As the 8th Pay Commission started its two-day meetings in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, today (Monday, June 22, 2027), some central government employee association officials who have been in regular touch with 8th CPC officials say that the government may implement the 8th Pay Commission report as soon as in March 2027. The 8th Pay Commission is scheduled to have 54 interactions in its two-day Lucknow meetings. It will interact with unions/associations/individuals from various central government departments such as railways, defence, health, revenue, communication, CPWD, agriculture, etc. Some employee association officials who have seen work methodology of the 6th and 7th Pay Commissions, didn’t rule out the implementation of report in the first half of 2027 as they believe the 8th Pay Commission is moving fast despite starting its work late.Also Read: 8th Pay Commission staff side proposal: Minimum pay, fitment factor, pension, leave benefits and other key demandsManjeet Singh Patel, national President of All India NPS Employees Federation, believes that the 8th Pay Commission may submit its report in January 2027 before the Budget announcement, and central government employees may receive the increased salary from April 2027 since the approval of the report may take another 1-2 months. “The 8th CPC submission link for suggestions has been closed after the final date of June 15. Now all focus is on meetings and preparing the report. AINPSEF is continuously interacting with the commission along with its allied organisations. We are confident that the commission will submit its report to the central government before the 2027 budget, and employees and pensioners may receive increased salary and pension from April 2027,” says Patel. In the 8th Pay Commission’s terms of reference (ToR) released in November 2025, the central government had given the 8th CPC 18 months of time to submit its report. The deadline ends in May 2027. The Pay Commission may take another extension if it doesn’t finish its work within the deadline.Also Read: 8th Pay Commission memorandum deadline: How minimum, maximum salaries of central government employees have changed from 1st to 7th CPCOnce the report is prepared, it will give it to a group of ministers for review before Union Cabinet approves it. Patel says since the 8th Pay Commission’s meeting schedule is well on time, it may complete its report early next year. “With Bhubaneswar and Kolkata interactions scheduled in July, the pay commission will complete its interactions with almost all leading employee and pensioner bodies. After that, six month is a good time to complete and submit its report,” says Patel.C Srikumar, secretary, All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) also do not rule out the 8th Pay Commission report submission in February or March 2027. Srikumar says if the commission doesn’t ask for an extension, it may submit its report before scheduled time. A top official from Federation of National Postal Organisation (FNPO) on the condition of anonymity told ET Wealth Online that the Commission can submit its report before May, most likely in March. But some expert who have been closely tracking 8th Pay Commission work believe that submitting the report in the first half of 2027 is difficult as the commission’s consultations with stakeholders started as late as June 2026. Ramachandran Krishnamoorthy, associate partner, managed services, BDO India, says the commission will most probably submit its report in the second half of 2027. "The government granted an 18-month deadline to submit final recommendations when it constituted the commission on Nov 3, 2025, which ideally ends by May 27. However, the stakeholder consultation itself extended till June 26. Therefore, I think it might get submitted only by last quarter of 2027." One of the reasons that is being cited for quick approval and implementation of the 8th Pay Commission report is that a lot of work is being completed online, saving time for the commission and stakeholders. While certain lengthy exercises such as submissions of questionnaires and memorandums have gone online, appointments of interactions can also be taken only through the online mode. Plus, a lot of study material required to prepare the report is also available online. It is unlike the situation of the previous pay commissions, where most exercises were offline and took a substantial time. Looking at the record of previous two commissions (6th and 7th), they took more than 18 months to submit their respective reports from the date of their formation. With the 8th Pay Commission having the options of winding up work quickly, it is yet to be sees if it can submit report within its deadline and surprise employee and pensioners for an early payout hike.