8th Pay Commission Salary Hike: Here's Exactly How Much More HRA You'll Get
Central government employees don't need a new HRA policy to see their House Rent Allowance jump — they just need the 8th Pay Commission to do what pay commissions always do: revise basic pay. Because HRA is calculated as a fixed percentage of basic salary, a higher basic pay automatically means a bigger HRA cheque, even if the percentage slabs stay exactly where they are today.
That's the quiet mechanism driving one of the most-searched questions right now: how much will my HRA actually go up?
Why HRA Moves Even Without a Policy Change
Two separate levers control your HRA:
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The percentage slab — currently 30% (X/metro cities), 20% (Y cities), 10% (Z cities), a structure that kicked in once DA crossed the 50% mark.
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The basic pay itself — set to rise under the 8th CPC via the fitment factor.
Touch either lever and HRA changes. Right now, employee federations are pushing to touch both.
The Push for Bigger HRA Slabs
It's not just the fitment factor under debate. Employee organisations have floated their own numbers for revised HRA slabs, including:
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36% / 24% / 12%
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40% / 35% / 30% (the more ambitious ask from certain unions)
If either of these gets accepted alongside a higher fitment factor, the numbers below could climb even further — these estimates currently assume today's slabs remain unchanged.
Level-Wise HRA Projection: X, Y, Z Cities Compared
| Pay Level | Current Basic (₹) | X City HRA (₹) | Y City HRA (₹) | Z City HRA (₹) |
| Level 1 | 18,000 | 10,800 – 13,880 | 7,200 – 9,250 | 3,600 – 4,630 |
| Level 2 | 19,900 | 11,940 – 15,340 | 7,960 – 10,230 | 3,980 – 5,110 |
| Level 3 | 21,700 | 13,020 – 16,730 | 8,680 – 11,150 | 4,340 – 5,580 |
| Level 4 | 25,500 | 15,300 – 19,660 | 10,200 – 13,110 | 5,100 – 6,550 |
| Level 5 | ~29,200 | 17,520 – 22,510 | 11,680 – 15,010 | 5,840 – 7,500 |
| Level 6 | 35,400 | 21,240 – 27,290 | 14,160 – 18,200 | 7,080 – 9,100 |
| Level 7 | ~44,900 | 26,940 – 34,620 | 17,960 – 23,080 | 8,980 – 11,540 |
| Level 8 | 47,600 | 28,560 – 36,700 | 19,040 – 24,470 | 9,520 – 12,230 |
| Level 9 | 53,100 | 31,860 – 40,940 | 21,240 – 27,290 | 10,620 – 13,650 |
| Level 10 | 56,100 | 33,660 – 43,250 | 22,440 – 28,840 | 11,220 – 14,420 |
Range reflects fitment factor scenarios between 2.0 and 2.57 — all figures are projections, not official numbers.
Quick read: Every level sees HRA scale roughly in line with basic pay — a Level 10 employee in a metro city could gain nearly ₹10,000 more in HRA alone at the top end of the fitment factor range, compared to today.
What This Means for You
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Posted in a metro (X city)? You see the largest rupee increase, since 30% of a bigger number is still the biggest slice.
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Posted in a Y city? Your increase is smaller in absolute terms but proportionally identical.
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Posted in a Z city? The smallest absolute jump, but still a real one — and it compounds if HRA slabs themselves rise later.