The 8 th Pay Commission (8 th 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 22-23, 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 8 th 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 8 th and 7 th Pay Commissions and the duration of the delay in implementing the 8 th CPC report.
So how much could employees at Level 15-18 expect in arrears if the 8 th 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 7 th 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 8 th 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 8 th 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 7 th and the 8 th 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 8 th CPC-basic pay of employee in 7 th CPC) X fitment factor X number of months (20).
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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 8 th Pay Commission. The real magnitude of these arrears will be known only when the 8 th Pay Commission report is implemented.
