If you are a central employee and waiting for the 8th Pay Commission, then this news is like an alarm for you. While waiting for the new salary, not only the dates are increasing, it can also put a heavy burden on your pocket. Especially in House Rent Allowance (HRA), there is a possibility of loss not of thousands but of lakhs of rupees. This is the reason why now this delay is not just a matter of calendar but has become a direct question of your earnings.

When will the 7th Pay Commission end, when will the 8th come?

The validity of the 7th Pay Commission expires on 31 December 2025. According to the rules, the 8th Pay Commission is considered to be applicable from January 1, 2026. But the government has neither announced the official date yet nor said anything regarding the arrears. In November 2025, the Finance Ministry had given the Commission 18 months to submit its report. Experts believe that even after the report comes, it may take at least 6 more months to implement. That means delay is certain!

On which allowances arrears are not available?

Central employees mainly get DA, HRA and TA. But many allowances like Transport Allowance (TA), Uniform Allowance, Children Education Allowance (CEA) are fixed, there is no arrears on these, only revision. Arrears of DA are also not available because DA is merged with the basic pay while determining the new salary.

Where is the real damage happening?

National President of All India NPS Employee Federation, Manjit Singh Patel said that no arrears on HRA are given in the 8th Pay Commission. If the commission is implemented late, the employee may suffer a loss ranging from thousands to lakhs of rupees depending on the basic salary.

Why does the government not pay the dues on HRA?

Giving an example, Patel said that suppose the current basic salary of an employee is Rs 76,500. If the 8th Pay Commission comes into effect from January 1, 2028, its total loss could be more than Rs 3.80 lakh. The government does not pay dues on HRA, this leads to huge savings for the government in case of delay. Whereas arrears are available on basic pay and most of the allowances. Employee organizations have been demanding payment of arrears on HRA for a long time.

full accounting of losses

Suppose the current basic salary of an employee is Rs 76,500 and he lives in an X category city.

HRA loss in 12 months to 2026

• If applicable from January 1, 2026 (2.1 fitment factor) → Basic: ₹1,60,650 | HRA Monthly: ₹38,556 | Annual HRA: ₹4,62,672


• If applicable from January 1, 2028 → Basic: ₹76,500 | HRA Monthly: ₹22,950 | Annual HRA: ₹2,75,400


• Loss in 12 months: ₹1,87,272

HRA loss in 12 months to 2027 (Assuming 3% annual increment)

• Applicable from 2026 → Basic: ₹1,65,470 | HRA Monthly: ₹39,713 | Annual HRA: ₹4,76,552


• Applicable from 2028 → Basic: ₹78,795 | HRA Monthly: ₹23,639 | Annual HRA: ₹2,83,662


• Loss in 12 months: ₹1,92,890

Total loss in 24 months: ₹3,80,162

That is, if the 8th Pay Commission is implemented in 2028 instead of 2026, then there can be a loss of up to Rs 3-4 lakh in HRA alone, because the arrears of HRA are never received!