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Centre Sets 18-Month Timeline for 8th Pay Commission With Rollout Date Unset

Benefits could reach 50.14 lakh employees alongside roughly 69 lakh pensioners, sharpening focus on the eventual budget impact.

Overview

  • The finance ministry told the Lok Sabha the commission was constituted with Terms of Reference on November 3, 2025 and must submit recommendations within 18 months.
  • The government said the implementation date will be decided later and that funds will be provided only for recommendations it accepts.
  • There is no proposal at present to merge dearness allowance or dearness relief with basic pay, with DA and DR currently at 55% as per recent revisions.
  • Analyst estimates cited by media project a combined Centre–state payout increase of about Rs 4 lakh crore in FY28, potentially rising to roughly Rs 9 lakh crore with arrears, which remains an external projection.
  • Reports note past practice of making pay revisions effective from January 1, 2026 for this cycle, implying possible arrears, though the government has not confirmed any start date.