Last verified: 13 October 2026. Every item below carries a label: Confirmed = checked against an official government source (linked); Proposed = a demand or suggestion, not a decision; Reported = carried by media or union circulars, not by a government notice; Estimate = our own calculation.
Where the 8th Pay Commission stands (October 2026)
- Constituted: 3 November 2025, by a Finance Ministry resolution in the Gazette of India. Confirmed (Gazette resolution)
- Stage now: consultations. The written questionnaire and memorandum windows have closed, and the Commission is holding meetings with unions and other stakeholders around the country. Its next listed stop is Mumbai on 22–23 October 2026. Confirmed (8cpc.gov.in – What’s New)
- Report: not submitted yet. It is due within 18 months of constitution. Confirmed (Lok Sabha reply, 10 Aug 2026). 18 months from 3 November 2025 runs to early May 2027. Estimate
- Fitment factor, new pay matrix, effective date: none has been announced. When the government approved the Terms of Reference, it said the effect “would normally be expected from 01.01.2026”. That describes past practice. It is not a decision. Confirmed (PIB, 28 Oct 2025)
- Meanwhile: DA/DR keeps being revised every six months under the 7th CPC formula. It is 60% from 1 January 2026, and the July 2026 instalment is still pending. See our DA Hike Tracker.
Dated timeline (newest first)
| Date | What happened | Status / source |
|---|---|---|
| 22–23 Oct 2026 | The Commission visits Mumbai. Appointment requests closed on 10 October and had to quote the “Unique Memo ID” generated when a memorandum was filed. | Confirmed 8CPC notice, 21 Sep 2026 |
| 7–8 Oct 2026 | Bengaluru visit (requests closed 18 Sep) | Confirmed Notice No. 35/12/2026-VST/8CPC |
| 16–18 Sep 2026 | Chandigarh visit | Confirmed 8CPC What’s New |
| 7–9 Sep 2026 | Chennai (7–8 Sep) and Puducherry (9 Sep) visits | Confirmed 8CPC What’s New |
| 31 Aug – 1 Sep 2026 | Jaipur visit | Confirmed 8CPC What’s New |
| 11 Aug 2026 | The guidelines for engaging consultants are partly modified | Confirmed 8CPC notice |
| 10 Aug 2026 | The government tells the Lok Sabha that the Commission “has not submitted its recommendations to the Government yet” and will report within 18 months (Unstarred Q. 3571) | Confirmed Parliament reply (text reproduced here) |
| 7 & 10 Aug 2026 | Second round of interactions in Delhi | Confirmed 8CPC notice |
| 28 Jul 2026 | Rajya Sabha reply: the Commission “will devise its own procedure”. The government gave no meeting counts and no list of unions consulted (Unstarred Q. 1036). | Confirmed Parliament reply (text reproduced here) |
| 22 Jun – 10 Jul 2026 | Visits to Lucknow (22–23 Jun), Bhubaneswar (6–7 Jul) and Kolkata (9–10 Jul) | Confirmed 8CPC What’s New |
| 15 Jun 2026 | The memorandum window closes. It had been extended from 30 April to 31 May, and then to 15 June. | Confirmed 8CPC memorandum page |
| 8 Jun 2026 | Visit to the UT of Ladakh | Confirmed 8CPC notice |
| 13–14 May 2026 | First round of stakeholder interactions in Delhi | Confirmed 8CPC notice |
| 28 Apr 2026 | The NC-JCM Standing Committee presents the staff-side memorandum to the full Commission | Reported (NC-JCM circular). See union demands |
| 18 Apr 2026 | The Cabinet approves DA/DR at 60% from 1 January 2026 | Confirmed PIB |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Guidelines published for engaging consultants | Confirmed 8CPC notice |
| 5 Mar 2026 | An online structured memorandum format opens on 8cpc.gov.in and innovateindia.mygov.in. Paper, email and PDF submissions “may not be considered”. | Confirmed PIB, 5 Mar 2026 |
| 5 Feb – 31 Mar 2026 | An 18-question questionnaire runs on MyGov. The original deadline of 16 March was extended to 31 March. | Confirmed 8CPC questionnaire page |
| 1–2 Dec 2025 | Parliament is told: “No proposal regarding merger of the existing Dearness Allowance with the Basic Pay is under consideration” (LS Unstarred Q. 212; RS Unstarred Q. 252) | Confirmed Parliament reply (reply copy) |
| 3 Nov 2025 | The Gazette resolution (F. No. 01-01/2025-E.III(A)) constitutes the Commission and sets its ToR. Headquarters: Delhi. | Confirmed Gazette |
| 28 Oct 2025 | The Union Cabinet approves the Terms of Reference | Confirmed PIB |
| 17 Apr 2025 | The Department of Expenditure circulates a vacancy notice for 35 posts in the Commission, to be filled on deputation | Confirmed DoE vacancy circular |
| 16 Jan 2025 | The government announces that an 8th CPC will be set up | Confirmed (referred to in PIB, 28 Oct 2025; AIR News) |
Members and Terms of Reference
Who is on the Commission
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | Smt. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai |
| Member (Part-Time) | Prof. Pulak Ghosh |
| Member-Secretary | Shri Pankaj Jain |
Confirmed 8cpc.gov.in/composition and the Gazette resolution. The Commission has three members. There are no “two full-time members”, and no other chairperson has been appointed, whatever some posts claim.
What the Terms of Reference ask it to do
The ToR are summarised from the 3 November 2025 resolution. Confirmed
- Who is covered: industrial and non-industrial Central Government employees, All India Services, Defence Forces, UT personnel, IA&AD, members of regulatory bodies (excluding RBI), Supreme Court staff, UT-funded High Court staff and subordinate judicial officers in UTs.
- Scope: pay, allowances and other benefits in cash or kind. The Commission is also asked to rationalise allowances “keeping in view the multiplicity of allowances”, review bonus schemes and suggest a productivity-linked incentive.
- Retirement benefits: gratuity (DCRG) for employees under NPS, including UPS. Gratuity and pension for employees not under NPS/UPS.
- What it must weigh: fiscal prudence, resources for development and welfare, “the unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes”, the impact on state finances, and pay in CPSUs and the private sector.
- Time: 18 months, with the option of interim reports.
Myths we have corrected
Earlier versions of some posts on this site, now merged into this page, repeated claims that turned out to be wrong. Here is the record:
- “Report by end-2025, new pay from January 2026.” Wrong. The Commission was only constituted on 3 November 2025 and has 18 months.
- “Dr V. Srinivas appointed Chairman.” Wrong. The Chairperson is Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
- “Fitment factor fixed at 1.60 / 2.28 / 2.57.” No fitment factor has been announced. Expert figures, such as former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg’s 1.92–2.08 range given in a January 2025 interview, are opinions. Reported The one input in his working that has since become fact is DA at 60% on 1 January 2026. Confirmed
- “50% DA merged into basic pay.” No. The government told Parliament in December 2025 that no such proposal is under consideration.
What happens next
- More consultations. Mumbai (22–23 Oct) is the last visit listed so far. Further visits will appear on 8cpc.gov.in. Departments are also reported to be sending data to the Commission’s data collection portal. Reported
- The report. It is due by around May 2027 Estimate. Interim reports are allowed under the ToR, but none has been announced.
- Government decision. After the report, the Cabinet decides what to accept. That decision sets the effective date, the fitment factor and how arrears are paid. Parliament was told in August 2026 that none of these can be stated until the recommendations arrive.
- Until then: DA/DR continues under the 7th CPC formula. The July 2026 instalment is awaited.
Want to see how different outcomes would affect you? Use our 8th Pay Commission salary calculator or the pension calculator. Treat every result as a scenario, not a forecast.
FAQ
When was the 8th Pay Commission constituted?
On 3 November 2025, by a Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) resolution published in the Gazette. The Cabinet had approved its Terms of Reference on 28 October 2025.
Who heads the 8th CPC?
Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai is the Chairperson. Prof. Pulak Ghosh is the Member (Part-Time) and Shri Pankaj Jain is the Member-Secretary.
When will the 8th CPC submit its report?
Within 18 months of 3 November 2025, which is around early May 2027. As of the August 2026 Parliament reply, no recommendations had been submitted.
Will the 8th CPC apply from 1 January 2026?
Not decided. PIB said the effect “would normally be expected from 01.01.2026”, based on the ten-year pattern. The government has not fixed an effective date.
What fitment factor has been fixed?
None. Unions have asked for figures such as 3.0 and 3.833 (Proposed). See what each union asked.
Can I still send a memorandum?
No. The questionnaire closed on 31 March 2026 and the memorandum window on 15 June 2026. Organisations that filed a memorandum could request meetings during city visits using their Unique Memo ID.
Is DA being merged with basic pay?
No such proposal is under consideration, according to the government’s reply to Parliament in December 2025.
Official sources used: 8cpc.gov.in (composition, ToR, notices) · PIB 28 Oct 2025 · PIB 5 Mar 2026 · PIB 18 Apr 2026 · Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha written replies of 1–2 Dec 2025, 28 Jul 2026 and 10 Aug 2026. This page is information, not an official notification.