8th Pay Commission faces record delay in ToR notification: Know how long previous pay commissions took

The central government had announced the 8th Central Pay Commission on 16 January 2025, but now the first week of August has passed, and the commission has not yet been officially notified. The Terms of Reference (ToR) have not been decided, and till the ToR are notified, the appointment of the chairman and members of the commission cannot be done. This delay is now creating uneasiness among more than 1 crore central employees and pensioners.

What is the Terms of Reference and why is it necessary?

For any pay commission, the ToR is the framework on which the commission does its work. It decides on which points the commission has to give suggestions, like salary structure, allowances, retirement benefits, etc. Without a ToR, the commission is not considered officially established and cannot commence its work.

How different is the 8th Pay Commission delay in historical terms?

There have been 7 Central Pay Commissions in India so far, most of which saw a delay of 1 month to little over 7 months between the government announcement and the official notification of the commission. Let’s have a look at all the pay commissions (exact dates for 1st, 2nd and 3rd pay commissions not clear):

The delay in formally notifying the 8th Central Pay Commission is now the longest, after 5th Pay Commission, in recent history. While the 5th Pay Commission took over 7 months and 9 days to issue its Terms of Reference (ToR), the 8th Commission is likely to surpass the 5th Pay Commission in terms of the delay in ToR finalisation and notification. The 8th CPC has so far seen a gap of more than 203 days since its announcement on January 16, 2025 and the wait continues. This prolonged delay is unusual compared to past commissions.

Worries rise for employees and pensioners

Central government employees were hoping that the commission would start work quickly so that the new recommendations could be implemented at least by early 2027. Though the actual schedule date for the start of the 8th Pay Commission is January 1, 2026. But the delay in notification has dashed these hopes.

A delay of a few months in the process of pay commissions is considered normal, but the long delay in the 8th Pay Commission is raising questions. Employees fear that if this trend continues, the new pay system might get delayed by 2 years or even more, as the new pay commission would take at least 18 to 24 months to submit its report to the government. Once the report is submitted, it will then take at least 6 months to implement those recommendations mentioned in the report.