What Is the 8th Pay Commission HRA Calculator?
The 8th pay commission HRA calculator is a free tool that estimates the House Rent Allowance a central government employee could get once the 8th Central Pay Commission revises basic pay. You enter your 7th CPC basic pay, choose your city class and a fitment factor, and pick the HRA rates you expect. It shows your current HRA, revised HRA, monthly and annual change, and HRA under all six fitment factor scenarios.
HRA is calculated as a percentage of basic pay, so it rises with the fitment factor even if the percentage itself is cut. This page shows both effects. For your complete salary including DA, transport allowance and deductions, use the 8th pay commission salary calculator.
अपना पे लेवल, बेसिक पे और शहर की श्रेणी (X, Y या Z) चुनें, फिर फिटमेंट फैक्टर चुनें। कैलकुलेटर आपका नया HRA तुरंत दिखा देगा। अभी HRA 30%, 20% और 10% है। 8वें वेतन आयोग में HRA की दरें अभी तय नहीं हुई हैं, इसलिए ये केवल अनुमान हैं।
Current HRA Rates in 2026
HRA for central government employees is 30%, 20% and 10% of basic pay in X, Y and Z class cities. These rates have applied since 1 January 2024, when DA reached 50%. The expected July 2026 DA rise to 63% does not change HRA, because the top step has already been reached.
| City Class | Population | HRA Now | 7th CPC Start Rate | Minimum HRA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | 50 lakh and above | 30% | 24% | ₹5,400 |
| Y | 5 lakh to 50 lakh | 20% | 16% | ₹3,600 |
| Z | Below 5 lakh | 10% | 8% | ₹1,800 |
Which HRA Rates Will the 8th Pay Commission Use?
The Commission has not said. There are three realistic outcomes, plus the union demand. For a Level 7 employee (₹44,900 today, revised basic ₹1,28,414 at 2.86×):
| HRA Structure | X City | Y City | Z City | Y-City Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today (30/20/10% on ₹44,900) | ₹13,470 | ₹8,980 | ₹4,490 | — |
| 24 / 16 / 8% – 7th CPC pattern | ₹30,819 | ₹20,546 | ₹10,273 | +₹11,566 |
| 27 / 18 / 9% | ₹34,672 | ₹23,115 | ₹11,557 | +₹14,135 |
| 30 / 20 / 10% – rates unchanged | ₹38,524 | ₹25,683 | ₹12,841 | +₹16,703 |
| 40 / 35 / 30% – NC-JCM demand | ₹51,366 | ₹44,945 | ₹38,524 | +₹35,965 |
How HRA Rates Have Changed
| Period | X | Y | Z | What Triggered It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th CPC (2008 – June 2017) | 30% | 20% | 10% | Fixed rates |
| 7th CPC start (1 July 2017) | 24% | 16% | 8% | Cut because basic pay rose 2.57× |
| From 1 July 2021 | 27% | 18% | 9% | DA crossed 25% (rose to 28%) |
| From 1 January 2024 (current) | 30% | 20% | 10% | DA reached 50% |
| 8th CPC | Not decided | Awaiting the Commission's report | ||
The NC-JCM staff side submitted its memorandum in April 2026. It asks for HRA of 40% in X cities, 35% in Y cities and 30% in Z cities, with HRA indexed to DA so it rises smoothly instead of in two big steps. Z-class towns would gain the most, going from 10% to 30%. This is a demand, not a decision.
Will HRA Reduce After the 8th Pay Commission?
The HRA percentage may fall, but the rupee amount should still rise sharply. The fitment factor multiplies your basic pay, while the HRA rate may drop from 30% to 24% (or 20% to 16% in Y cities).
If HRA restarts at 24/16/8%, your HRA still rises as long as the fitment factor is above 1.25× (30% ÷ 24% = 1.25). Every projected factor, from 1.92× to 3.68×, is well above that.
For a Level 7 employee in a Y-class city, HRA is ₹8,980 today. At a 16% rate it would be about ₹13,793 at 1.92× (+54%), ₹20,546 at 2.86× (+129%) and ₹26,437 at 3.68× (+194%). As the new DA crosses 25% and 50% over the following years, the rate would step up to 18% and then 20%.
HRA at Every Fitment Factor: Level 6 Example
The 8th pay commission fitment factor sets your revised basic pay, and HRA is a percentage of that basic. A Level 6 employee (entry pay ₹35,400) gets ₹10,620 in an X city, ₹7,080 in a Y city and ₹3,540 in a Z city today. At 24/16/8%:
| Fitment Factor | Revised Basic | X City (24%) | Y City (16%) | Z City (8%) | X-City Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.92× Conservative | ₹67,968 | ₹16,312 | ₹10,875 | ₹5,437 | +₹5,692 |
| 2.28× Moderate | ₹80,712 | ₹19,371 | ₹12,914 | ₹6,457 | +₹8,751 |
| 2.57× Same as 7th CPC | ₹90,978 | ₹21,835 | ₹14,556 | ₹7,278 | +₹11,215 |
| 2.86× Expert estimate | ₹1,01,244 | ₹24,299 | ₹16,199 | ₹8,100 | +₹13,679 |
| 3.00× Union demand | ₹1,06,200 | ₹25,488 | ₹16,992 | ₹8,496 | +₹14,868 |
| 3.68× Max demand | ₹1,30,272 | ₹31,265 | ₹20,844 | ₹10,422 | +₹20,645 |
X, Y and Z City Classification for HRA
HRA depends on where you are posted. Cities are classified by the population of their urban agglomeration, and employees posted anywhere within the urban agglomeration of a classified city get that city's rate.
X-Class Cities (8)
Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad (including Secunderabad), Ahmedabad and Pune. Under special orders, central government employees posted in Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida and Gurugram get Delhi (X-class) rates.
Major Y-Class Cities
| State / UT | Y-Class Cities |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur |
| Assam | Guwahati |
| Bihar | Patna |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh (Panchkula and Mohali at Chandigarh rates) |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur, Durg-Bhilai |
| Goa | Goa (special order) |
| Gujarat | Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Srinagar, Jammu |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro Steel City |
| Karnataka | Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi |
| Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kollam, Malappuram, Kannur |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain |
| Maharashtra | Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Nanded, Sangli |
| Meghalaya | Shillong (special order) |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela |
| Puducherry | Puducherry |
| Punjab | Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer |
| Tamil Nadu | Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tiruppur |
| Telangana | Warangal |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Saharanpur, Firozabad |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun |
| West Bengal | Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri |
| Andaman & Nicobar | Port Blair (special order) |
Any city or town not classified X or Y is Z class. The list follows the Department of Expenditure classification based on Census 2011 populations. Confirm your station's class with your DDO, since special orders change the rates for some stations.
Minimum HRA in the 8th Pay Commission
Today's minimum HRA of ₹5,400, ₹3,600 and ₹1,800 equals 30%, 20% and 10% of the ₹18,000 minimum pay. If the 8th CPC uses the same logic on the revised minimum pay:
| Fitment Factor | Revised Minimum Pay | Minimum HRA (X) | Minimum HRA (Y) | Minimum HRA (Z) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.92× | ₹34,560 | ₹10,368 | ₹6,912 | ₹3,456 |
| 2.28× | ₹41,040 | ₹12,312 | ₹8,208 | ₹4,104 |
| 2.57× | ₹46,260 | ₹13,878 | ₹9,252 | ₹4,626 |
| 2.86× | ₹51,480 | ₹15,444 | ₹10,296 | ₹5,148 |
| 3.00× | ₹54,000 | ₹16,200 | ₹10,800 | ₹5,400 |
| 3.68× | ₹66,240 | ₹19,872 | ₹13,248 | ₹6,624 |
These are projections. The calculator applies the projected minimum automatically and tells you when it does.
Will HRA Arrears Be Paid?
In 2016, revised pay took effect from 1 January 2016, but revised HRA started only on 1 July 2017, with no arrears for the gap. Employees kept drawing HRA at the old rates on their old basic pay, and arrears were paid on pay and DA only.
If the 8th CPC follows the same route, your arrears will come from basic pay and DA, not HRA. See the arrears estimate in the 8th pay commission salary calculator.
Who Gets HRA Under the 8th Pay Commission?
- Serving central government employees who are not occupying government accommodation. Those in government quarters pay a licence fee instead and do not get HRA.
- Defence and railway employees get HRA through separate orders from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Railways, which have followed the same rates as civilian staff.
- Pensioners do not get HRA. Their pension rises through Dearness Relief instead. Use the 8th pay commission pension calculator for revised pension estimates.
- State government employees follow their own state HRA rules, with different rates and city lists.
How to Use the 8th Pay Commission HRA Calculator
- Select your pay level: This fills in the entry basic pay, from Level 1 (₹18,000) to Level 18 (₹2,50,000).
- Correct your basic pay: If you are above the first cell, type the basic pay on your salary slip.
- Set your city: Pick your city of posting, or choose X, Y or Z directly.
- Choose a fitment factor: 2.86× is selected by default as the most-cited expert estimate.
- Choose the HRA rates: The default is the 7th CPC pattern (24/16/8%). You can also keep today's 30/20/10% or test the union demand of 40/35/30%.
- Download your report: Save the full breakdown, including all six scenarios, as a CSV file for Excel or Google Sheets.