Central government employees are eagerly waiting for the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission. The commission is expected to submit its report to the government in about 18 months.
Even before the official announcement, many estimates are being made about possible salary increases.
The fitment factor will play a key role in deciding how much salaries will rise. To understand this better, let’s look at how salaries increased during the 6th and 7th Pay Commissions and what can be expected from the 8th Pay Commission.
Details of 6th and 7th Pay Commission
The recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission were implemented in March 2008 but were effective from January 1, 2006.
At that time, the minimum salary was ₹6,600, while the maximum salary was ₹80,000 (₹90,000 for the Cabinet Secretary). The ratio between minimum and maximum salary was 1:12.
In the 7th Pay Commission, a major change was introduced. The pay band and grade pay system were removed and replaced with a pay matrix system. A fitment factor of 2.57 was applied, which increased the basic salary by 2.57 times.
As a result:
Minimum salary became ₹18,000
Maximum salary reached ₹2,50,000 (Cabinet Secretary level)
Annual increment was fixed at 3% for all employees
The tenure of the 7th Pay Commission ended on December 31, 2025.
Expected Salary Increase in 8th Pay Commission
The government formed the 8th Pay Commission last year, and a notification was issued in November 2025. Its recommendations may take around 18 months to be implemented, but they could be effective from January 1, 2026.
Employee unions are demanding a fitment factor between 3.0 and 3.25. If this demand is accepted, salaries of central employees could increase significantly.
How the Fitment Factor is Calculated
The fitment factor is decided based on several elements, including:
Previous basic salary
Dearness Allowance (DA)
Annual increment
Growth factor
Family units
According to Manjeet Singh Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, the current DA is 58%. If it increases by 12% by the time the new commission is implemented, it could reach 70%.
He also explained that:
The growth factor was 24% in the previous commission
Family units were considered as 3 earlier, but this time it may be increased to 5
If 5 family units are considered, there could be an additional increase of about 66%.
Example of Salary Increase
To understand this better, let’s take an example:
If the fitment factor is 3, the salary of a Level 1 employee could increase from ₹18,000 to ₹54,000. This means an increase of ₹36,000.
Similarly, the salary of a Level 18 employee could rise from ₹2,50,000 to around ₹7,50,000.
