8th pay commission
Central government employees are curious to know how much arrears they can get after the implementation of the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission. The Commission is currently discussing with various parties, so its recommendations may take a few months to more than a year to be implemented.
The arrears received by the employees will mainly depend on two things – first, when the commission’s report comes into effect and second, what fitment factor is decided by the government. Fitment factor is the coefficient on the basis of which the basic pay of the employees is increased. The higher the fitment factor, the higher will be both the salary and arrears.
When can the 8th Pay Commission be implemented?
Some experts believe that the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission may be implemented from March 2027, while some estimate that the process will be completed after May 2027. There is also an opinion that the commission can submit its report to the government by March 2027, due to which the employees can start getting increased salaries from April 2027.
However, some experts say that the commission may take full 18 months to prepare the report. If necessary, the commission can also demand extension of time from the government.
What can be the fitment factor?
The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (Staff Side) has recommended a fitment factor of 3.83 to the 8th Pay Commission. However, many experts believe that such a large fitment factor is not possible in the current economic circumstances.
According to Manjit Singh Patel, national president of All India NPS Employees Federation, a fitment factor of 2.1 may be more practical. If this happens, then the basic salary of an employee getting a basic salary of Rs 18,000 can increase to around Rs 37,800.
Who are Level 1 to 5 employees?
According to the pay matrix of 7th Pay Commission, Level 1 to 5 include Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS), Peon, Office Attendant, Lower Division Clerk (LDC), Upper Division Clerk (UDC), Senior Clerk, Technician, Stenographer, Head Constable, Staff Nurse and other entry level employees.
How much arrears can be received?
According to the estimate of Ramachandran Krishnamurthy, Associate Partner, BDO India, if the revised salaries are implemented from September 2027, then around 20 months of arrears may arise.
- At 2.0 fitment factor, a Level-1 employee can get arrears of around Rs 3.60 lakh and a Level-5 employee can get up to Rs 5.82 lakh.
- At 2.15 fitment factor, this amount can be between Rs 4.14 lakh to Rs 6.69 lakh.
- At 2.28 fitment factor, the arrears can reach Rs 4.60 lakh to Rs 7.44 lakh.
- If 2.57 fitment factor is applied, a Level-1 employee is expected to get arrears up to Rs 5.65 lakh and a Level-5 employee is expected to get arrears up to Rs 9.13 lakh.
At the same time, if 2.86 fitment factor is applied then a Level-1 employee can get arrears of around Rs 6.69 lakh and a Level-5 employee can get arrears up to Rs 10.82 lakh.
However, all these figures are only estimates. The actual salary increase and the amount of arrears received by the employees will be known only when the government approves and officially implements the final report of the 8th Pay Commission.
