8th Pay Commission: When will the 8th Pay Commission’s recommendations be implemented? This question currently remains a major concern among the country’s more than 10 million central government employees and pensioners. The term of the 7th Pay Commission ends on December 31, 2025, but history shows that Pay Commission recommendations are never implemented immediately. On average, it takes 2-3 years.
The current progress of the 8th Pay Commission also points in this direction. If we look at the timeline of the 5th, 6th, and 7th Pay Commissions, a clear pattern emerges: the gap between recommendations and implementation is not months, but years. On average, the recommendations of the 6th and 7th Commissions took about two years to implement. Therefore, the 8th Commission is likely to follow a similar pattern.
What is the current status of the 8th Pay Commission?
The government officially announced the 8th Pay Commission on January 16, 2025. However, it took the government a full 10 months to prepare its Terms of Reference (TOR). The TOR was approved on October 28, 2025. The commission is headed by former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, and the committee has been given 18 months to submit its report. Consequently, the report will be available around April 2027.
So will the 8th Pay Commission be implemented in 2028?
But the report doesn’t mean the new wages will be implemented the next day. Based on past trends, the report could take another 6-8 months to review, revise, and approve. This means the likely implementation time is between late 2027 and early 2028. The government has also stated in Parliament, “The commission has been formed, but the government will decide when to implement it.” This statement is fueling uncertainty among employees, as unions had hoped the changes would be implemented on January 1, 2026.
Why does it take 2-3 years?
The Pay Commission process is lengthy because it involves multiple stages, from data analysis to cabinet approval. Let’s understand it step-by-step in 10 points:
1. Constitution of the Commission: The government issues a notification and assigns the members the task of studying the salary structure.
2. Data Collection: Complete data on salaries, pensions and allowances is collected from all ministries and departments.
3. Consultation with employees and unions: Employees’ unions, pensioner organisations and experts all put forward their demands and suggestions.
4. Internal Study: The committee studies all the submissions and drafts the new salary structure.
5. Assessment of financial impact: The government calculates how much the new pay scale will cost the exchequer.
6. Preparation of final report and sending it to the government: The report includes all the suggestions related to pay level, pension formula and allowances.
7. Review by Empowered Committee of Secretaries (ECoS): This high-level committee questions the report and suggests improvements.
8. Consultations between ministries: Finance, Defence, Railways, Home Ministries all give comments as per their needs.
9. Final review by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA): The final opinion is formed after considering the budget pressure and political influence.
10. Cabinet approval and notification: After approval, the government issues an order, implementing the new pay scale. This same process applies to states and autonomous bodies, further adding to the delay.