The 8th Pay Commission (8th CPC) is holding meetings with various employee and pensioner bodies and other stakeholders across the country, discussing pay, pension and other work-related matters. With every meeting, more than 1 crore central government employee and pensioners have been waiting that when will the 8th Pay Commission submit its report of recommendation? In November 2025, when the government announced the 8th Pay Commission’s terms of reference (ToR), it set a deadline of 18 months for the commission to submit its report. As per the deadline, the 8th Pay Commission has date till May 2027 to submit its report provided it doesn’t take a further extension.In Lok Sabha, Neeraj Shekahr, member of Parliament (MP), asked whether the 8th Pay Commission will submit its report of recommendations before the 18-month deadline.Shekhar also asked about the details of stakeholders the 8th Pay Commission has consulted with so far along with the details of stakeholders the commission is yet to consult.Replying to the query, Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, did reveal whether the commission has informed that it 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 8th 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 made effective.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.Details of 8th Pay Commission membersRawat had also asked about the details of the 8th Pay Commission chairperson and members.Replying to his query, Chaudhary said that the 8th Pay Commission has been constituted by the government vide Resolution dated November 3, 2025 with the following composition:1. Chairperson- Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai2. Member (Part-Time): Prof. Pulak Ghosh3. Member-Secretary: Pankaj JainNumber of central government employees to benefit from 8th Pay Commission Rawat’s another question centred around the estimated number of central government employees and pensioners likely to be benefited from the 8th Pay Commission.Chaudhary said that the estimated number of central government civilian employees is 35.77 lakh approximately (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 8th Pay Commission consultantsIn an office memorandum dated August 11, 2026, the 8th Pay Commission has 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 1st August, 2026Para 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 servicematters in Tribunals/Courts as an Advocate.(iii) B.Tech/M.Tech with relevant experience in IT/data analysis/data visualisation etc.The OM says that applicants desirous of being appointed as a consultant on contract basis in the Commission may submit their application in the prescribed proforma onlythrough the following link [https://nicforms.nic.in/enRhYmxlNjlkMzczNmI2YTNlOTIwMjYwNDA2NTI] or by accessing the ‘Related Links’ section on the 8CPC’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.