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At present, the eyes of about 55 lakh existing employees of the Central Government and more than 69 lakh pensioners are completely fixed on the 8th Pay Commission. Everyone is eager to know how much their in-hand salary and allowances are going to increase after the implementation of the new pay commission. It is a matter of relief that the formation of this new commission and its Terms of Reference (ToR) have already received official approval from the government. However, the final decision regarding the actual increase in salary, the correct formula of fitment factor and the final list of other allowances is yet to be taken. At present, the Pay Commission members are visiting different states of the country to collect necessary suggestions and demands from different employee organizations, unions and stakeholders. This time, the employee organizations are strongly demanding a bumper increase in salaries as well as major reforms in the post-retirement benefits and pension system. Understand what is Fitment Factor, which decides your basic salary. There is often a lot of discussion among government employees about ‘Fitment Factor’, but in common parlance it is very easy to understand. Fitment factor is actually the coefficient or multiplier on the basis of which the basic salary of all central employees and pensioners is revised or calculated. For example, at the time of the last 7th Pay Commission, the government had implemented a fitment factor of 2.57. The result was that for employees whose minimum or entry-level basic salary was Rs 15,000, it increased by 2.57 times to Rs 38,550. Demand of employee organizations versus financial mathematics of the government: How much will the fitment factor be decided? Central employee organizations and unions have put forward their demands before the government regarding the upcoming 8th Pay Commission. This time the employee organizations are demanding to keep the fitment factor from 3 to 5 or even more, so that they can get big relief in the era of rising inflation. However, considering the economic condition of the country and the financial pressures on the government, financial experts in the market believe otherwise. Experts estimate that to keep the budget and fiscal deficit balanced, the government can approve the fitment factor in the 8th Pay Commission only around 2.64. What will be the percentage increase in salary? Know the complete mathematics. How much money will come into the pockets of the employees after the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, will completely depend on the final recommendations made by the Commission and the final approval of the Modi Government. According to the financial analysis of experts, if the fitment factor is increased from 2.57 to a minimum of 3.0, following the advice of employee organizations, then a bumper jump of 15 to 20 percent or even more can be seen in the basic salary of entry-level employees. For example, if the current basic salary of a central employee is Rs 15,000 and the new fitment factor 3.0 is implemented, then his revised basic salary can directly jump to the level of Rs 45,000 per month. When will the big salary come into your pocket? Know the deadline of the 8th Pay Commission. The Central Government had given the green signal to the Terms of Reference of the 8th Pay Commission in October 2025 itself and along with this, the Commission was given sufficient time of 18 months to submit its complete detailed report and recommendations. As per the latest update, the Commission has extended the last date for submission of suggestions, objections and memorandum from various employee unions to June 15, 2026. Looking at this entire deadline, it is expected that the Pay Commission can prepare its final report by June or July 2027 and submit it to the Central Government. After this the Union Cabinet will review these recommendations and give its final decision on it. If the government accepts these recommendations, then the entire arrears from the due date to the employees and pensioners will also be given in lump sum. At present, all the employee organizations are unanimous in their demand for higher fitment factor and better retirement benefits, while the final seal will be given only after looking at the financial health of the government.