The 8th Central Pay Commission, tasked to decide the next salary and pension revision for central government employees, is set to visit Leh-Ladakh on June 9 as part of its nationwide consultations.
During the visit, the commission is expected to meet local employees' groups, defence personnel, and administrative representatives to understand their concerns related to pay structure, allowances, and pensions.
One of the key issues likely to be discussed is the fitment factor, which decides how much salaries may increase. The Indian Railway Technical Supervisors' Association (IRTSA), suggests a new way of calculating salary hikes under the upcoming pay commission. The proposal includes different fitment factors for different pay levels, instead of one common formula for all employees.
If implemented, this system could result in salary increases of up to 400% for some senior-level employees, according to reports. The fitment factor is a simple multiplier used to calculate a new basic salary from the existing one. A higher factor means a bigger salary jump.
For example, if the fitment factor is 3, then salary becomes 3 times the current basic pay.
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Proposed Fitment Factors
- Lower levels (1–5): 2.92 times salary
- Mid levels (6–8): 3.5 times salary
- Higher mid levels (9–12): 3.8 times salary
- Senior levels (13–16): 4.09 times salary
- Top levels (17–18): 4.38 times salary
If someone earns Rs 2.5 lakh basic salary, and the factor is 4.38, their new salary could become around Rs 10.95 lakh.
A higher fitment factor doesn't only raise salaries but it also creates a chain effect across the entire pay system. Since many other benefits are calculated based on basic pay, everything linked to it also goes up.
For example, pension increases as it is calculated from the last drawn basic salary. Many allowances such as dearness allowance (DA), house rent allowance (HRA) and travel allowances are calculated as a percentage of basic pay.
At present, all proposals are still under discussion, and the 8th Pay Commission has not made any final recommendations. The final decision on salary hikes and pension changes will come only after the commission submits its report and the government approves it.
The government officially set up the 8th Pay Commission on November 3, 2025. The tradition started in 1946, when the first Pay Commission was formed. Since then, the government has set up seven Pay Commissions. The deadline for submitting suggestions to the 8th Pay Commission has been extended to June 15.
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