The 8th Pay Commission (8th CPC) is currently meeting various employee and pensioner bodies and other stakeholders across the country, to talk about pay, pensions and other work-related issues. With each meeting, over 1 crore central government employees and pensioners are eagerly waiting to find out when the 8th Pay Commission will release its recommendations.
Back in November 2025, when the government announced the 8th Pay Commission’s terms of reference (ToR), they set a deadline of 18 months for the commission to submit its report. According to this deadline, the 8th Pay Commission has till May 2027 to submit its report unless they request an extension.
In the Rajya Sabha, Neeraj Shekahr, member of Parliament (MP), asked whether the 8th Pay Commission plans to submit its report of recommendations before the 18-month deadline.
Shekhar also asked about the details of the stakeholders the 8th Pay Commission has consulted with so far, along with those they are yet to meet.
In response, Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, did not confirm whether the commission would submit the report before the 18-month deadline.
Chaudhary said, “As per the Resolution dated November 3, 2025, the 8th Central Pay Commission will make its recommendations within 18 months of the date of its constitution.”
About the information of consultants, Chaudhary said that the November 3, 2025 resolution does not provide that the Commission would keep the government updated on its consultation process during the course of its deliberations.
When will the 8 th Pay Commission report be implemented?
Earlier, Dr Manna Lal Rawat, MP, had also asked in Lok Sabha about the timeframe prescribed for the submission of the report.
Rawat had also asked about the date from which the recommendations of the Commission are proposed to be implemented.
Replying to Rawat’s queries, Chaudhary said, “The Commission will make its recommendations within 18 months of the date of its constitution.”
About the report submission, Rawat said that the pay commission was yet to submit its recommendations to the government.
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Details of 8 th Pay Commission members
Rawat had also sought details about the 8th Pay Commission chairperson and its members.
In response, Chaudhary said that the 8th Pay Commission was set up by the government through a resolution dated November 3, 2025, with the following composition:
1. Chairperson- Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai
2. Member (Part-Time): Prof. Pulak Ghosh
3. Member-Secretary: Pankaj Jain
Number of central government employees to benefit from 8 th Pay Commission
Rawat also raised questions about the estimated number of central government employees and pensioners who are likely to benefit from the 8th Pay Commission.
Chaudhary said that the estimated number of central government civilian employees is approximately 35.77 lakh (as on March 1, 2026) and the number of pensioners /family pensioners is 33.76 lakh approximately (as on December 31, 2025) excluding defence pensioners.
Partial modification in guidelines for engagement of 8 th Pay Commission consultants
In an office memorandum dated August 11, 2026, the 8th Pay Commission partially modified Para 3 and 4 of the guidelines related to the engagement of consultants.
Modified paras are as follows:
Para 3 - Eligibility : Consultants are classified into three categories. The age limit, experience required and number of vacancies for each of the category is given in the table below:-
| Category | Relevant experience | Upper age limit | Maximum strength |
| Consultant (Sr. Consultant) | 10+ years | 45 years | 2 |
| Consultant | 6+ years | 40 years | 5 |
| Consultant (Young Professional) | 2+ years | 32 years | 16 |
# The cut-off date would be August 1, 2026
Para 4 - Essential Qualification:
The candidates with either of the following qualifications can apply:
(i) Masters or MBA degree in/with Human Resource(HR)/Industrial Relations(IR)/similar subjects;
(ii) LL.B, enrolled with Bar Council/Bar Association with relevant experience in law research or having experience in handling service matters in Tribunals/Courts as an Advocate.
(iii) B.Tech/M.Tech with relevant experience in IT/data analysis/data visualisation etc.
The office memorandum said that applicants who wanted to be appointed as a consultant on contractual basis in the Commission may submit their application in the prescribed proforma only and through the following link: [https://nicforms.nic.in/enRhYmxlNjlkMzczNmI2YTNlOTIwMjYwNDA2NTI]
or by accessing the ‘Related Links’ section on the 8th CPC’s website (https://8cpc.gov.in).
Those who have applied earlier need not apply again.
No physical copy/email/hard copy shall be considered for this purpose, says the OM.
