January 2026 Pay Rise Delayed as 8th Central Pay Commission Starts Work

Overview

• The Union government has constituted the 8th Central Pay Commission chaired by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, with Pankaj Jain as Member-Secretary and Pulak Ghosh as a part-time member.
• No salary or pension increase took effect on January 1, 2026 because the commission has not yet submitted recommendations for approval.
• Once new scales are notified, arrears are expected to be paid retrospectively from January 1, 2026 to cover the intervening period.
• The commission’s terms of reference allow up to 18 months to submit its report, and no implementation timeline has been announced.
• Assam has set up its own 8th State Pay Commission led by Subhas Das, highlighting that states may adopt revisions on separate timelines and with variations.