Central Govt Employees Await 8th Pay Commission Arrears: Millions at Stake

The 8th Pay Commission (8th CPC) is taking a methodical approach to prepare its report of recommendations. They’re holding meetings with employee and pensioner bodies and other stakeholders, and listening to their views on payout revision and work-related issues.

The next round of meetings with stakeholders is set to take place in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on June 21-22, 2026. With every meeting and each development, central government employees are growing more curious about their pay revisions. Their salaries will be based on the fitment factor. If there’s a delay in rolling out the 8th Pay Commission report, both employees and pensioners can expect to receive arrears, likely starting from January 1, 2026. These arrears will depend on their employee level, the salary difference between the 8th and 7th Pay Commissions and the duration of the delay in implementing the 8th CPC report.

So how much could employees at Level 15-18 expect in arrears if the 8th Pay Commission opts for fitment factors of 2.0, 2.15, 2.28, 2.57 and 2.86?, Let’s find out!

Who are Level 15-18 central government employees as per 7th Pay Commission pay matrix?

According to the 7th Pay Commission pay matrix, Level 15-18 central government employees hold positions of higher administrative grade (HAG) and above. These employees have 30-35 years of service experience belonging to top-tier services such as Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), defence services, etc.

These officers are at levels of secretaries, additional secretaries, special secretaries, chief of defence services, director generals in some departments, among others.

Key post held by Level 15-18 central government employees

Pay Level

Minimum Basic Pay (₹)

Typical Posts

Level 15

1,82,200

Additional Secretary to Government of India, Principal Chief Commissioner (CBDT/CBIC), Principal Accountant General, senior officers in organized Group A services

Level 16

2,05,400

Special Secretary to Government of India, Director General-level officers in some departments, senior police and defence officers

Level 17 (Apex Scale)

2,25,000

Secretary to Government of India, Chief Secretary of a State, Army Commander, Vice Chief of Army/Navy/Air Force, DGP of large states

Level 18 (Cabinet Secretary Scale)

2,50,000

Cabinet Secretary of India, equivalent top-level posts such as Service Chiefs in the Armed Forces

8th Pay Commission: Arrear calculations for Level 15-18 central government employees

Since the implementation date of the 8th Pay Commission report will be known after some time, we are assuming that central government employees are getting arrears for 20 months (from January 2026-August 2027). Our assumption is based on the fact that the 8th Pay Commission has a 18-month deadline to submit its reporting starting November 2025. Experts believe implementation may take another 3-6 months.

For each month of arrear, the payout will be equal to the difference of the basic pays in the 7th and the 8th Pay Commissions. It will be multiplied by the fitment factor and number of months (20) of report delay.

Arrear of an employee= (Basic pay of employee in 8th CPC-basic pay of employee in 7th CPC) X fitment factor X number of months (20)

The arrears will be calculated at fitment factors of 2.0, 2.15, 2.28, 2.57 and 2.86. (Calculation source: Ramachandran Krishnamoorthy, Associate Partner, Managed Services, BDO India)

8th Pay Commission: Estimated arrears Level 15-18 employees can get for 20 months at 2.0 fitment factors

Level

Current Basic (Rs)

Revised Basic (Rs)

Increase in Basic (Rs)

Arrears for 20 months (Rs)

15

1,82,200

3,64,400

1,82,200

36,44,000

16

2,05,400

4,10,800

2,05,400

41,08,000

17

2,25,000

4,50,000

2,25,000

45,00,000

18

2,50,000

5,00,000

2,50,000

50,00,000

8th Pay Commission: Estimated arrears Level 15-18 employees can get for 20 months at 2.15 fitment factor

Level

Current Basic (Rs)

Revised Basic (Rs)

Increase in Basic (Rs)

Arrears for 20 months (Rs)

15

1,82,200

3,91,730

2,09,530

41,90,600

16

2,05,400

4,41,610

2,36,210

47,24,200

17

2,25,000

4,83,750

2,58,750

51,75,000

18

2,50,000

5,37,500

2,87,500

57,50,000

8th Pay Commission: Estimated arrears Level 15-18 employees can get for 20 months at 2.28 fitment factor

Level

Current Basic (Rs)

Revised Basic (Rs)

Increase in Basic (Rs)

Arrears for 20 months (Rs)

15

1,82,200

4,15,416

2,33,216

46,64,320

16

2,05,400

4,68,312

2,62,912

52,58,240

17

2,25,000

5,13,000

2,88,000

57,60,000

18

2,50,000

5,70,000

3,20,000

64,00,000

8th Pay Commission: Estimated arrears Level 15-18 employees can get for 20 months at 2.57 fitment factor

Level

Current Basic (Rs)

Revised Basic (Rs)

Increase in Basic (Rs)

Arrears for 20 months (Rs)

15

1,82,200

4,68,254

2,86,054

57,21,080

16

2,05,400

5,27,878

3,22,478

64,49,560

17

2,25,000

5,78,250

3,53,250

70,65,000

18

2,50,000

6,42,500

3,92,500

78,50,000

8th Pay Commission: Estimated arrears Level 15-18 employees can get for 20 months at 2.86 fitment factor

Level

Current Basic (Rs)

Revised Basic (Rs)

Increase in Basic (Rs)

Arrears for 20 months (Rs)

15

1,82,200

5,21,092

3,38,892

67,77,840

16

2,05,400

5,87,444

3,82,044

76,40,880

17

2,25,000

6,43,500

4,18,500

83,70,000

18

2,50,000

7,15,000

4,65,000

93,00,000

These calculations are an estimate of the amount of arrears top-level central government employees are expected to get due to the delay in the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. The real magnitude of these arrears will be known only when the 8th Pay Commission report is implemented.

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