8th Pay Commission Level 18 salary
Level 18 of the 7th CPC pay matrix has a single fixed basic pay of ₹2,50,000 today. The 8th Pay Commission has not published a new matrix yet, so every figure below is an estimate built on a fitment factor. In the 6th CPC this level corresponds to Cabinet Secretary (90000). At the 7th CPC precedent of ×2.57, the pay of ₹2,50,000 would become ₹6,42,500. Across the factors in the table below, it would be ₹4,80,000 at the lowest (×1.92) and ₹9,57,500 at the highest (×3.83).
Posts at Level 18
Examples of posts placed at this level, each from a published recruitment notice or order. The list is not complete.
- Cabinet Secretary Source
Estimate for Level 18
Pre-filled with the first pay of Level 18, a Y-class city and ×2.57. Change any input to see your own figure.
New basic pay at ×2.57
₹6,42,500
Now ₹2,50,000New ₹6,42,500
| Item | Now | New |
|---|---|---|
| Gross | ₹4,55,760 | ₹7,48,900 |
| In-hand assumption A7 | ₹4,14,640 | ₹6,83,530 |
+₹2,68,890 a month+₹32,26,680 a year
Real increase over today's basic + DA: 60.6% assumption A10
Estimate only. Not official. Not affiliated with the Government of India.
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X: 8 largest cities · Y: 88 cities · Z: everywhere else
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Compare fitment factors
Change any factor to see new basic pay and in-hand pay side by side. assumption A3
₹4,80,000 · ₹5,11,280
₹6,15,000 · ₹6,54,380
₹6,42,500 · ₹6,83,530
₹7,15,000 · ₹7,60,380
Estimate only. Not official. Not affiliated with the Government of India.
Arrears (rough)
Assumed start: Jan 2026 assumption A1
₹41,22,500
for 17 months, up to the month before the new pay starts
Includes DA that is not announced yet, held at the latest rate. assumption A11
Rough estimate. Basic pay and DA only; no increments or allowances. assumption A8
Estimate only. Not official. Not affiliated with the Government of India.
How this is worked out
| Item | Now | New |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay | ₹2,50,000 | ₹6,42,500 |
| Dearness allowance (60% now) | ₹1,50,000 | ₹0 |
| House rent allowance | ₹50,000 | ₹1,02,800 |
| Transport allowance | ₹5,760 | ₹3,600 |
| Gross | ₹4,55,760 | ₹7,48,900 |
| NPS / UPS (10% of basic + DA) | −₹40,000 | −₹64,250 |
| CGHS | −₹1,000 | −₹1,000 |
| CGEGIS | −₹120 | −₹120 |
| In-hand | ₹4,14,640 | ₹6,83,530 |
New figures assume DA restarts at 0, HRA falls back to the lowest slab, and transport allowance stays the same. assumption A4 assumption A5
Level 18 pay at each fitment factor
Level 18 has one pay, so this table has one row. The five columns on the right show the estimated new basic pay at the fitment factors that have been publicly discussed.
| Fixed | Today's basic | ×1.92 | ×2.08 | ×2.57 | ×2.86 | ×3.83 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed | ₹2,50,000 | ₹4,80,000 | ₹5,20,000 | ₹6,42,500 | ₹7,15,000 | ₹9,57,500 |
×2.57 is the 7th CPC factor.
Reading the Level 18 table
The single pay of Level 18 is ₹2,50,000 today. At ×2.57 that is ₹6,42,500, and at ×3.83 it is ₹9,57,500. The spread between the lowest and highest factor in the table below is ₹4,77,500 a month in basic pay alone. Nobody knows which factor, if any of these, the Commission will recommend. The ×2.57 figure is used in the calculator above because it is the only factor that is an actual precedent.
How Level 18 compares
Entry pay at ×2.57 for the neighbouring levels, so you can see the gap between rungs.
- Level 17 ₹5,78,300Today's basic: ₹2,25,000
- Level 18 ₹6,42,500Today's basic: ₹2,50,000
At ×2.57, the pay of Level 17 (₹5,78,300) is ₹64,200 below the Level 18 pay of ₹6,42,500.
Level 18 questions and answers
What will the Level 18 salary be under the 8th Pay Commission?
No one can say yet, because the 8th CPC has not made recommendations. As an estimate, at the 7th CPC factor of ×2.57 the fixed pay of Level 18 would go from ₹2,50,000 to ₹6,42,500. Across the factors in the table below (×1.92 to ×3.83), it would fall between ₹4,80,000 and ₹9,57,500.
What is the basic pay of Level 18 today?
Level 18 has one fixed basic pay of ₹2,50,000 in the 7th CPC pay matrix, with no pay steps. In the 6th CPC this level corresponds to Cabinet Secretary (90000).
What fitment factor is assumed for Level 18?
The estimates here use ×2.57, the factor the 7th CPC used. This is an assumption, not an official figure. The table also shows ×1.92, ×2.08, ×2.57, ×2.86, ×3.83, which are factors that have been discussed publicly. You can set any factor between ×1.8 and ×4.0 in the calculator. One factor is applied to every level, as in 2016.
Will DA be merged into basic pay, and what happens to DA at Level 18?
DA is 60% of basic pay from 1 January 2026. This site assumes DA restarts at zero on the new pay, as it did on 1 January 2016. At Level 18 entry, DA of 60% on ₹2,50,000 is ₹1,50,000, so today basic plus DA is ₹4,00,000. The estimated new basic of ₹6,42,500 at ×2.57 is 60.6% higher than that. This is assumption A4.
When will the 8th Pay Commission be implemented for Level 18?
The Commission was constituted on 3 November 2025, and its report is due within 18 months, which works out to about May 2027. No effective date has been announced. This site assumes 1 January 2026 as the start date, which is an assumption. If the date changes, the arrears for Level 18 change with it.
How is Level 18 in-hand salary estimated?
Take the Level 18 entry basic of ₹2,50,000 in a Y-class city (not a higher transport allowance city), with NPS at 10%, CGHS on and CGEGIS group A. Today that gives gross pay of ₹4,55,760 and in-hand pay of ₹4,14,640. At ×2.57 the estimate is gross ₹7,48,900 and in-hand ₹6,83,530, which is ₹2,68,890 more each month. This is before income tax, professional tax and loans, and it rests on assumptions A3 to A7.
Keep reading
These pages explain the pieces behind the Level 18 estimate: the calculator for your own figures, how the fitment factor works, how DA is counted and where the 8th Pay Commission stands.