The focus of central employees and pensioners is currently on the 8th Pay Commission. The government had constituted the 8th Pay Commission in November 2025 and has given it 18 months to submit its report. It is expected that the new pay commission will be considered effective from January 1, 2026. If this happens, employees and pensioners may also get outstanding arrears.
The pay commission system in India is quite old. The first Pay Commission was formed in 1946 and since then seven commissions have made changes in salary and pension. Every commission has made changes in the salary structure keeping in mind inflation, economic conditions and the needs of government employees. There has been a huge difference in the salaries of government employees since independence.
How much has the minimum and maximum salary increased from 1st to 7th pay commission?
All the seven pay commissions formed so far have increased the minimum and maximum basic salaries of the employees from time to time. Let us know how much this salary was under Har Pay Commission.
First Pay Commission (1946–47)
Minimum basic salary: ₹55
Maximum basic salary: ₹2,000
Compression Ratio: 1:36.4
Second Pay Commission (1957–59)
Minimum basic salary: ₹80
Maximum basic salary: ₹3,000
Compression Ratio: 1:37.5
Third Pay Commission (1972–73)
Minimum basic salary: ₹196
Maximum basic salary: ₹3,500
Compression Ratio: 1:17.9
Fourth Pay Commission (1986)
Minimum basic salary: ₹750
Maximum basic salary: ₹8,000
Compression Ratio: 1:10.7
5th Pay Commission (1996)
Minimum basic salary: ₹2,550
Maximum basic salary: ₹26,000
Compression Ratio: 1:10.2
6th Pay Commission (2006)
Minimum basic salary: ₹7,000
Maximum basic salary: ₹80,000
Compression Ratio: 1:11.4
7th Pay Commission (2016)
Minimum basic salary: ₹18,000
Maximum Basic Salary: ₹2,50,000
Compression Ratio: 1:13.9
What are the expectations from 8th Pay Commission?
The 7th Pay Commission had ended on December 31, 2025. Now the employees are waiting for the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission. If the Commission’s recommendations are considered effective from January 1, 2026, employees may get arrears from that date till the actual date of implementation.
How much can the salary increase?
According to several reports, if the fitment factor is set at 2.0 or higher, then level 1 to 5 employees may get a significant salary increase. If the fitment factor is 2.0 or more, level 1 to 5 employees can get a lump sum arrears of lakhs of rupees. According to some estimates, if the fitment factor of 2.57 is implemented, the minimum basic salary could increase from Rs 18,000 to Rs 46,260. Due to this, the salary of most of the employees can increase by about 30% to 34%.
Government asked for suggestions for 8th pay commission
The Finance Ministry has sought suggestions from central employees, pensioners, employee organizations and other stakeholders for the 8th Pay Commission. These suggestions may be related to salary, pension, allowances and service conditions. The government has started an online process to ensure a transparent and easy process for giving suggestions. The deadline for giving suggestions is April 30, 2026. If you want to express your views on salary, pension or allowance, you can give your opinion online till April 30, 2026.
