When will the new pay commission be implemented, how much arrears can a level-1 employee get?

These days the biggest discussion among central government employees is about the 8th Pay Commission. The tenure of the 7th Pay Commission has ended on 31 December 2025 (8th Pay Commission), so it is natural that the eyes of the employees are now fixed on the new Pay Commission. There are only two questions – when will the new pay commission be implemented and if there is a delay, how much arrears will be received? This issue has become very important especially for Level-1 employees.

Till now 8th from the government pay commission The official date of announcement or implementation has not been revealed. However, if we look at the trend of old pay commissions, a pattern is definitely visible. The 6th Pay Commission was considered effective from 1 January 2006 and the 7th Pay Commission was considered effective from 1 January 2016. Even though the recommendations took time to be implemented, the benefits to the employees were received retrospectively. On this basis, it is being estimated that the 8th Pay Commission can also be considered effective from January 1, 2026, even if its actual implementation is later.

If there is a delay of 18 to 24 months in implementing the recommendations of the new Pay Commission, then there is a possibility of employees getting arrears of the same number of months (8th Pay Commission). This is the reason why mathematics is being done regarding arrears. Last time too, the employees got the direct benefit of the delay in pay revision in the form of arrears.

At the time of the 6th Pay Commission, the basic salary of Level-1 equivalent employees was around Rs 7,000, on which about 125 percent dearness allowance was added. The total gross salary in different cities was between Rs 17 to 19 thousand. In the 7th Pay Commission, grade pay system was abolished and pay matrix was implemented and level-1 basic was directly increased to Rs 18,000. DA was merged into Basic, which resulted in an increase of 16 to 25 percent in the initial gross salary.

At present, under the 7th Pay Commission, the basic salary of Level-1 is only Rs 18,000, but the dearness allowance has been continuously increasing. At present, DA is around 58 percent, due to which the gross salary has increased to more than Rs 34,000. If DA reaches 68 percent by the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, this salary may increase further.

Talking about the estimates, if the fitment factor in the 8th Pay Commission remains around 2.57 like the 7th Pay Commission and there is an overall increase of around 25 percent (8th Pay Commission), then the new gross salary of a Level-1 employee can reach around Rs 45,000 per month. This means that compared to the current salary, there can be a difference of about Rs 9,000 every month.

Now if this increased salary is implemented 24 months back, then the arrears received by a Level-1 employee can be around Rs 2.15 to 2.20 lakh. This amount can be even higher for higher level employees. However, this entire calculation is based on estimates and old trends, and not on any government decision.

Some financial reports say that this time the fitment factor can also be kept between 1.8 to 2.4. If the factor remains low then the increase may be limited, due to which the amount of arrears will also reduce. It is clear that the entire picture will depend on the fitment factor and the final decision of the government.

Overall, if the 8th Pay Commission is implemented late and benefits are given with retrospective effect, the amount of arrears may reach lakhs even for entry-level employees like Level-1. At present, the expectations of the employees are high, but the real picture will become clear only when the government officially takes a decision regarding the Pay Commission.