| Commission Constituted | November 3, 2025 |
| Chairperson | Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retd., Supreme Court of India) |
| Members | Prof. Pulak Ghosh (IIM Bengaluru) · Shri Pankaj Jain, IAS (Member-Secretary) |
| Report Deadline | ~May 2027 (18 months from constitution) |
| Expected Effective Date | January 1, 2026 (with arrears from that date; subject to Government acceptance) |
| Beneficiaries | ~50 lakh serving employees + ~65–68 lakh pensioners |
| Memorandum Deadline | May 31, 2026 (extended from April 30) |
| Current DA Rate | 60% w.e.f. January 1, 2026 (approved April 18, 2026) |
| Official Website | 8cpc.gov.in |
June 10, 2026: Last date for UP-based stakeholders to request an appointment for the Lucknow regional visit. Submit via the official NIC weblink along with your unique memo ID from 8cpc.gov.in.
June 22–23, 2026: 8th CPC regional visit to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Stakeholders from other states are requested not to seek appointments during this visit — separate visits to other States/UTs will be announced separately.
June 2026
The 8th Central Pay Commission will visit Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on June 22–23, 2026 (Monday and Tuesday) to interact with Central Government organisations, institutions, and unions/associations based in the state.
How to seek an appointment:
- Submit a request via the official NIC weblink: https://nicforms.nic.in/enRhYmxlNmEwZDhlZWFiODAwZDIwMjYwNTIwMTEw
- Include your unique memo ID generated upon submission of a memorandum on the Commission’s website at 8cpc.gov.in
- Deadline for appointment requests: June 10, 2026
- Venue details and meeting schedule will be intimated subsequently
Important: Stakeholders belonging to states and Union Territories other than Uttar Pradesh are requested not to seek appointments during this visit. The Commission will hold separate visits in other states/UTs in due course.
May 2026
The first formal meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Council–JCM with the 8th Central Pay Commission took place on April 28, 2026 at Chandralok Building, New Delhi (chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai). Key highlights:
- NC-JCM presented salient features of its Staff Side memorandum — minimum pay ₹69,000, fitment factor 3.83, 6% annual increment, OPS restoration
- Staff Side formally requested the Commission to extend the memorandum submission deadline to May 31, 2026 to allow constituent organisations to submit departmental memoranda
- Technical problems with the submission portal were flagged; the Commission agreed to resolve them and take a decision on the extension soon
- NC-JCM also requested that the Commission hold separate meetings for constituent organisations after the deadline to present cadre-specific issues
As of May 1, 2026, the Commission confirmed the extended deadline of May 31, 2026 on its website. Only online submissions through the designated link will be accepted.
The 8th CPC is conducting a two-day visit to Pune, Maharashtra on May 4–5, 2026 to interact with central government organisations, unions, and associations in the region. This follows the earlier Delhi interactions (April 28–30) and the Dehradun visit (April 24).
Organisations seeking an appointment for the Pune visit were required to submit their memorandum by April 20, 2026, and email their unique memo ID to Director Anand Kumar Jha. Further visits to Mumbai and other states are planned subsequently.
April 2026
The Commission held its first round of formal stakeholder interaction meetings in New Delhi across three days (April 28–30, 2026) at Chandralok Building. Unions, employee federations, and associations with pre-registered memoranda presented their demands in person.
The NC-JCM Staff Side led by Secretary (Staff Side) Shiva Gopal Mishra presented its unified memorandum on April 28. On the same day, the NC-JCM requested both an extension of the memoranda deadline to May 31 and a separate meeting schedule for constituent organisations to address departmental issues.
The Commission conducted a consultative visit to Dehradun, Uttarakhand on April 24, 2026, interacting with representatives from defence accounts, paramilitary forces, and audit service organisations in the region. This was the Commission’s first outstation interaction and marks the start of its broader regional consultation programme.
Following the April 13 drafting committee meeting, the NC-JCM Staff Side finalised and uploaded its 51-page unified memorandum to the 8th CPC official portal. Key demands in the memorandum include:
- Minimum pay at Level-1: ₹69,000 per month (need-based, family of five)
- Fitment factor: 3.83 (uniform for pay and pension)
- Annual increment: 6% (up from 3%)
- HRA revision: 40%, 35%, 30% for X, Y, Z cities
- Pension: Restoration of OPS at 67% of last pay drawn; family pension at 50%
- Promotion guarantee: 5 assured promotions over a 30-year career
- MACP: At 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 years of service
- All benefits effective from January 1, 2026
The constituent organisations of NC-JCM were forwarded the memorandum to use as the common-service basis for their own departmental submissions.
The Union Cabinet approved a 2 percentage-point increase in Dearness Allowance (DA), raising the rate from 58% to 60% of Basic Pay, effective January 1, 2026. The Department of Expenditure issued the formal Office Memorandum on April 22, 2026.
- Beneficiaries: ~50.46 lakh serving employees and ~68.27 lakh pensioners
- Exchequer impact: ₹6,791.24 crore per annum
- Arrears: Three months (January–March 2026) to be credited with the April 2026 salary
- This is the smallest DA hike in approximately 26 years, reflecting the slowing of CPI-IW inflation
The Finance Ministry separately reiterated that there is no proposal to merge DA with basic pay prior to 8th CPC implementation. DA will continue on the biannual revision cycle until the new pay matrix is notified.
The 8th CPC published guidelines and invited applications for the engagement of domain consultants to assist the Commission in its analytical and research work. This signals the Commission is moving from initial consultation into substantive research and data analysis on pay structure, allowances, and pension frameworks.
The NC-JCM Staff Side wrote to the 8th CPC Member-Secretary flagging several concerns about the memoranda submission portal (launched in February 2026). Key requests included:
- Word limit per theme to be raised from ~500 words to at least 1,000 words
- Dedicated provisions for NPS/UPS/OPS pension grievances and pensioners’ issues
- Attachment file size limit to be raised from 2 MB to 10 MB
- Acceptance of email and hard-copy modes alongside the online portal
- Extension of the April 30, 2026 memoranda deadline to May 31, 2026
- A formal meeting with the Commission at a convenient date after April 13, 2026
The Commission subsequently extended the deadline to May 31, 2026, but declined to accept submissions via email, PDF, or paper — maintaining the online-only format.
March 2026
The 8th CPC’s 18-question public questionnaire on MyGov officially closed on March 31, 2026, after the Commission extended the original March 16 deadline by two weeks to allow wider participation. The questionnaire covered pay structure, allowances, pension revision, performance-linked pay, and service conditions.
All submissions were online-only; paper, email, and PDF responses were not accepted. Respondent identities remained confidential; data was to be analysed in aggregate form only.
One day after the original March 16 deadline, the 8th CPC announced via its official X (Twitter) account that the last date for responses to its 18-question MyGov questionnaire had been extended to March 31, 2026. All other submission conditions remained unchanged — online submissions only, identities kept confidential.
March 16, 2026 was the original deadline set for the MyGov public questionnaire. The Commission extended it the following day to March 31, 2026 (see above). The questionnaire had been open since early February 2026 and was available in both English and Hindi to central government employees, pensioners, judicial officers, regulatory body staff, and the general public.
Expert analysis on whether the 8th CPC will adopt the Dr. Wallace Aykroyd formula — the need-based minimum wage calculation methodology endorsed by the 15th Indian Labour Conference (ILC) and upheld by the Supreme Court. The 7th CPC used this formula to fix minimum pay at ₹18,000 in 2016. Updated retail prices from eight cities suggest a minimum pay of ₹51,480–₹54,000 is justifiable under the same formula. Employee unions are pushing for ₹69,000 based on a broader family-of-five calculation.
February 2026
The Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO) formally wrote to the 8th CPC Chairperson requesting merger of 50% Dearness Allowance with Basic Pay for central government employees and pensioners, effective January 1, 2026, as an interim relief measure pending the Commission’s final recommendations. Secretary General Shivaji Vasireddy argued that current DA levels reflect that basic salaries no longer keep pace with actual inflation. The government subsequently ruled out this merger.
The National Council (Staff Side) of the Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) convened its Drafting Committee at 13-C, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi, to begin preparing a unified memorandum of demands to be submitted to the 8th CPC on behalf of central government employees and pensioners. Secretary (Staff Side) Shiv Gopal Mishra confirmed the meeting commenced work on the memorandum covering all common service matters.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) cleared the appointment of Shri Krishna V R, an Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS, 2009 batch) officer, as Director in the 8th Central Pay Commission under the Department of Expenditure. The appointment is on a lateral shift basis, co-terminus with the 8th CPC and extendable up to September 17, 2029.
The Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers threatened a one-day nationwide strike, citing delays in the implementation of the 8th CPC. A charter of demands was submitted to the Union Government, including proposed modifications to the Terms of Reference — particularly seeking stronger commitments on the effective date and the scope of pension revision.
The 8th CPC launched its official website at 8cpc.gov.in, developed and hosted by NIC. Alongside the website:
- An 18-question structured questionnaire was released on MyGov (open to all stakeholders; deadline originally March 16, later extended to March 31, 2026)
- A formal memoranda submission portal was launched, inviting representations from employee associations, unions, pensioner groups, institutions, and individuals by April 30, 2026 (later extended to May 31)
- Only online submissions accepted; paper, email, and PDF submissions will not be entertained
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary clarified that the Finance Act, 2025 does not create arbitrary distinctions among central government pensioners based on their date of retirement. The government confirmed pension revision is carried out through general orders implementing accepted Pay Commission recommendations.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan’s question, Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary confirmed that the Commission’s constitution has been notified and it will submit its recommendations within 18 months of constitution. The government reiterated the Commission’s scope includes pay, allowances, and pension revision for all central government employees.
January 2026
The Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO) submitted a detailed memorandum to the NC-JCM Draft Committee urging adoption of need-based wage fixation. Key demands included:
- Minimum pay at Level-1: ₹54,000 per month
- Fitment factor of 3.00
- Annual increment rate increased from 3% to 5%
- Pay ratio capped at 1:8 between minimum and maximum pay
- MACP at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 years of service
- Inclusion of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) within the 8th CPC’s scope
The government allotted office space to the 8th CPC at Chandralok Building, Janpath, New Delhi — marking the Commission’s physical establishment. A vacancy circular was simultaneously issued inviting applications for secretarial posts (PSO / Sr. PPS / PPS / PS) on deputation basis, with a deadline of February 5, 2026.
November 2025
The National Council (Staff Side), JCM, submitted a representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting critical amendments to the notified Terms of Reference. Concerns raised:
- Clause 2.5 of the ToR omits “expectations of stakeholders” phrase present in the 7th CPC ToR
- Explicit inclusion of existing pensioners and family pensioners within scope of pension revision
- A directive to the Commission to recommend the effective date of implementation
- Review of the OPS restoration demand
- Provision for interim relief for employees and pensioners pending the final report
The Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) issued the official Gazette of India Extraordinary notification constituting the 8th Central Pay Commission. Composition confirmed:
- Chairperson: Smt. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retired Judge, Supreme Court of India)
- Member (Part-Time): Prof. Pulak Ghosh, IIM Bengaluru
- Member-Secretary: Shri Pankaj Jain, IAS (1990 batch)
The 8th CPC is mandated to submit its recommendations within 18 months (~May 2027). Scope covers Central Civil Services, All India Services, Defence, UT administrations, regulatory bodies, the judiciary, and all pay, allowances, and retirement benefits.
October 2025
The Union Cabinet formally approved the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the 8th CPC — ten months after the initial in-principle approval in January 2025. The ToR defined the Commission’s mandate covering pay structures, allowances, pension schemes, bonus and performance-linked pay, and service conditions. A Cabinet press note stated that recommendations are expected to come into effect from January 1, 2026.
September 2025
The All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) announced a nationwide protest against the delay in issuing the official gazette notification for the 8th CPC. Nine months had passed since the January 2025 Cabinet approval with no notification, no chairperson, and no Terms of Reference — drawing strong criticism from multiple employee unions.
July 2025
In response to a question by MP Smt. Sagarika Ghose, Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary confirmed the gazette notification had not yet been issued and that inputs had been sought from the Ministry of Defence, MHA, DoPT, and State Governments before finalising the Terms of Reference.
January 2025
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission. The announcement was made by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. This was an in-principle approval only — no Terms of Reference, chairperson, or members were announced at this stage.
The 8th CPC covers over 50 lakh serving central government employees and approximately 65–68 lakh pensioners. The 7th Pay Commission, implemented from January 1, 2016, was completing its ten-year cycle on December 31, 2025.
📅 Expected Milestones Ahead
| Expected Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| May 4–5, 2026 | 8th CPC regional visit to Pune, Maharashtra (ongoing) |
| May 31, 2026 | Extended deadline for memoranda submissions via 8cpc.gov.in portal |
| June 10, 2026 | Deadline for UP stakeholders to request appointment for Lucknow visit |
| June 22–23, 2026 | 8th CPC regional visit to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
| Mid-2026 onwards | Further regional visits to other States/UTs + individual hearings for constituent organisations |
| July 2026 (est.) | Next DA revision expected; projected rise to 62–63% based on CPI-IW data |
| Late 2026 | Possible start of formal public hearings and analysis phase |
| ~May 2027 | Report submission deadline (18 months from Nov 3, 2025) |
| 2027–2028 | Government review, acceptance & formal implementation |
| Jan 1, 2026 (retrospective) | Expected effective date for revised pay & pension, with arrears |
* Future dates are estimates based on past Pay Commission patterns and subject to change.
Read our complete guide on the 8th Pay Commission 2026 to understand salary changes and expected implementation timeline.
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