Quick answer: The main 8th Pay Commission demands on minimum pay are ₹69,000 with a fitment factor of 3.833 from the NC-JCM staff side, ₹72,000 with 4.0 from the defence civilian union BPMS, and ₹52,600 with level-wise factors of 2.92 to 4.38 from the railway supervisors' body IRTSA. Pensioner groups add OPS restoration, pension at 67% of last pay and faster restoration of commuted pension. All of these are demands, not decisions. The Commission's report is due by about May 2027.
Every staff federation has put its case to the 8th Central Pay Commission, and headlines often quote their numbers as if they were coming. This page puts the 8th Pay Commission demands side by side, explains how each body arrived at its figures, links to the original memoranda, and keeps a dated log as new submissions appear. For what the fitment factor numbers actually mean, see what these factors mean.
8th Pay Commission demands at a glance
| Item | Today (7th CPC) | NC-JCM staff side | BPMS | IRTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum basic pay | ₹18,000 | ₹69,000 | ₹72,000 | ₹52,600 |
| Fitment factor | 2.57 | 3.833 | 4.0 | 2.92 to 4.38, by pay level |
| Family unit for minimum pay | 3 units | 5 units | 5 units | 4.6 units |
| Annual increment | 3% | 6% | 6% | 5% |
| Submitted | – | 14 April 2026 | April 2026 (draft) | Memorandum, then hearing in May 2026 |
Minimum pay demands range from about 3 to 4 times today's ₹18,000
Minimum basic pay, ₹ a month
Sources: memoranda and reports linked in each section below. Demands, not decisions.
NC-JCM staff side memorandum
The NC-JCM staff side, led by Secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra, is the joint platform of the main central government employee federations. Its 51-page memorandum, dated 14 April 2026 (NC-JCM memorandum: pay matters), is the most important single input from the employee side. Its key 8th Pay Commission proposals:
- Minimum pay ₹69,000 and fitment factor 3.833. The staff side worked out a total of ₹68,947.15 for a five-unit family and rounded it to ₹69,000, which is 3.833 times ₹18,000 (Upstox).
- Annual increment of 6% instead of 3%.
- Fewer pay levels: merging Levels 2–3, 4–5, 7–8 and 9–10, with the ratio of minimum to maximum pay not exceeding 1:12 (summary).
- Higher HRA, indexed to DA.
- Retirement benefits: gratuity ceiling of ₹75 lakh, calculated on 26 days a month instead of 30; restoration of commuted pension after 12 years; and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (GConnect; PostalStudy).
8th Pay Commission BPMS demands (defence civilian employees)
The Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh represents civilian employees of the defence establishment. Its April 2026 draft memorandum asks for the highest numbers of any major body (LatestLY):
- 1. Update for growth₹18,000 plus 58% DA is ₹28,440. Raised by the 86.76% growth in per capita net national product, it becomes ₹53,114.54 for a three-unit family.
- 2. Five-unit familyScaled to five units (adding dependent parents), it becomes ₹88,524.24.
- 3. Moderated figureBPMS moderated this to ₹72,000, citing fiscal implications. That is a fitment factor of 4.0.
Source for the calculation: Upstox. BPMS also wants the annual increment doubled to 6%.
IRTSA memorandum to the 8th Pay Commission (railway supervisors)
The Indian Railway Technical Supervisors' Association takes a different approach: instead of one fitment factor for everyone, it proposes a graded factor that rises with pay level (report):
| Pay levels | Proposed fitment factor |
|---|---|
| 1 to 5 | 2.92 |
| 6 to 8 | 3.50 |
| 9 to 12 | 3.80 |
| 13 to 16 | 4.09 |
| 17 to 18 | 4.38 |
Its minimum pay of ₹52,600 comes from a family of 4.6 consumption units, including dependent parents, and is 2.92 times today's ₹18,000. It also seeks a 5% annual increment (Upstox). IRTSA presented its case to the Commission in Hyderabad in May 2026. Reports differ slightly on the exact level bands, so check the memorandum itself before relying on a specific level.
Pensioner bodies
Pensioner associations have focused on parity and the size of pension itself. At the Commission's Chennai consultations on 7 and 8 September 2026, the Chennai GPO Pensioners Forum placed five key demands. Apart from these, it sought a minimum wage of ₹68,000, a permanent mechanism for wage revision and "running scales" alongside the pay matrix (News Today). The five demands reportedly included restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, enhancement of pension and family pension, relief on recovery of commutation amounts and revision of MACP (TaxConcept; Meyka).
Other pensioner demands reported during the consultations include raising pension from 50% to 67% of last pay drawn, and clarity on whether people who retired before 1 January 2026 will be covered. The pension side is covered in detail in pensioner issues.
Service conditions: MACP, increments and attendance
- 8th Pay Commission MACP: the NC-JCM wants a minimum of five promotions in a 30-year career, with financial upgradations at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 years of service, and filling of about 1.5 lakh vacant posts.
- Increments: 6% a year (NC-JCM, BPMS) or 5% (IRTSA), against 3% today.
- 8th Pay Commission attendance rules: the staff side has proposed that up to 120 minutes of late attendance a month be condoned, citing traffic and biometric attendance systems (Upstox).
Pension scheme demands: OPS, NPS and UPS
Employees who joined on or after 1 January 2004 are covered by the National Pension System, with the Unified Pension Scheme as an option. Almost every federation, including the NC-JCM, AIDEF and pensioner forums, has asked for the Old Pension Scheme to be restored for them. AIDEF has also asked for the Terms of Reference to be amended to cover pension revision explicitly (GConnect). Whether the Commission will make any recommendation on the pension scheme is not known.
What happens to these demands
All 8th Pay Commission demands go through the same process:
- January to June 2026Questionnaire and memoranda submitted online through the Commission's portal.
- April to October 2026Hearings with federations and associations in Delhi and state capitals, the latest in Mumbai on 22 and 23 October 2026.
- Now: 2 November 2026Commission examining memoranda. No demand accepted or rejected.
- By about May 2027Report to the government, with the Commission's own recommendations.
- After the reportGovernment decides what to accept. The staff side can then negotiate further through the JCM.
A demand is the opening position in a negotiation, not a forecast. The Commission weighs it against its Terms of Reference, including fiscal prudence, and is free to recommend something different.
Update log
Last updated: 2 November 2026. New memoranda and hearings are added here as they are reported.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 14 April 2026 | NC-JCM staff side submits its 51-page memorandum: ₹69,000, 3.833, 6% increment |
| April 2026 | BPMS circulates its draft memorandum: ₹72,000, 4.0, five-unit family |
| May 2026 | IRTSA presents its graded fitment factors and ₹52,600 minimum pay at Hyderabad |
| 7–8 September 2026 | Chennai GPO Pensioners Forum places five demands at the Chennai hearings |
Related: 8th Pay Commission guide, DA merger and interim relief and latest updates.
What would these factors mean for your pay? Try 3.833, 4.0 or any other factor in the free 8th Pay Commission salary calculator. No app, no download, no login.
Frequently asked questions
Has the 8th Pay Commission accepted any demand?
No. The Commission is still examining memoranda and has not published any recommendation. Its report is due by about May 2027, and the government decides afterwards what to accept.
Can individual employees still submit suggestions?
The questionnaire and memorandum windows closed in 2026. Associations that submitted a memorandum could request a meeting during the Commission's state visits through notices on 8cpc.gov.in. Individual employees are best represented through their recognised federation.
Why do different unions ask for different fitment factors?
They use different methods. NC-JCM prices a five-unit family's needs, BPMS starts from growth in national income, and IRTSA uses 4.6 consumption units and a graded factor by pay level. The Commission is not bound by any of them.
Position as of 2 November 2026. Every figure on this page is a demand submitted to the 8th Central Pay Commission, as reported in the sources linked. None has been accepted. These 8th Pay Commission demands will be decided only through the Commission's report and the government's orders. General information, not legal or financial advice.