The announcement regarding the 8th Pay Commission was made on January 17, 2025, and the government has already said that the 8th Pay Commission will be effective from January 1, 2026.
8th Pay Commission salary hike: With the announcement of the 8th Pay Commission, nearly 50 lakh central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners are keenly waiting for the decision of the pay commission – which is yet to be formed – on the fitment factor, which is used to determine the new salary structure. Previous commissions have been steadily increasing this factor, boosting the wages of lakhs of government employees.
8th Pay Commission salary hike: Timeline
The announcement regarding the 8th Pay Commission was made on January 17, 2025, and the government has already said that the 8th Pay Commission will be effective from January 1, 2026.
8th Pay Commission salary hike: Fitment factor
The fitment factor in the 7th Pay Commission was 2.57, leading to an increase of 2.57 times the basic salary of the 6th Pay Commission (Rs 7,000). The minimum basic salary in the 7th Pay Commission became Rs 18,000.
Earlier, the 6th Pay Commission applied a fitment factor of 1.86.
According to reports, the fitment factor this time could range between 2.28 and 2.86. So if a person is getting a basic salary of 18,000, the revised basic salary is expected to be Rs 51,480 (considering the upper range of the fitment factor). If we consider the lower range of the fitment factor, the basic salary is expected to be around Rs 46,260.
It means the basic salary of the government employees is expected to be above Rs 40,000.
So government employees can expect a major salary boost after the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission,
Why does the government form Pay Commissions?
The government forms a Pay Commission to review and recommend adjustments in the salaries of government employees and pensions of those who have retired. It makes recommendations keeping in view the inflation and other economic conditions.
