8th Pay Commission: How much will your salary, pension increase? Check for fitment factor of 2.15, 2.57 or 2.86

Central government employees and pensioners are eagerly awaiting clarity on their revised salaries and pensions after the formation of the 8th Pay Commission. The panel, chaired by Ranjana Prakash Desai, is expected to finalise a fitment factor and submit its recommendations to the Centre. Once the government approves, the revised pay structure will come into effect for Group A, B, C and D employees, with pensions also set to be revised.However, how much increment the salary will actually see, largely depends on the fitment factor recommended by the commission, ET reported. What is a fitment factor?A fitment factor is used as a multiplier to revise an employee’s basic pay. For example, under the 7th Pay Commission, a fitment factor of 2.57 had raised a basic pay of Rs 7,440 under the 6th Pay Commission to Rs 18,000.Explaining the process, Ramachandran Krishnamoorthy, director, payroll services, Nexdigm, says the key determinant of the salary increase will be the fitment factor. Pratik Vaidya, managing director and chief vision officer, Karma Management Global Consulting Solutions Pvt Ltd, also agrees with this assessment. Vaidya says the key determinant of salary hike will be the fitment factor.On the possible range, Vaidya says that it can be in the range of 1.83 and 2.46, but he does not rule out a 2.57 fitment factor in the 8th Pay Commission. Krishnamoorthy predicts the fitment factor in the 8th CPC can be in the range of 1.9–2.5 and should be applied uniformly.Here’s how much your salary will increase, based on your fitment factor is 2.15, 2.57 and 2.86:If the fitment factor is set at 2.15, the projected revised payouts indicate a significant jump across levels. At Level 1, which includes entry-level Group D employees, the current basic pay of Rs 18,000 could rise to Rs 38,700, marking an increase of around Rs 20,700. For Level 10, the entry point for Group A officers, a basic pay of Rs 56,100 may be revised to Rs 1,20,615, reflecting a hike of Rs 64,515. At Level 18, the senior-most Group A level, a basic pay of Rs 2,50,000 could increase to Rs 5,37,500, translating into a rise of Rs 2,87,500.A higher fitment factor of 2.86 would push salaries further up the scale. Under this scenario, Level 1 employees drawing a basic pay of Rs 18,000 could see it revised to Rs 51,480, an increase of Rs 33,480. At Level 10, the basic pay of Rs 56,100 could rise to Rs 1,60,446, resulting in an increase of about Rs 1,04,346. For Level 18 officers, the basic pay of Rs 2,50,000 could be revised to Rs 7,15,000, marking an increase of around Rs 4,65,000, ET reported.If the commission opts for a fitment factor of 2.57, similar to the 7th Pay Commission, the revised figures would be as follows: Level 1 employees could see their basic pay move from Rs 18,000 to Rs 46,260, an increase of around Rs 28,260. For Level 10 officers, the basic pay may rise from Rs 56,100 to Rs 1,44,177, translating into a hike of Rs 88,077. At the senior-most Level 18, the basic pay of Rs 2,50,000 could be revised to Rs 6,42,500, marking an increase of about Rs 3,92,500.The final outcome will depend on the fitment factor recommended by the 8th Pay Commission and the subsequent approval by the central government.