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8th Pay Commission Update – With the start of the new year, central government employees and pensioners are raising questions about a potential Dearness Allowance (DA) increase. Everyone’s eyes are currently on the DA. The year 2026 is going to be very special for central government employees and pensioners. This time, a DA increase of 3 to 5 per cent is expected.
If the DA increases by this much, then the fortunes of central government employees are set to improve significantly. They will see a substantial increase in their salaries. The DA increase could be implemented by March. You can find details below on what the salary would be if the DA is increased by 5 per cent.
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What are the estimates?
According to central government employee organisations, a 3 to 5 per cent increase in DA is expected in January 2026. According to Manjeet Singh Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, if the AICPI-IW for December 2025 is considered to be 147, then a 3 per cent increase in DA is possible.
If, for some reason, the December figure remains at the November level of approximately 148.2, then a percentage increase in DA is possible. The government had increased the DA to per cent in July 2025. Now, with a 3 tpeper centcrease, it could reach 61 per cent.
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Seventh Pay Commission Period Ends
The implementation of the 8th Pay Commission is still uncertain, but the period of the 7th Pay Commission has completely ended. It was implemented on January 1, 2016, for a period of 10 years, until December 31, 2025. Now, with its term ending, employees and pensioners are waiting for the implementation of the next pay commission.
The government has also constituted a committee to prepare the review report for the 8th Pay Commission. The recommendations will be submitted to the government within 16 to 18 months. Therefore, the new pay commission can only be implemented in the year 2027.
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Dearness Allowance (DA) increased twice a year.
The central government increases the Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees and pensioners twice a year. The increased DA rates are considered effective from January 1st to July 1st. The government provides the benefit of DA arrears in iinstalments There are approximately 1.25 crore employees and pensioners in India.