL can transfer you earlier. Specialists may have to stay in their specialisation for at least 10 years. Company Secretaries are posted mainly at the Head Office in Kolkata.
• Probation: 1 year, which can be extended twice by 6 months. You must pass the non-life Licentiate Examination of the Insurance Institute of India to be confirmed; failing it within the extended probation can end your service.
• Bond: you must agree to serve at least 4 years including probation. If you resign before that, you pay liquidated damages equal to one year's gross salary (reduced in proportion to the service you have done), and you sign a stamped bond with two sureties who are not blood relatives.
• Leaving during probation: if you resign or are terminated during probation, you repay the gross salary received for your whole service plus ₹25,000 towards training cost.

Scan these before you open the form. The application is not registered unless all four are uploaded in the right size.

The declaration text is: "I, _______ (Name of the candidate), hereby declare that all information submitted by me in the application form is correct, true and valid. I will present the supporting documents as and when required." If someone else writes it, or it is in another language, the application is invalid. Visually impaired candidates who cannot write may have the text typed and put their left thumb impression below it.

You also capture a live photo during the form, by webcam ("Capture Photo") or by scanning a QR code with your phone ("Click here to Scan"). Keep a personal email ID and mobile number that will stay active till the end of the recruitment.

To bring a photo or signature into the right KB range, you can use our photo and signature resizer.

You don't upload these with the form, but you must show originals and self-attested photocopies at the interview. Some of them have date rules.

• OBC (non-creamy layer): certificate in the Central Government format based on income for FY 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, issued after 31 March 2026. The caste name must match the Central list letter by letter. You also submit the OBC declaration given in the advertisement.
• EWS: Income and Asset Certificate for income of FY 2025-26, issued after 31 March 2026 and valid for 2026-27, in the Government of India format.
• SC/ST: caste certificate in the prescribed format, with a caste validity certificate where applicable.
• PwBD: disability certificate in the prescribed format, issued on or before the last date of online application, plus your UDID card. A certificate saying only "temporary disability" must state whether it is "likely to improve" or "progressive, non-progressive or not likely to improve"; "likely to improve" is not eligible for reservation.
• Government or PSU employees: inform your employer in writing before applying (the form asks you to confirm this), and bring a No Objection Certificate to the interview.
• Joining: every selected candidate who is employed (government, public sector or private) must bring a discharge or relieving letter from the employer, without which you cannot join.
• Also: date of birth proof (birth certificate or Class 10 certificate), Class 10, 12 and degree marksheets and certificates, photo ID, and the printout of your online application.

All certificate formats (SC/ST, OBC, PwBD, EWS, ex-servicemen and scribe forms) are at the end of the advertisement PDF, pages 23 to 39.

Centres are provisional. You choose your centre in the form and the choice is final; NICL can still move you to another centre or cancel or add centres.

Phase I (Prelims) centres

Phase II (Mains) centres

• Applying in two disciplines. Apply in one only. The advertisement says that if you apply more than once only your latest complete application is kept and the fee for the others is forfeited (page 2), and also that applying in more than one discipline makes all your applications invalid (page 21).
• Clicking "COMPLETE REGISTRATION" too early. Name, category, date of birth, address, mobile, email and exam centre cannot be changed afterwards. Use "SAVE AND NEXT" and the Preview tab first. The portal shows 28 October 2026 as the last date for editing.
• Signature or declaration in capital letters. Both are rejected.
• Name mismatch. The name on your call letter must exactly match your photo ID. If you changed your name, for example after marriage, bring the original gazette notification, marriage certificate or affidavit.
• Wrong ID at the exam. Bring the original photo ID and a photocopy. Ration cards and learner's driving licences are not accepted.
• Reaching late. If you arrive after the reporting time on the call letter, you will not be allowed to take the exam.
• Losing your login. Note your registration number and password. You need them to reprint the application and download call letters. If you forget the password, use the "Forgot Password?" link on the portal. Registration emails can land in the junk folder, so check it.
• Not getting the e-Receipt. If no e-Receipt is generated, the payment failed. Log in again and pay. Don't press Back or Refresh while the payment is processing.
• Waiting for the last day. NICL does not take responsibility if the site is slow near the closing date.
• Not asking for a scribe or compensatory time in the form. Compensatory time is given only to candidates who registered for it in the online application, and a later request for a scribe may not be accepted.

• NICL AO (Scale I) 2026-27 detailed advertisement (PDF, 39 pages) (official copy on nationalinsurance.nic.co.in)
• Apply online: ibpsreg.ibps.in/niiclsep26, the application portal linked from NICL's recruitment page. The How to Apply, FAQ, photo and scribe guidelines are linked on this page.
• NICL recruitment page, where call letters and updates will be posted

Help: for registration problems, the portal FAQ asks candidates to use "Candidate Grievance Lodging and Redressal Mechanism" on www.ibps.in and give details such as your registration number, post applied for, email ID, mobile number and the exact error message.

More: all NICL updates · banking and insurance jobs.