8th Pay Commission : Less than three months remain before the expected implementation date of the 8th Pay Commission, but the government has yet to formally constitute the commission.
As per tradition, the new Pay Commission’s recommendations are effective from January 1, 2026. Keeping this in mind, central government employees are eagerly awaiting the government’s next move. Employees say that the 8th Pay Commission’s recommendations will be a major relief for them amid inflation and rising expenses.
However, the central government has not yet made any official announcement regarding the commission’s formation, further fueling employee curiosity. Meanwhile, good news is on the way for central government employees and pensioners. The long-awaited 8th Pay Commission is expected to bring significant increases in employees’ salaries and allowances.
What is the detail
According to a report by NDTV, the commission’s fitment factor could be set at approximately 1.96, which could nearly double employees’ minimum basic pay. Although full implementation of the 8th Pay Commission may be delayed until 2027, its benefits will be effective from January 1, 2026. This will benefit more than 5 million central government employees and approximately 6.5 million pensioners. They will also receive arrears after the new pay structure is implemented.
What is the fitment factor?
The fitment factor is a multiplier used to multiply an employee’s old basic pay to determine their new basic pay. For example, under the 6th Pay Commission, the minimum basic pay was ₹7,000. The 7th Pay Commission implemented a fitment factor of 2.57, increasing the minimum pay to ₹18,000. The fitment factor for the 8th Pay Commission is expected to be between 1.92 and 2.86, with 1.96 being considered the most likely.
How much will the salary increase?
If the fitment factor of 1.96 is applied, the minimum basic salary will increase from ₹18,000 to ₹35,280 (for Level-1 employees). This will not include dearness allowance (DA), but house rent allowance (HRA) will be added depending on the city.
