8th Pay Commission Arrears Date: A big update has come for millions of central government workers and pensioners nationwide. Everyone’s curious about when the 8th Pay Commission will kick in and when the arrears will start rolling out. This question has now made its way to Parliament. In fact, it was a hot topic during the recent winter session of Parliament.
Employee groups and several MPs have been consistently asking the Finance Ministry if the government plans to start paying arrears from January 1, 2026. This date is crucial because employees usually get their arrears from this date, even before the new Pay Commission recommendations are put into action. Just this week, four MPs directed this question to Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha. So, when will the 8th Pay Commission actually be put into effect?
Did the Finance Ministry give any answers?
In his reply, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated, “The government will determine the date for the implementation of the 8th Central Pay Commission. The government will allocate the necessary funds to carry out the accepted recommendations.” He neither confirmed nor denied the arrears date.
It’s important to mention that the terms and conditions for the 8th Pay Commission were approved last month, in November 2025. According to these terms, the Commission has been allotted 18 months to present its report. Experts believe that once the report is in, it might take three to six months for the government to give it the green light and issue a notification. So, having the recommendations in place by January 1, 2026, seems pretty unlikely.
When did you experience arrears in the most recent pay commission?
A review of the history of the last three pay commissions clearly indicates that, even if their reports were postponed, employees consistently received benefits from the date the previous pay commission expired. As a result, the recommendations are expected to be put into effect for millions of central government employees and pensioners beginning January 1, 2026.