7th Pay Commission Pay Matrix (Level-Wise)

What the 7th CPC pay matrix is

Before 2016, central government pay used a mix of pay bands and grade pay, which made it hard to see how two posts compared. The 7th Central Pay Commission replaced all of that with a single pay matrix, effective 1 January 2016. It is one table: the rows are pay levels (Level 1 to Level 18, with a Level 13A slotted between 13 and 14) and the columns are the increment stages within each level. The intersection — your cell — is your basic pay. Every other component of your salary (DA, HRA, transport allowance, pension) is calculated from that basic pay, which is why the matrix is the foundation of government pay.

Entry basic pay by level (7th CPC)

The table below lists the entry (cell-1) basic pay for each level in the common civil matrix, the dearness allowance at the current 58% rate (Jul-2025 order), and the resulting basic + DA. HRA and transport allowance are added on top of basic. As you earn annual increments you move down the column, so your actual basic pay will be at or above these entry figures.

Entry basic is the cell-1 figure of each level; DA is the Jul-2025 rate of 58%. Confirm the current DA and your own cell from official orders and your pay slip.

How to read your cell

Three steps. First, find your pay level — it corresponds to your post and your old grade pay (for example, the erstwhile ₹4,200 grade pay maps to Level 6). Second, count the annual increments you have received in that level; each one moves you one cell down the column. Third, read the figure in that cell — that is your current basic pay. New entrants sit in cell 1, the entry basic pay shown in the table above. If you have been in a level for, say, four years, you are typically four cells down.

How the annual increment works

The pay matrix builds the increment into the cells themselves. Moving from one cell to the next down a column is an increase of about 3% of basic pay, rounded up to the next ₹100. For a Level 6 employee at the entry basic of ₹35,400, the next cell is roughly ₹36,500. You do not compute this yourself — on your increment date (1 January or 1 July, depending on when you joined the level), you simply move to the next cell.

DA, HRA and the rest of the salary

Basic pay from the matrix is only the starting point. Dearness allowance (DA) is a percentage of basic, revised twice a year against the AICPIN index — currently 58% as of the Jul-2025 order (track changes in our DA rate table). HRA is 30%, 20% or 10% of basic for X (metro), Y and Z cities respectively. Transport allowance is a fixed monthly figure by level and city. Gross monthly salary is broadly basic + DA + HRA + transport allowance; to convert any private-sector CTC to monthly take-home instead, use our in-hand salary calculator.

What changes under the 8th Pay Commission

This matrix will be revised when the 8th Pay Commission is implemented. The mechanism mirrors past revisions: every cell is rebuilt on a new minimum pay and a fitment factor that multiplies your current basic pay, while DA resets to zero (the DA you draw today gets absorbed into the new basic). The 8th CPC was announced in January 2025 and has been constituted, but no fitment factor, effective date or revised matrix is official as of June 2026. To project your revised basic pay under the publicly discussed scenarios, use our 8th Pay Commission salary calculator — and read the fitment factor explainer for how each multiplier changes your pay.