New Delhi. Central government employees and pensioners have been waiting for the 8th Pay Commission for a long time. The biggest question is that if the new pay commission is implemented late, will the increase in salary and pension be considered from January 1, 2026 and arrears will be received. The period of the 7th Pay Commission is ending on 31 December 2025, but till now the government has not given any clear indication on the effective date of the new recommendations.
What did the government say in Parliament
When questions were raised regarding the 8th Pay Commission during the winter session, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary replied in Parliament. He said that the government will decide the date of implementation and necessary funds will be provisioned for the accepted recommendations. It became clear from this statement that at present no firm agreement has been reached on paying arrears from January 1, 2026. This has further increased the anxiety of the employees.
When will the report come, when will the commission be implemented?
The Terms of Reference of the 8th Pay Commission have been notified on 3 November 2025. The commission has been given 18 months to submit its report, which means the report is likely to come by mid-2027. After this, government approval and notification may take another 3 to 6 months. In such a situation, the new salary structure is likely to be implemented in late 2027 or early 2028.
Arrears have already been received
If we look at the history, there has often been a delay in the implementation of pay commissions, but the arrears have been given from an earlier date. The 7th Pay Commission was implemented in June 2016, but arrears were received from January 1, 2016. Similarly, the 6th Pay Commission was approved in 2008, while arrears were given from 2006. Employee organizations say that according to the same tradition, arrears should be paid in the 8th Pay Commission from January 1, 2026.
Benefits may decrease due to not including HRA
However, the government generally does not include House Rent Allowance i.e. HRA in the calculation of arrears. This brings huge savings to the government. For example, if the basic salary of an employee is Rs 76,500, then not including HRA can reduce the arrears by about Rs 18,000 every month. Employee organizations are also demanding to include HRA in arrears, but the government’s consent on this is considered difficult.
Eyes on the government’s decision
If the 8th Pay Commission is implemented without backdate, then the employees will continue to get salary under the 7th Pay Commission. Experts believe that if there is a delay, a huge lump sum arrear can be formed, but due to financial pressure, the government can implement it from a later date also. At present, about 50 lakh employees and 69 lakh pensioners will have to wait for the official announcement.
