8th Pay Commission salary calculator: Check estimated arrears of Level 15-18 central government employees at 2.0, 2.15, 2.57 fitment factors

The next round of 8th Pay Commission stakeholder meetings is being held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on June 22-23, 2026. With every meeting and development, central government employees are becoming increasingly curious about their salary revisions under the 8th Pay Commission.

Since salaries will be revised based on the fitment factor, employees are also trying to figure out the arrears they might receive if there is a delay in implementing the commission's recommendations.

In case of a delay in rolling out the 8th Pay Commission report, both employees and pensioners can expect to receive arrears, most likely from January 1, 2026.

The amount of arrears will depend on the employee's pay level, the difference between the 7th and 8th Pay Commission salaries and the period of delay in implementation.

According to the 7th Pay Commission pay matrix, Level 15-18 employees belong to the Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) and above. These officers generally have around 30-35 years of service experience and belong to top-tier services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), defence services and other senior government cadres.

Level 15-18 officers occupy some of the highest positions in the government hierarchy. These include Secretaries, Additional Secretaries, Special Secretaries, Chief of Defence Staff, Director Generals in certain departments and other senior administrative and defence positions.

The table above illustrates the estimated arrears payable to Level 15-18 employees if the fitment factor is fixed at 2.0 and the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission is delayed by 20 months.

The table above illustrates the estimated arrears payable to Level 15-18 employees if the fitment factor is fixed at 2.15 and the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission is delayed by 20 months.

The table above illustrates the estimated arrears payable to Level 15-18 employees if the fitment factor is fixed at 2.57 and the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission is delayed by 20 months.

These calculations are estimates of the arrears that top-level central government employees might receive because of a delay in the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. The actual amount of arrears will be known only after the Commission submits its report, the government approves the recommendations and the revised pay structure is implemented.