When will the 8th Pay Commission be applicable?
The Modi government gave great news to central employees and pensioners in early 2025. The government announced the 8th Pay Commission on January 16, 2025. Also, where was it that the new pay commission will be implemented by 1 January 2026. Surprisingly, by the end of September, the official notification of the Commission, Term of Reference i.e. TOR and members have not been appointed yet. This has created concerns in employees and unions, and the big question is whether the 8th Pay Commission will have to wait till 2028 to come into force?
If we look at the previous experience, it takes two to three years from the formation of any pay commission to its implementation. If the same pattern is repeated this time, then you may have to wait till 2028. To guess how much time it can take for the recommendations of the Eighth Pay Commission to be implemented, let us take a look at the deadline of the last two pay commissions-from the announcement to the implementation-.
Sixth Pay Commission’s deadline
The sixth Pay Commission was formed in October 2006. The Commission submitted its report to the government in March 2008. The government accepted the report in August 2008 and from January 1, 2006, the recommendations of the panel were rebuilt. Thus, it took about 22-24 months from the formation of the Sixth Pay Commission to the implementation.
Seventh Pay Commission’s deadline
It was formed in February 2014 and its work-by-work and directions were finalized by March 2014. The Commission submitted its report in November 2015. The government accepted the recommendations in June 2016 and implemented them from 1 January 2016. This means that it took about 33 months (2 years and 9 months) from its formation to implementation. This comparison clearly shows that both commissions took an average of 2-3 years.
Current status of eighth pay commission
This major announcement was made on 16 January 2025. But the list of members or tor of members has not been released yet. This means that the actual process has not even started yet. If the commission is formed in the coming months and it takes two years to prepare the report, then it will be ready by 2027. After that, the government will also need time to consider the report, amend it and approve it. Therefore, applying it by 2028 is a practical possibility. However, the recommendations of the Commission will be rejected from January 2026, which will give employees and pensioners dues of delayed period.
Why is this commission important?
For government employees, the Pay Commission does not only bring increments; It also underlines their allowances, pension and future financial security. Especially in this era of inflation, employees want the Commission to start soon to reduce the burden of rising prices. The recommendations of the Commission are also important for pensioners, because they directly affect their pension and dearness allowance (DA).
What do you say?
Financial analysts believe that if the policy of the Seventh Commission is repeated, the eighth commission report and subsequent approval will take time. Given the current delay, it is more likely to be drawn by 2028. Meanwhile, more than 1.2 crore employees and pensioners are eagerly waiting for the appointment and TOR. History is witness that the sixth and seventh commissions took a long time to implement. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that the Eighth Pay Commission will not be implemented before 2028.