Around 11 million central employees and pensioners across the country are waiting for the declaration of their salaries and pensions under the Eighth Pay Commission. The government is fully prepared in this matter and the commission is working rapidly. Since the formation of the 8th Pay Commission, many important things have happened, including the meeting held last month. Now, another big update has come out. The 8th Central Pay Commission has sought opinions and suggestions from all stakeholders. According to an official statement, these submissions will be accepted till April 30, 2026.
Commission released online format
The Commission has sought suggestions from associations and unions of working employees and pensioners, organizations, institutions as well as individual employees, pensioners and interested persons on its website. An online structured format for memorandum or representation has also been released.
According to the Finance Ministry, “This format for submission of memorandum is also available on MyGov.in portal (innovateindia.mygov.in).” The statement further clarified, “The Commission has requested the stakeholders to submit their views only on the above mentioned portal. The Commission cannot consider hard copy, email or PDF.”
When is it expected to receive increased salary and pension?
Right now, more than 11 million Central Government employees and pensioners are waiting for signals for the speedy implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. However, it seems difficult to fully implement the salary and pension hike in the financial year 2026-27 (FY27). The panel has been given a deadline of 18 months to submit its report. This makes it less likely that salary and pension increases will be implemented in FY27. According to previous reports, in such a situation, the panel may accelerate its consultation process with key stakeholders and submit its report much before the deadline, which expires in May 2027.
What will be the formula for Dearness Allowance (DA)?
Generally, when the new Pay Commission recommendations come into force, Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) are reset to zero (0) and then brought back in different stages. This means that DA will not be merged into basic pay, but will be recalculated. Note that after the last revision in October, DA and DR currently stand at 58 percent.
Burden on government exchequer up to ₹3.2 lakh crore
The fiscal impact of the 7th Pay Commission was ₹1.02 lakh crore. However, the effective increase for employees after DA/DR adjustment was less. Due to the large workforce and high number of pensioners, the fiscal impact of the 8th Pay Commission could be huge, ranging between ₹2.4 lakh crore to ₹3.2 lakh crore.
