Current fitment factor and previous fitment factor
The current fitment factor is 2.57, recommended by the 7th Central Pay Commission and applied from 1 January 2016 to the sum of 6th CPC basic pay and grade pay. The previous fitment factor was 1.86, used by the 6th CPC from 1 January 2006 on 5th CPC basic pay before grade pay was added.
A fitment factor is not a pure pay rise. Most of the multiple simply absorbs the Dearness Allowance already being paid — 125% at the time of the 7th CPC and 60% today — so the genuine increase is the residual portion, historically in the 14% to 16% range.
8th Pay Commission fitment factor estimates for 2026
The 8th CPC was constituted on 3 November 2025 and has not yet submitted its report, so no official factor exists. Staff-side federations have argued for a higher multiple, while analysts model 1.92x as a conservative floor and 2.86x as an optimistic ceiling. The 2.28x and 2.57x scenarios sit in the middle and are the most widely quoted in news coverage.
Because DA stood at 60% from 1 January 2026, a factor of about 1.92x would broadly protect existing emoluments, and anything above it delivers a real increase. That is why 1.92x is treated as the minimum realistic scenario rather than a likely outcome.
Fitment allowance vs fitment factor
Some state governments express the same idea as a fitment allowance — a flat percentage added to basic pay on revision — instead of a multiple. The arithmetic is equivalent: a 2.28x fitment factor is the same as merging DA and adding roughly 42.5% of the DA-inclusive pay. Check your state finance department order for the exact wording that applies to you.