Millions of central government employees and pensioners across the country are now eyeing the 8th Pay Commission. Amid backbreaking inflation, expensive children’s education, and rising medical expenses, every employee is hoping for a significant increase in their salary. However, the biggest debate is about the amount of arrears that will be due if the government delays its implementation by 12 months.
January 1, 2026, is generally considered a possible date, but no official government approval has yet been issued. If the implementation is delayed, employees could face a large lump sum. In this special article, we will examine the history of previous pay commissions and how much money you will have in your pocket based on the new fitment factor.
A 12-month delay and arrears of lakhs
The biggest question among employees is how they will receive their 12-month arrears if the 8th Pay Commission is implemented on January 1, 2027, instead of January 1, 2026. According to the rules, if the effective date remains January 1, 2026, they are guaranteed to receive arrears for the entire year. The simple formula is to multiply the difference between your new revised monthly salary and the old monthly salary by the number of months the delay occurred.
For example, if an employee’s salary increases by ₹50,000 per month after the fitment factor, the 12-month arrears will be around ₹6,00,000 (six lakh rupees). The same calculation applies to pensioners, with the difference varying slightly depending on their pension amount. This lump sum will be no less than a major bonus for employees and will help alleviate the long-standing financial pressure.
What happened in previous pay commissions
If we look back at records, employees’ expectations become even stronger. The Indian government has always made payments with backdates when the implementation of pay commissions is delayed. The 7th Pay Commission is a prime example of this. It was approved in June 2016, but the government considered it effective from January 1, 2016, and paid employees the pending arrears.
Similarly, the 6th and 5th Pay Commissions also took a long time to be approved, but payments were made based on backdates. This is why experts believe that if the 8th Pay Commission is also delayed, employees will receive arrears starting January 1, 2026. The government may generally make payments in installments to reduce financial burden, but rights are not violated.
How much will your basic salary increase
The key to salary increases under the 8th Pay Commission is the Fitment Factor. Employee organizations are demanding that it be increased this time to mitigate the impact of inflation. If the government adopts a fitment factor of 2.0 or higher, the pay matrix will see a significant increase.
Let’s understand this with a simple example. Suppose an employee’s current total salary is around ₹1,44,000. After the implementation of the new Pay Commission, it could increase to around ₹1,94,000 under the new structure. This means a significant difference of approximately ₹50,000 per month. If we add 12 months’ arrears, the arrears will directly reach ₹6,00,000. The higher the fitment factor, the larger the arrears. This is why the employee community wants clarity on the fitment factor as soon as possible.