The 8th Pay Commission held discussions with stakeholders in New Delhi today (Friday, August 7, 2026). They are meeting with employee and pensioner groups, representatives from organisations and other stakeholders to discuss salaries, pensions, working conditions and welfare issues. As the deadline for submitting their recommendation report in May 2027 is getting closer, the 8th Pay Commission plans to hold more discussions in Chennai, Puducherry, Jaipur and Chandigarh with stakeholders in August and September 2026.

Employees are eagerly waiting for the 8th Pay Commission to submit its report soon as it will lead to an early implementation and salary hike. The basic salary increase for central government employees will depend on the fitment factor. A 2.0 fitment factor can double their basic pay, but it may not double their gross pay. Bankbazaar’s projections show that at 2, 2.38 and 2.57 fitment factors, the gross pay hike can be in the range of 31%-68%.

Who are Level 7 and 8 central government employees?

According to the 7th Pay Commission matrix, Level 7 and 8 employees are inspectors, section officers, assistant engineers, senior accounts officers, nursing officers, administrative officers, etc.

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These employees assist in daily administrative work at central government offices, playing an important role in the functioning of daily work.

How much salary hike can Level 7 and 8 government employees expect if the 8th Pay

Commission decides on a fitment factor of 2.0, 2.38 or 2.57?

8th Pay Commission fitment factor

The National Council - Joint Consultative Machinery- NC (JCM), the main central government employee body, and the All India Defence Employees’ Federation (AIDEF), the employee body of civil defence employees, have recommended a 3.833 fitment factor each from the 8th Pay Commission.

Some organisations like the Indian Railway Technical Supervisors’ Association are demanding multiple fitment factors for different levels of employees.

Fitment factor demands by different employee bodies

Source: Official memorandums

Level 7 employees’ gross salary estimates at 2.0, 2.38 and 2.57 fitment factors

In its calculations, Bankbazaar has taken the basic salary of a Level 7 employee as per the 7th Pay Commission. The gross salary includes dearness allowance (DA) and House Rent Allowance (HRA). To keep the calculation simple, it hasn’t taken any other allowance.

The current HRA rate for an employee residing in an X-category is 30% of basic pay. It was 24% as per the 7th Pay Commission terms and conditions but reached 30% when DA touched the 50% mark in January 2024. For the 8th Pay Commission, Bankbazaar has calculated HRA at 24% for an X-category employee.

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8th Pay Commission fitment factor

Assumptions

Source: Bankbazaar

Disclaimer: Illustrative estimates based on assumed fitment factors; final pay and allowances may vary. Source: BankBazaar.com

You can see that while the basic salary at a 2.0 fitment factor can be double, the gross salary hike may be just 31%. At a 2.57 fitment factor, which is also the multiplier in the 7th Pay Commission, employees may get a 68% hike.

Level 8 employees’ gross salary estimates at 2.0, 2.38 and 2.57 fitment factors

Assumptions