SSC CGL and CHSL 2026: signature size and live photo rules

For SSC CGL 2026 and SSC CHSL 2026 you do not upload a photograph. The application form takes a live photo with your webcam or through the SSC app, and photographing an existing photo leads to rejection. The only image you upload is your signature: a JPEG file of 10 to 20 KB.

Many websites still tell SSC applicants to resize a photo to 20-50 KB. That rule is not in the 2026 notices. Below are the actual rules, the places in the notices where they appear, and one contradiction inside the notices about the signature's width.

Verified CGL and CHSL 2026 verified; MTS 2026 notice not found

Official sources: SSC Notice, Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026 (21-05-2026) (opens official PDF); SSC Notice, Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2026 (07-09-2026) (opens official PDF); SSC Notice, MTS (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC & CBN) Examination, 2025 (26-06-2025) (opens official PDF). Last checked 2 November 2026.

Upload rules

SSC CGL 2026 and CHSL 2026 (same upload rules) Verified
Item	Format	Pixel size	File size	Other rules	Status	Where in the notice
Photograph	—	—	—	Not uploaded: captured live by the application module (webcam, or the SSC app via QR code) Good light, plain background, camera at eye level, face fully inside the marked area No cap, mask, glasses or spectacles Capturing a photo of an existing photo leads to rejection Nothing to upload: captured live in the form.	Verified	CGL para 9.4-9.5 (p.18-19), Annexure-IV (p.71); CHSL para 9.4-9.5 (p.12), Annexure-IV (p.53)
Signature	JPEG/JPG	Not stated (size given in cm) Tool default: 472 × 157 px = 6.0 × 2.0 cm at 200 DPI — our default, not from the notice.	10-20 KB Tool aims for 10,240-20,000 bytes.	About 6.0 cm wide × 2.0 cm high (para 9.6) Blurred or miniature signatures are rejected Use these settings ये सेटिंग इस्तेमाल करें	Conflict	para 9.6; Annexure-IV (CGL p.71, CHSL p.53)
Aadhaar note	—	—	—	Applications made with Aadhaar-based authentication are not rejected on photo or signature grounds	Verified	CGL para 9.3

Source: SSC Notice, Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026 (21-05-2026) (opens official PDF); SSC Notice, Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2026 (07-09-2026) (opens official PDF) · Last checked 02-11-2026

SSC MTS & Havaldar: 2025 rules (2026 notice not found) Not verified
Item	Format	Pixel size	File size	Other rules	Status	Where in the notice
Signature (2025 notice)	JPEG	Not stated (about 6.0 × 2.0 cm)	10-20 KB	Same signature rule as CGL/CHSL 2026 in the 2025 MTS notice Not verified for 2026: no 2026 MTS notice was found on ssc.gov.in on 2 Nov 2026 Use these settings ये सेटिंग इस्तेमाल करें (uses the 2026 CGL/CHSL signature rule)	Not verified	MTS 2025 notice

Source: SSC Notice, MTS (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC & CBN) Examination, 2025 (26-06-2025) (opens official PDF) · Last checked 02-11-2026

Conflicts in the official documents

Signature: about 6.0 cm (width) × 2.0 cm (height) (CGL and CHSL para 9.6) vs about 4.0 cm (width) × 2.0 cm (height) (Annexure-IV (CGL p.71, CHSL p.53)). The tool uses 6.0 × 2.0 cm (472 × 157 px at 200 DPI). Both places agree on 10-20 KB.

Notices, dates and age limits

SSC CGL 2026 Verified

Source: SSC Notice, Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026 (21-05-2026) (opens official PDF) · Last checked 02-11-2026

Online applications: 21-05-2026 to 22-06-2026 (closed as of 02-11-2026)

Age limit

SSC CGL 2026 – posts with age 18-27: as on 01-08-2026, born 02-08-1999 to 01-08-2008 (both dates included). Check your date of birth
SSC CGL 2026 – posts with age 20-30: as on 01-08-2026, born 02-08-1996 to 01-08-2006 (both dates included). Check your date of birth
SSC CGL 2026 – posts with age 18-30: as on 01-08-2026, born 02-08-1996 to 01-08-2008 (both dates included). Check your date of birth
SSC CGL 2026 – posts with age 18-32: as on 01-08-2026, born 02-08-1994 to 01-08-2008 (both dates included). Check your date of birth

The age band depends on the post; the notice's para 5.1 lists which posts use which band.

SSC CHSL 2026 Verified

Source: SSC Notice, Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2026 (07-09-2026) (opens official PDF) · Last checked 02-11-2026

Online applications: 07-09-2026 to 07-10-2026 (closed as of 02-11-2026)

Age limit

SSC CHSL 2026 – age 18-27: as on 01-08-2026, born 02-08-1999 to 01-08-2008 (both dates included). Check your date of birth

SSC MTS & Havaldar 2026 Not verified

Source: SSC Notice, MTS (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC & CBN) Examination, 2025 (26-06-2025) (opens official PDF) · Last checked 02-11-2026

No 2026 notice was found on ssc.gov.in on 2 Nov 2026. SSC's tentative calendar listed a June 2026 advertisement, and other websites give conflicting dates. The 2025 notice used the same signature rule and counted age as on 01-08-2025.

Relaxations of the upper age limit for some categories are listed in each notice.

Tips for SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS

Live photo: sit facing a window or a bright lamp, against a plain light wall, with the camera at eye level.
Remove your cap, mask and glasses before the photo is taken, and keep your whole face inside the marked area.
Signature: sign with a dark pen on plain white paper, then use the signature tool to crop the margins and bring it into 10-20 KB.
If you apply with Aadhaar-based authentication, the notice says the application is not rejected on photo or signature grounds.

Before you upload

Rules can change. Check the official notice before you upload. अपलोड करने से पहले आधिकारिक नोटिस ज़रूर देखें। ExamKit is not affiliated with SSC, RRB, IBPS, SBI, UPSC, NTA, India Post or any government body. We copy the upload rules from official notices for convenience and link to them. We are not responsible for rejected applications.

Status meanings: Verified = read directly in the official document; Verified (indirect) = seen only through a search-engine excerpt of the official document, to be re-checked; Not verified = no official source read; Conflict = two official places disagree.