8th Pay Commission: Terms of Reference of 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) has already been approved by the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Moreover, the government has constituted and notified the new Central Pay Commission, whose recommendations will impact nearly 1.2 crore central government employees and pensioners.

In January 2025, the Central Government announced the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission to review and recommend revisions to the salaries and benefits of its employees.

Timeline of new Pay Commission

The 7th Pay Commission's recommendations were approved within 6 months, which came in effect from January 1, 2016. If we consider the same timeline, the 8th Pay Commission likely to be implemented after several months from now.

The provisions of the 8th Pay Commission are expected to come into force from January 1, 2026, following the conclusion of the 7th Pay Commission's tenure. "Usually, the recommendations of the pay commissions are implemented after a gap of every ten years. Going by this trend, the effect of the 8th Central Pay Commission recommendations would normally be expected from 01.01.2026," the government had said.

Current salary for Central Government employees

Currently, Central Government employees and pensioners are paid under the 7th Pay Commission. As of now, the minimum basic pay for central government employees is Rs 18,000, while pensioners receive a minimum basic pension of Rs 9,000. Meanwhile, the maximum basic salary under 7th Pay Commission is Rs 2,25,000, while apex positions like the Cabinet Secretary and others receive Rs 2,50,000 per month. Under 7 CPC, fitment was set at 2.57. Moreover, the DA/DR currently stands at 58 per cent.

Fitment factor of 3.833

Staff Side of the National Council Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) has submitted a detailed 51-page memorandum to the 8th Pay Commission, outlining several key demands, a move that could cheer 1.2 crore central government employees and pensioners.

One among these demands include a massive fitment factor of 3.833. At this fitment factor salaries of the central government employees and pensioners could see a significant jump of 283 per cent.