8th Pay Commission: What is fitment factor and how does it impact your salary?
The 8th Pay Commission is expected to revise salaries for nearly 50 lakh central government employees and 62 lakh pensioners. A report suggests employees could get a salary hike of about 30% to 34%.
The fitment factor is a key element in pay revisions for government employees. It’s the number used to multiply the existing basic pay to calculate the new basic salary under the Pay Commission.
In the 7th Pay Commission, the fitment factor was 2.57, which helped determine how much basic pay increased. A higher fitment factor means a bigger hike in salaries for employees.
A higher fitment factor directly raises the basic salary, which also increases allowances linked to it. For example, if the fitment factor is higher than 2.57, employees may see a bigger take-home pay.
While there is no official notification yet, the 8th Pay Commission is expected to come into effect from January 1, 2026. Employees and pensioners are waiting for an official announcement on the final fitment factor and hike.
