Lakhs of government employees are eagerly waiting for the 8th Pay Commission. Amid discussions about the formation of the 8th Pay Commission, now all eyes are on arrears. Everyone wants to know when the 8th Pay Commission will be implemented, how much the salary will increase, and the biggest question among the employees is how much arrears they will get. It is worth noting that for employees from level 1 to 5, fitment factor will play an important role.
Big increase in basic salary and arrears
If the government adopts a fitment factor between 2.0 and 2.57, you can expect a significant increase in your basic salary and arrears. Let us look at the calculation of arrears to see how much money you can get at each level. The 7th Pay Commission ended on December 31, 2025, and the 8th Pay Commission is expected to come into effect from January 1, 2026. Although the salary increase may be announced later, the increased salary and arrears are expected to be paid from January 1, 2026. This is why employees from Level 1 to 5 are already calculating their potential earnings.
When will the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission be implemented?
According to experts, the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission can be implemented any time in 2027, but the salary increase will be effective retrospectively from January 1, 2026. This means that employees may get arrears of 12 to 24 months. The longer the delay, the higher the arrears.
The most important role of fitment factor
Fitment factor plays the most important role in increasing the salary of central employees. This decides how much your old basic salary will increase. The fitment factor in the 7th Pay Commission was 2.57. There are different estimates about the 8th Pay Commission, ranging from 2.0 to 2.57. The simple rule of increase in salary is that the new basic salary is arrived at by multiplying your existing basic salary by the fitment factor.
Current Basic Salary for Level 1 to 5
As per 7th Pay Commission, the basic salary for Level 1 is Rs 18,000. For Level 2 it is Rs 19,900, for Level 3 it is Rs 21,700, for Level 4 it is Rs 25,500, and for Level 5 it is Rs 29,200. The new salary and arrears have been calculated on this basis.
New basic salary as per fitment factor
If the fitment factor is 2.0, then the basic salary for Level 1 becomes Rs 36,000.
At 2.15, the same salary increases to Rs 38,700. At 2.28, it reaches Rs 41,040, and at 2.57 it becomes Rs 46,260.
In Level 2, with a fitment factor of 2.0, the salary becomes Rs 39,800, at 2.15 it becomes Rs 42,785, at 2.28 it becomes Rs 45,372, and at 2.57 it becomes Rs 51,143.
The basic salary for Level 3 employees can reach Rs 43,400 at 2.0, Rs 46,655 at 2.15, Rs 49,476 at 2.28, and Rs 55,769 at 2.57.
In level 4, with a fitment factor of 2.0, the basic salary could be Rs 51,000, at 2.15 it could be Rs 54,825, at 2.28 it could be Rs 58,140, and at 2.57 it could be Rs 65,535. For Level 5, the estimated salary is ₹58,400 at 2.0 fitment factor, ₹62,780 at 2.15, ₹66,576 at 2.28, and ₹75,044 at 2.57.
How much will the salary increase every month?
If we talk about increased salary every month, then a Level 1 employee will get approximately Rs 18,000 more at 2.0 fitment factor. This increase can reach Rs 20,700 at 2.15, Rs 23,040 at 2.28 and Rs 28,260 at 2.57. In Level 2, the monthly increase could range from Rs 19,900 to Rs 31,243. In Level 3, this increase could range from Rs 21,700 to Rs 34,069. The monthly salary of Level 4 employees may increase from Rs 25,500 to Rs 40,035. In Level 5, employees can get Rs 29,200 to Rs 45,844 more per month.
How much will be received for 20 months arrears?
If 20 months of arrears are added… then a Level 1 employee can get around Rs 3.60 lakh at 2.0 fitment factor. It can reach Rs 2.15 at Rs 4.14 lakh, Rs 2.28 at Rs 4.61 lakh and Rs 2.57 at Rs 5.65 lakh. For Level 2, this arrears can range from Rs 3.98 lakh to Rs 6.25 lakh. In Level 3, arrears can range from Rs 4.34 lakh to Rs 6.81 lakh. Level 4 employees can get arrears ranging from Rs 5.10 lakh to Rs 8.01 lakh. For Level 5 employees, this amount may increase from Rs 5.84 lakh to Rs 9.17 lakh.
Will arrears of DA and HRA also be given?
Arrear of DA is usually given considering the previous pay commission and is calculated on the basis of new basic salary. However, arrears of HRA and transport allowance are generally not paid as these are applied from a future date. Unless the government issues a separate order, these amounts are not considered part of the arrears. This calculation clearly shows that the higher the fitment factor, the higher will be the arrears. The difference between 2.0 and 2.57 fitment factor can run up to several lakhs of rupees. Especially level 4 and 5 employees seem to be benefiting from this the most.