Patna: The Bihar government has tightened its scrutiny of teachers’ salary payments following reports of financial irregularities across several districts. The Finance Department has directed District Education Officers (DEOs) across the state to ensure that teachers and employees refund any excess salary amounts credited to their bank accounts.
Following the state-level directive, officials in Sitamarhi have also issued instructions to teachers and education department employees, asking them to examine their salary statements and identify any payments received beyond their entitled amount.
The department has warned that failure to return excess payments within the prescribed deadline could invite strict disciplinary and legal action.
Teachers Given November 2 Deadline to Refund Extra Salary
In Sitamarhi, the District Programme Officer (DPO) issued the instructions in accordance with the Finance Department’s communication and a letter dated October 12, 2026, from the Director (Administration) of the Education Department.
Teachers and employees have been asked to carefully verify their salary statements and check whether additional amounts have been credited under any salary head.
According to the instructions:
- Regular teachers, special-category teachers and school teachers must refund excess payments through treasury challans.
- Teachers employed under local bodies must contact the DPO (Establishment) for instructions regarding the designated bank account for depositing the amount.
- The last date for refunding excess payments has been fixed as November 2, 2026.
The DPO has warned that if an investigation confirms excess payment and the amount has not been returned by the deadline, the concerned teacher or employee may face disciplinary and legal proceedings.
Illegal Payments Worth Crores Reported in Motihari and Bhagalpur
The recovery directive comes amid investigations into alleged financial irregularities in the education sector.
In Motihari, an alleged illegal payment of more than Rs 60 lakh was detected through the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) portal. Following directions from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, an FIR was registered against a madrasa teacher and a computer operator in connection with the case.
In another case reported from Bhagalpur last month, alleged fraudulent salary payments made in the name of a fake teacher amounted to between Rs 52 lakh and Rs 98 lakh, according to the reported figures.
The District Education Officer (DEO) and District Programme Officer (DPO) were suspended in connection with the case, and FIRs were also registered against both officials.
Internal Audit of Teachers’ Salaries Across All 38 Districts
To prevent further irregularities in salary and allowance payments, the Education Department has initiated internal audits across all 38 districts of Bihar.
The Finance Department has also directed officials to verify salary-related records and financial figures before releasing salaries for the next month.
The move is aimed at identifying unauthorised payments, correcting discrepancies and strengthening financial oversight within the state’s education system.
Teachers have now been advised to check their salary statements carefully. Those who discover additional payments must follow the prescribed refund procedure and meet the November 2 deadline to avoid possible departmental and legal action.
