8th CPC: Can minimum salary be raised to ₹ 51480? What Staff Side expects

With the 7th Pay Commission about to reach nine years and nearing the end of its typical 10-year term, there's growing anticipation around the formation of the 8th Pay Commission. Around 1.2 crore central government employees and pensioners are eagerly awaiting updates on when the government might announce the 8th Pay Commission and the possible salary and pension increases it could bring.

So far, the government hasn’t officially committed to setting up the 8th Pay Commission. However, many reports suggest it could be formed soon, following the usual trend of setting up a new Pay Commission every 10 years. If this pattern holds, the 8th Pay Commission may be announced so that the new pay structure can be implemented on January 1, 2026

Various reports have also speculated on a new “fitment factor,” which is used to revise central government employees’ pay scales. In the 7th Pay Commission, a fitment factor of 2.57 was used to adjust salaries. However, employee unions had called for a factor of 3.67.

Expected Fitment Factor for Minimum Salary Under 8th Pay Commission
According to reports in the NDTV, Shiv Gopal Mishra, Secretary (Staff Side) of the National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), expects a fitment factor of at least 2.86 for salary and pension revisions. With a 2.86 factor, the minimum basic salary for a government employee would increase to Rs 51,480 from the current Rs 18,000. Pensions would similarly rise from Rs 9,000 to Rs 25,740.

The fitment factor is the multiplication factor used to calculate Salary and pension increases. Multiplying the fitment factor with the current minimum salary or pension will give the new salary or pension.

Mishra's call for a 2.86 fitment factor holds weight, as he recently met with Union Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey to discuss forming the 8th Pay Commission. He noted that such revisions happen only once in 10 years, so an increase to 2.86 is reasonable.

The NC-JCM, the main organization handling central government employee issues, has also submitted two requests for an early formation of the 8th Pay Commission. The first was given to Rajiv Gauba, the then Union Cabinet Secretary, during the Union Budget presentation in July 2024. The second was sent to T.V. Somanathan, Gauba’s successor, who took office on August 30.

Also read: Fitment factors recommended by pay commissions over the years