8th Pay Commission: As the year 2026 begins, central government employees and pensioners have started anticipating significant salary and pension revisions with the transition to the 8th Pay Commission after the 7th Pay Commission's 10-year term, which started in 2016, officially ended on December 31, 2025.
Meanwhile, many employees have one question on their minds: 'When will the Eighth Pay Commission be implemented and when will the increased salaries begin to be paid.
8th Pay Commission salary hike, according to experts, will take a decent time. At the same time, many have started discussing when the increased arrears (8th Pay Commission arrears) will be received. There is talk that this time the arrears may be paid in instalments.
Dr Manjeet Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, in an exclusive talk with Jagran Business (Jagran.com), said that the Eighth Pay Commission is due from January 1, 2026.
How Arrears Will Be Calculated
More than 5 million central employees and approximately 6.9 million pensioners in the country are covered by the Eighth Pay Commission.
According to Dr Manjeet Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, the arrears are due from January 1, 2026, according to the 8th Pay Commission rules.
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However, the government has given the Commission 18 months to submit its report; additionally, cabinet approval and implementation could take another six months.
When will the increased salary be received?
As per Dr Patel, if the process proceeds as scheduled, employees could receive the increased salary by January 2028. However, based on political and administrative signals, the government may also announce implementation starting July 2027, he added.
When and how will the arrears be received?
According to Dr Manjeet Patel, the arrears will be received starting January 1, 2026. Until now, in central government cases, arrears have always been paid in a lump sum, not in instalments.
Therefore, it is likely that the arrears of the Eighth Pay Commission will also be paid simultaneously.
Benefit and Loss
Had the Commission been implemented on time, employees would have received the increased HRA and transport allowance from that date. This is the biggest loss due to the delay.
Experts estimate that a Level-8 employee could lose up to Rs 30-35 lakh due to the delay, as HRA and TA arrears are generally not paid retroactively.
What is the impact of the lack of the DA merger?
DA crossed the 50 per cent level on January 1, 2024, and currently stands at 58 per cent. According to the rules, it should have been merged with the basic pay.
If this had happened, employees would have been receiving higher salaries for the past two years. This is why employees are considering the delay as a direct financial loss.