All the employees of the Central Government are eagerly awaiting an increase in their salaries when the 8th Central Pay Commission becomes effective from January 1, 2026. The government approved the constitution of the 8th Pay Commission in January 2025 and later, the Union Cabinet cleared its Terms of Reference (ToR).
The Commission has been mandated to review salaries, allowances and pension benefits of Central Government staff and pensioners. After its recommendations are finalized and approved, new pay scales will be implemented.
Working employees are not alone in expecting a higher fitment factor; pensioners, or retired staff, also expect more. This factor will decide how much their basic pay and pension will increase. The exact hike in salary, pension, and arrears will become clear only after the government officially announces the final fitment factor.
How fitment factor worked earlier
For the 6th Pay Commission, a fitment factor of 1.92 was applied. This implies that salaries had increased 1.92 times. Due to this, the minimum basic salary increased from ₹3,200 to ₹7,440, and the maximum increased from ₹30,000 to ₹90,000.
The government adopted a higher fitment ratio of 2.57 during the 7th Pay Commission. The result was a large-scale raise in the pay scale. The minimum basic pay was raised from ₹7,440 to ₹18,000, while the top scale pay was hiked from ₹90,000 to ₹2.5 lakh.
What to Expect from the 8th Pay Commission
For the 8th Pay Commission, it is expected that the fitment factor may range between 1.8 and 2.86. However, there is no official statement regarding this made by the government yet. The greater the fitment factor, the greater the increment in salaries and pensions.
For instance, if the government sets the fitment factor to be 2.15 and a person has a basic salary of ₹50,000, then the basic salary would be increased by multiplying it by 2.15. The basic salary would then increase to ₹1,07,500.
Thus, the officials as well as the pensioners are also waiting and watching the decision of the government, as it will decide the increase in their salary through the final ‘fitment’ factor since 2026.
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