8th Pay Commission: By When Central Government Employees Can Expect Their Arrears?
Employees and pensioners will receive arrears for the period between the effective date and the actual implementation. The arrear amount will include the difference between the old and revised pay.
The provisions of the 8th Central Pay Commission are scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026, coinciding with the expiry of the 7th Pay Commission. This move will bring a long-awaited salary revision for central government employees and pensioners.
“Usually, the recommendations of the pay commissions are implemented after a gap of every ten years. Going by this trend, the effect of the 8th Central Pay Commission recommendations would normally be expected from 01.01.2026,” the government had said.
When Will It Be Implemented?
While the effective date is January 1, 2026, the actual implementation could be delayed.
Historically, pay commission recommendations are rolled out after extensive deliberations, often taking months beyond the scheduled start date.
Economists expect the government to allocate funds for arrears in the Union Budget. Payments will include all components of the revised pay, not just the basic salary.
Arrears Explained
Employees and pensioners will receive arrears for the period between the effective date and the actual implementation. For instance, if the commission’s recommendations are enforced in May 2027, arrears will cover January 2026 to April 2027.
The arrear amount will include the difference between the old and revised pay. For example:
If your salary rises from Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000, the monthly difference is Rs 5,000.
For a 15-month delay, arrears would total Rs 75,000 (Rs 5,000 × 15).
The 8th Central Pay Commission was formally constituted on Nov. 3, 2025, under the chairmanship of Justice (retired) Ranjana Desai. The panel, over the next several months, will hold deliberations with various stakeholders before formulating its report on the fitment factor and other modalities for wage and pension revision.
The commission has been given an 18-month deadline, lapsing in May 2027, to submit its report to the Centre. The same will be scrutinised by the government, before being issued the final nod.
As per the precedent, once the central pay commission recommendations are accepted, the same are replicated by state-level panels.
Notably, pay commissions are formed once in a decade to revise the salaries and wages of government employees and retirees. Since the 7th Pay Commission came into effect from January 2016, it was expected that the 8th Pay Commission would be rolled out from January 2026.
