8th Pay Commission salary hike: How 6th and 7th CPC decided fitment factor and what to expect now

Salary hike is a key aspect of any pay commission since it impacts all central government employee. State government employees also gain from this since many states align their pay commission recommendations with the Centre or tune their respective pay commission’s recommendations on similar lines to ensure pay parity. The upcoming salary hike in the 8^th Pay Commission is expected to follow this trend. The government in a reply to a Lok Sabha question on March 23, 2026, has reiterated its stance that 8^th Pay Commission is working on salary and pension revisions. Let’s take a look at the salary increases from the 6^th and 7^th Pay Commissions and explore potential salary growth in the 8^th Pay Commission under different scenarios.

Salary hike in 6th Pay Commission

The 6^th Pay Commission’s recommendations were notified in March 2008, but came into effect from January 1, 2006. The 6^th Pay Commission had a minimum entry-level salary in Pay Band-1 of Rs 6,600 (Rs 4,860 as pay in the band plus Rs 1,800 as grade pay). Maximum salary at the level of secretary was Rs 80,000, while the minimum: maximum salary ratio was 1:12. However, at the cabinet secretary level, the basic pay rose to Rs 90,000.

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Pay structure in the 6th Pay Commission

Salary hike in 7th Pay Commission

In the 7th Pay Commission, the government disbanded the system of pay bands and grade pay. A new pay matrix system was introduced in which grade pay was subsumed in the pay matrix.

The status of an employee, determined by grade pay, was determined by their level in the pay matrix. A fitment factor of 2.57 was applied uniformly for all employees, which means their basic pay rose by 2.57 times.

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Based on the Aykroyd formula, the minimum pay was set at Rs 18,000 per month, while the maximum pay at Rs 2,25,000 per month for the apex scale. For cabinet secretary and other employees at the same pay level, it was set at Rs 2,50,000 per month.

The annual increment was set at 3% for all employees. The recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission came into effect from January 1, 2026.

7th Pay Commission salary structure

Pay Level	Minimum Basic Pay (₹ per month)
Level 1	₹ 18,000
Level 2	₹ 19,900
Level 3	₹ 21,700
Level 4	₹ 25,500
Level 5	₹ 29,200
Level 6	₹ 35,400
Level 7	₹ 44,900
Level 8	₹ 47,600
Level 9	₹ 53,100
Level 10	₹ 56,100
Level 11	₹ 67,700
Level 12	₹ 78,800
Level 13	₹ 1,23,100
Level 13A	₹ 1,31,100
Level 14	₹ 1,44,200
Level 15	₹ 1,82,200
Level 16	₹ 2,05,400
Level 17	₹ 2,25,000
Level 18	₹ 2,50,000

8th Pay Commission salary hike

The 7^th Pay Commission’s term ended on December 31, 2025 and so the 8^th Pay Commission’s term should start from January 1, 2026. The government, however, announced 8^th CPC terms of reference in November 2025. According to which, the 8^th Pay Commission was given 18 months to submit its report. The implementation may take another three to six months.

Such a long wait is sparking curiosity among central government employees, eager to know their salary hike in the 8^th Pay Commission. Organisations such as the Federation of National Postal Organisations have been demanding fitment factors in the range of 3.0-3.25 for the 8^th Pay Commission. Let’s see estimated 8^th CPC salary hikes under different fitment factors.

8th CPC salary hike (as per FNPO’s recommendations of 3.00 fitment factor)

If 8th CPC fitment factor is 2.57 (the same as for 7th CPC)

If 8th CPC fitment factor is 1.86 (the same as for 6th CPC)

How is fitment factor for a pay commission determined?

The fitment factor is based on the basic salary in the previous pay commission, dearness allowance, annual increment, growth factor, family units, etc.

Manjeet Singh Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, explains if the current DA is 58% and there is a 12% increase in DA by the time the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission are implemented, DA will reach 70%. Above that, the government calculates the growth factor, which was 24% last time, says Patel.

While calculating the fitment factor, the pay commission also considers family units, which was 3 last time and the demand has been for 5 this time. If the commission considers 5 family units, another 66% increase is expected.

8th Pay Commission latest update

Replying to a starred question in Lok Sabha on March 23, 2026, Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, said the government has notified the resolution dated November 3, 2025, for the constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission, along with the appointment of the chairperson and members.

Chaudhary said the 8th CPC will make its recommendations on various issues viz. pay, allowances, pension, etc., of central government employees within 18 months of its constitution.