Central government employees and pensioners are eagerly awaiting the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the expected salary and pension increases. A key question is whether the Dearness Allowance (DA) will be merged into the basic salary this time.

The government has announced that the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission will be implemented from January 1, 2026, while the 7th Pay Commission will expire on December 31, 2025.

Will the DA be merged into the basic salary? Learn the government's response.
Employees are demanding that, just as under the old rule, when DA exceeded 50%, it be merged into the basic salary. Some media reports have also claimed that DA may be merged this time. However, the government has clarified that there is currently no proposal to merge DA into the basic salary.

DA Calculation
Dearness Allowance (DA) is calculated primarily based on AICPI-IW data. Currently, the base year for DA is 2016, which was set after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission. With the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, this base year is expected to be changed to 2026. If this happens, DA calculations may start from zero again.

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