8th Pay Commission: How Much Will Salaries Rise If Fitment Factor Is Increased? Know here 

8th Pay Commission : From office corridors to lunchtime discussions, the only topic of discussion these days is when the Eighth Pay Commission will be implemented. This curiosity is natural, as approximately 50.14 lakh central government employees and 69 lakh pensioners are looking to this commission for their financial well-being. 

The Eighth Pay Commission, headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, is busy with its work. The commission will determine salaries by analyzing several aspects, including the fitment factor. The government notified the Commission’s Terms of Reference (ToR) on October 28, 2025, and has given it 18 months to submit its report.

The “fitment factor” plays a crucial role in the mathematics of salary increases. It’s considered a multiplier, multiplying an employee’s current basic pay to determine a new salary. Simply put, this is the number that determines whether your salary increase will be modest or substantial. In the previous, 7th Pay Commission, this fitment factor was set at 2.57, resulting in a 14 to 16 percent actual salary increase.

How much will the fitment factor increase?

Experts and media reports estimate that this factor for the 8th Pay Commission could range from 1.83 to 3.0, although most expectations are in the range of 2.15 to 2.57. Experts estimate that the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission could result in a salary increase of 20% to 35% for employees in pay levels 1 to 18. However, the impact of the fitment factor will vary at different levels. If the government implements a uniform fitment factor, officers in higher positions, such as pay level 18, would see a significant increase in salary in rupee terms.

On the other hand, employees at lower levels (Levels 1 to 5) are likely to receive greater benefits based on percentages. For example, if the fitment factor remains close to 2.57, a larger gap between the minimum and maximum salaries of employees can be transparently increased. Shiv Gopal Mishra (Secretary, NC-JCM) believes that the fitment factor should be at least 2.57 or higher. He said, “The fitment factor should be 2.57 or higher because it is the benchmark of the 7th Commission, and any lower fitment will harm employees.”

When will the 8th Pay Commission submit its report?

The 8th Pay Commission will submit its report to the government by April 2027. The government does not implement the report immediately upon receiving it. The Finance Ministry and other departments of the government study the report, make some changes, and then receive Cabinet approval. This process typically takes six months after the report is submitted. So, in practical terms, the new salary structure is likely to be implemented by the end of 2027 or early 2028.