Central government employees and pensioners are eagerly waiting for the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. Rising inflation and high household expenses have increased expectations for salary revisions. A key question is whether arrears under the 8th Pay Commission will be paid from January 1, 2026, or if employees will have to wait to receive the revised salary or back pay. While January 1, 2026, is being considered as a possible date, the government has not officially announced it yet, leaving millions of employees and pensioners uncertain about when they will receive actual financial relief.
Government’s response in Parliament
During the Winter Session, Union Minister of State for Finance State Pankaj Chaudhary, said the implementation date will be decided at the right time. Necessary budget provisions will be made after the commission’s recommendations are accepted.
Timeline for 8th Pay Commission
The government approved the commission’s Terms of Reference in November 2025, giving it 18 months to submit its report, likely by mid-2027. Cabinet approval and notification could take an additional 3–6 months. Earlier pay commissions, though delayed, gave arrears from the start date. The 7th Pay Commission was implemented in June 2016, but arrears were paid from January 1, 2016. Similar cases happened with the 6th and 5th Pay Commissions.
Expected salary increase
The actual salary increase will depend on the fitment factor suggested by the commission and accepted by the government. Assuming a fitment factor of 2.0, an example can illustrate the change:
If an employee has a basic salary of Rs 76,500, Dearness Allowance (DA) of Rs 44,370, and House Rent Allowance (HRA) of Rs 22,950, the total monthly salary is Rs 1,43,820. After the revision, the basic salary may rise to around Rs 1,53,000, HRA to approximately Rs 41,310, making the total monthly salary around Rs 1,94,310.
