SBI Clerk Recruitment 2026 – 1538 Backlog Junior Associate Vacancy

State Bank of India released this recruitment notification on the 7th of August 2026 on its official careers page. As per Notification No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16, online registration for Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) posts opens on 7 August 2026 and closes on 27 August 2026. SBI Clerk Recruitment 2026 is a Special Recruitment Drive for SC, ST and OBC backlog vacancies, meant for graduate candidates from these categories who wants a stable, pensionable government banking job.

A total of 1,538 Junior Associate vacancies are on offer across 21 states and union territories under this drive. The full state-wise and category-wise breakdown is given later in this article. Selected candidates will be posted in the State or UT for which they apply. Candidates should check all details in the article below.

Information verified from the official State Bank of India notification No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16 dated 7 August 2026. Last verified: 7 August 2026.

State Bank of India is recruiting 1,538 Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) posts through Notification No. CRPD/CR/SPLDRIVE/2026-27/16, reserved exclusively for SC, ST and OBC backlog vacancies. The last date to apply online is 27 August 2026 at SBI’s application portal. Selection is through a Preliminary Exam, a Main Exam, and a Local Language Proficiency Test for candidates who need it.

SBI Junior Associate 2026 at a Glance

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About State Bank of India

State Bank of India (SBI) is India’s largest public sector bank, offering banking, insurance and financial services across the country. The Central Recruitment & Promotion Department at the bank’s Corporate Centre in Mumbai runs this recruitment for the Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) post — the entry-level clerical role that handles day-to-day banking, customer service and cross-selling at branches. For a graduate candidate from the SC, ST or OBC category, a Junior Associate post offers a government banking job with a defined pay scale, pension benefits, and a career path within one of India’s most recognised public sector banks.

SBI Junior Associate Vacancy in West Bengal, Sikkim and the North East

This drive has 55 Junior Associate vacancies for West Bengal, reserved for the OBC category, under the Kolkata circle. Candidates applying for West Bengal must opt for Bengali or Nepali as their local language. This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the hiring office. SBI’s tentative list of examination centres for West Bengal includes Siliguri, along with Kolkata, Asansol, Durgapur, Hooghly, Kalyani and Burdwan — relevant for candidates from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the Dooars who would otherwise have to travel further into West Bengal for an exam centre. Candidates can check other West Bengal government jobs on the site.

Sikkim does not have a separate vacancy row in this backlog drive. Gangtok is still listed on SBI’s tentative examination-centre list. A candidate applying for a vacancy in a different state can request Gangtok as their sitting centre for the Preliminary and Main Exam, though the Local Language Proficiency Test itself is held only in the state actually applied for, at the candidate’s own expense.

Elsewhere in the region, Assam carries 39 ST vacancies under the Guwahati circle (language: Assamese, Bengali or Bodo), and Tripura carries 22 ST vacancies, also under the Guwahati circle (language: Bengali or Kokborok).

Also Read: SBI Manager (HR) Recruitment 2026

Important Dates

Each section of the Preliminary Exam has its own fixed time: 20 minutes each for English Language, Numerical Ability and Reasoning Ability, adding up to 1 hour in total.

Vacancy Details and Salary

The 1,538 vacancies are split by circle, state/UT, local language and category exactly as published in the notification. Candidates can apply for a vacancy in one State/UT only, and must be able to read, write, speak and understand the local language listed against that state.

*Candidates applying for Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra should check the operational area for their circle (Lucknow Circle for UP; Maharashtra Circle or Mumbai Metro Circle for Maharashtra) on SBI’s Branch Locator before applying. Candidates have to opt for one language at the time of application. The published vacancies are provisional and may vary depending on the bank’s actual requirement.

Pay scale: Rs.24050-1340/3-28070-1650/3-33020-2000/4-41020-2340/7-57400-4400/1-61800-2680/1-64480. The starting basic pay is Rs. 26,730 per month (Rs. 24,050 plus two advance increments admissible to graduates). Total starting emoluments at a metro branch like Mumbai work out to around Rs. 46,000 per month, inclusive of DA and current allowances, plus two additional increments for newly recruited graduate Junior Associates. Allowances vary by place of posting.

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Eligibility Criteria

Age limit

Candidates must be not below 20 years and not above 28 years as on 01.04.2026 — born not earlier than 02.04.1998 and not later than 01.04.2006 (both days inclusive). Candidates can check their exact age against this cut-off using the site’s Age Calculator tool.

Cumulative age relaxation is not available under more than one category. Candidates seeking relaxation must submit the necessary certificates at the time of joining.

Educational qualification

Candidates need Graduation in any discipline from a recognised university, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Central Government, as on 31.12.2026. Candidates in their final year or semester of graduation can also apply, provisionally, but must produce proof of having passed by 31.12.2026 if selected.

Who can apply for SBI Clerk Recruitment 2026

This drive is open only to candidates from the SC, ST and OBC (non-creamy layer) categories — there is no general, EWS or standalone PwBD vacancy in this notification. Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and Ex-servicemen can apply, but only under their SC, ST or OBC parent category, since no separate horizontal reservation for PwBD applies to this particular drive.

Not eligible to apply:

• Candidates currently working in SBI’s clerical cadre
• Candidates who previously resigned from SBI while serving in the clerical cadre
• Candidates with any adverse report regarding character, antecedents or moral turpitude

Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)

The post is identified as suitable for these benchmark disability categories: Blind and Low Vision; Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Locomotor Disabilities (including One Arm/Both Arms, One Leg/Both Legs, Cerebral Palsy, Leprosy Cured, Dwarfism, Acid Attack Victims, Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Deformity and Spinal Injury); and Autism Spectrum Disorder (Mild), Intellectual Disability, Specific Learning Disability and Mental Illness, plus combinations of these. Detailed clinical definitions for each category are given in the official notification PDF.

Eligible candidates with 40% or more disability and a physical limitation to write can use a scribe in the exam, with 20 minutes of compensatory time for every hour of the exam, whether or not a scribe is actually used. The candidate arranges and pays for their own scribe, and must submit the required undertaking and photograph at the time of the exam.

Ex-servicemen

Candidates covered under the Government of India’s 1986 definition of Ex-Servicemen, including Disabled Ex-Servicemen, can apply under their parent category. Serving Armed Forces personnel whose Specific Period of Engagement completes on or before 31.08.2027 are also eligible, subject to submitting the certificates specified in the notification’s Proforma A to D at the appropriate stage.

Selection Process

Selection for the SBI Junior Associate backlog drive runs through three tests, followed by document verification. Only the Main Exam score decides the final merit list.

1. Preliminary Examination — Online, 100 marks, 1 hour, in 3 sections: English Language (30 questions, 30 marks, 20 minutes), Numerical Ability (35 questions, 35 marks, 20 minutes) and Reasoning Ability (35 questions, 35 marks, 20 minutes). There is negative marking of 1/4 mark for each wrong answer, and no minimum qualifying marks are prescribed. This stage is used only to shortlist roughly 10 times the number of vacancies per category for the Main Exam — Preliminary marks are not added to the final merit.
2. Main Examination — Online, 190 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours 40 minutes, in 4 sections: General/Financial Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability & Computer Aptitude. Negative marking of 1/4 mark applies for each wrong answer. Candidates must score a minimum qualifying percentage on aggregate, as decided by the bank. The Main Exam aggregate is what determines the final merit list.
3. Local Language Proficiency Test (LLPT) — Required only for provisionally selected candidates who cannot show a 10th or 12th standard mark sheet proving they studied the opted local language. It carries 50 marks: a Non-Verbal section (3 objective and 3 subjective passages, 15 marks each, 30 marks total) and a Verbal section (20 marks). It is conducted after provisional selection but before joining; candidates who fail to qualify will not be offered appointment.
4. Final selection — Subject to verification of eligibility and the information given in the online application, and to qualifying the LLPT where applicable.

Trained Apprentices of SBI who meet the notification’s service conditions get 5 bonus marks (2.5% of the maximum Main Exam score) added to their Main Exam aggregate. A wait list of up to 50% of vacancies is also maintained, state and category wise, and released quarterly against non-joining or resignation; it stays valid for one year from the date the final result is declared.

Also Read: BOB Recruitment 2026: 206 Posts

Application Fee

Application fee is nil for SC, ST, PwBD, Ex-servicemen and Disabled Ex-servicemen candidates. OBC candidates must pay Rs. 750 as fee and intimation charges. The fee is non-refundable once paid and cannot be held in reserve for any other exam or selection.

How to Apply

1. Visit SBI’s official careers page and open the Special Recruitment Drive for Junior Associates 2026 link.
2. Register online using a valid email ID and mobile number; note down the system-generated provisional registration number and password.
3. Fill in personal, educational and category details carefully. Saved data can be reopened and edited up to three times before final submission — no changes are allowed after that.
4. Upload the scanned photograph, signature, left-hand thumb impression and handwritten declaration exactly as specified in the notification.
5. Pay the application fee (OBC candidates only) through debit card, credit card or internet banking.
6. Submit the form, then save the system-generated e-receipt and application form for your own record. Do not send a printout to SBI.

Apply Online: SBI Junior Associate Backlog Recruitment 2026

Documents to keep ready

• Scanned photograph, 4.5cm x 3.5cm, light-coloured background, 20–50kb file size
• Scanned signature on white paper with black ink, 10–20kb file size
• Left-hand thumb impression on white paper (right thumb if left is unavailable), 20–50kb file size
• Handwritten declaration in the exact wording given in the notification, 50–100kb file size — the site’s Photo Signature Resizer tool can help fit these to the required dimensions and file sizes before uploading
• A valid email ID and mobile number, kept active until results are declared
• Original photo ID for exam day — passport, Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence, voter’s card, or bank passbook with photo, or a school/college ID attested by a Gazetted Officer — plus a self-attested photocopy
• Two extra photographs matching the one pasted on the call letter, required at both Preliminary and Main Exam
• SC/ST caste certificate, or OBC non-creamy layer certificate dated on or after 01.04.2026, to be submitted at document verification

Important Links

Should You Apply?

This drive suits SC, ST and OBC graduates who want an entry-level, pensionable government banking job with SBI, India’s largest public sector bank. Since this is a backlog drive, all 1,538 posts go only to these three categories — general and EWS candidates cannot apply here, and should instead watch for a fresh, regular SBI Clerk notification. This is added context, not part of the official notification. Confirm with the official website. Because the drive is restricted by category and skewed heavily toward ST vacancies (1,219 of 1,538 posts), the competition profile is likely to differ from a regular SBI Clerk exam, where candidates across all categories compete for a comparable number of seats.

A Junior Associate post offers steady government pay, pension under the New Pension Scheme, and a path to promotion within SBI’s clerical and officer cadre over a career. The trade-off is that postings are state-specific, with no inter-state transfer in most cases, and starting pay at a metro branch works out lower than what an SBI Probationary Officer earns for a comparable graduate qualification.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am Sandeep Khati, the founder of India Job Alerts. I hold a B.Tech in Computer Science from JGEC (2010). My career began as a Systems Engineer at TCS, and I have been active in the digital publishing space since 2011, starting with the launch of SearchDarjeeling.com and my work as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics.

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