8th Pay Commission: Is salary revision delayed? Here’s where the process stands | Timeline
The 8th Pay Commission, which will decide on the revision of salaries and pensions for central government employees, has completed a year since its constitution. Following cabinet approval and announcement, the 8th Central Pay Commission was constituted on 3 November 2025. While the official implementation date has not been announced, 1 January 2026 is widely anticipated as the date the new pay scales will come into effect.
There are various stages a commission goes through before the revised salaries are finally paid to the employees. In this article, we break down the different stages the 8th Pay Commission has to pass before it is finally implemented:
Stage 1: Announcement
In January 2025, the Government announced the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission to review and recommend changes to the salaries and other benefits of Central Government employees.
Status: Completed
Stage 2: Approval of Terms of Reference
On 28 October 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the 8th Central Pay Commission. As per the Cabinet, the 8th CPC will be a temporary body comprising a Chairperson, a part-time member and a member-secretary. When making the recommendations, they must keep in mind the country’s economic conditions and fiscal prudence.
Status: Completed
Stage 3: Constitution of Commission
On 3 November 2025, the government formally notified the constitution of the 8th Pay Commission and named Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as the chairperson, Pulak Ghosh as the part-time member, and Pankaj Jain as the member-secretary. The commission was given 18 months from the date of its constitution to make its recommendations.
Status: Completed
Stage 4: Stakeholder representation and consultations
The 8th Pay Commission began its stakeholder consultation exercise in February 2026. It invited responses to an 18-question questionnaire. In March 2026, it opened a separate window for employees, pensioners, associations, unions and other stakeholders to submit detailed memorandums and recommendations.
The Commission initially set 30 April as the deadline for submission of memoranda and representations on its online portal. However, this was separate from in-person consultations, which are still ongoing. The latest round of consultations was held in Mumbai on 22–23 October, and Bengaluru on 7-8 October.
Status: Ongoing
Stage 5: Preparing recommendations
Reportedly, the 8th CPC has entered the stage of drafting and preparing its recommendations after completing initial stakeholder consultations, data collection, and memorandum submissions. The recommendations will include revised pay structure, fitment factor, pension, gratuity, HRA and other allowances.
Status: In progress
What happens next?
The next stages of the process broadly include:
- Submission of the recommendations
- Government review
- Government approval
- Implementation orders
Is the salary revision delayed?
No, the 8th Pay Commission is not running behind schedule. It was given 18 months from the date of its constitution to make its recommendations. So, effectively, its deadline ends on 3 May 2027.
What about the January 2026 deadline for implementation?
No, 1 January 2026 was not the official implementation deadline. This date was an expectation since the recommendations of the pay commissions are implemented after a gap of ten years. Based on this trend, the effect of the 8th Central Pay Commission recommendations was anticipated to take effect from 1 January 2026. However, the official implementation date, whether retrospective or not, has not yet been announced by the government.
