9th Pay Scale

60% Pay Hike Proposed for Grades 10–20; How Much Could Grades 1–9 Get?

Published: 21 June 2026, 02:47 PM
Representational Photo
Representational Photo © TDC

The government has officially announced that the highly anticipated 9th National Pay Scale for public servants will take effect from July 1. While initial baseline strategies focused on implementing a uniform 50% basic salary increment across all structural cadres, the administration has reportedly shifted its fiscal approach to provide stratified relief.

Under the newly emerging blueprint, lower and mid-tier public employees are set to receive a substantially higher percentage increase to counter inflationary pressures. The revised strategy heavily prioritizes the basic salary matrices of employees spanning the 10th to 20th grades, meaning high-level officials within the 1st to 9th grades will experience a comparatively limited adjustment.

The revised structural framework of the 9th Pay Scale was tabled during a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Although the issue was not included in the formal meeting agenda, it was raised under miscellaneous discussions, allowing policymakers to exchange vital initial feedback on the upcoming civil service salary structure.

According to sources privy to the discussions, the administration is planning a dual-track implementation roadmap for the upcoming fiscal year:

  • 1st to 9th Grade (First-Class Officials): The government plans to implement 40% of the proposed basic salary hike in the upcoming fiscal year.

  • 10th to 20th Grade (Mid & Lower-Tier Employees): The government plans to implement 60% of the proposed basic salary hike in the upcoming fiscal year.

If fully executed, this staggered deployment model will ensure that lower-income government staff receive enhanced financial cushioning, while the increment ceiling for senior bureaucratic tiers remains purposefully restricted to balance the state exchequer.

Speaking on the strict condition of anonymity, a top-tier policymaking official confirmed that the re-engineering of the pay scale is heavily linked to current macroeconomic realities.

"Considering the immense pressure of inflation and the rising cost of living, the government is placing a major emphasis on increasing the salaries of low-income public servants. Through this new pay scale, we are actively attempting to narrow the existing structural disparity between the upper and lower grades." — Senior Government Policy Official

The official quickly clarified that the final architecture and specific percentage matrices of the 9th Pay Scale have not been entirely locked in. High-level discussions will continue across the upper echelons of government, and a definitive gazette notification will only be issued after gathering comprehensive feedback and fiscal clearance from the Ministry of Finance and related administrative wings.