The central government has given the green light to the 8th Pay Commission. Since the announcement, government employees have been buzzing with two main questions. First, when will they see the increased salary from the 8th Pay Commission? Second, how much of a salary boost can they expect? Both experts and employees are eager to uncover the answers to these queries.
According to reports regarding the 8th Pay Commission, the minimum basic salary is set to rise from Rs 18,000 per month to Rs 51,480 per month. As for when this will take effect, the current 7th Pay Commission is scheduled to conclude on January 1, 2026, marking a decade since its implementation on January 1, 2016. Therefore, the new commission will likely be put into action right after this period ends.
The government has addressed these concerns. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated that the establishment of the 8th Pay Commission in 2025 allows ample time to implement its recommendations before the 7th Pay Commission’s term concludes. Thus, the 8th Pay Commission is expected to be effective from January 1, 2026. This means that central government employees could start receiving their enhanced salaries in February 2026, which will reflect the earnings for January 2026. Additionally, central government pensioners will also see their pensions increase starting in February.
When will state employees receive the benefits?
The rollout of the latest Pay Commission recommendations for state government employees in India isn’t automatic. Each state government has the authority to choose whether to implement the recommendations set forth by the central government. Central Pay Commissions, like the 7th Pay Commission, primarily focus on central government employees. While states can opt to adopt these recommendations, they are not obligated to do so. For instance, following the 7th Pay Commission, states such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu adopted the recommendations with some adjustments, whereas other states took longer to implement them.
What will the salary increase be?
With the 7th Pay Commission, the fitment factor was established at 2.57, raising the minimum basic salary from Rs 7,000 to Rs 18,000. The fitment factor acts as a multiplier applied to the existing basic pay, allowing for the calculation of the new salary within the updated pay matrix. For the upcoming 8th Pay Commission, there are strong expectations that the fitment factor will rise to 2.86. If this occurs, the minimum basic pay could jump to Rs 51,480, a significant increase from the current Rs 18,000, representing a 186 percent rise.