Photo: PID The government has approved the National Pay Scale 2026 for government officers and employees.
Under the new pay structure, the existing 20 grades will be retained, with the starting basic salary for the 20th grade set at Tk20,000 and the fixed salary for the first grade at Tk156,000.
The National Pay Scale 2026, along with the Joint Services Instructions 2026 for the armed forces, aligned with the new pay structure, was approved at a cabinet meeting held at the Cabinet Division conference room in the secretariat on Monday.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chaired the meeting.
The new pay scale will take effect from 1 July 2026.
To modernise the salaries, allowances and other financial benefits of public servants, the government formed a committee of secretaries after receiving the reports of the National Pay Commission-2025 and the Armed Forces Pay Committee-2025.
After reviewing the committee’s report, the government approved the new pay scale, considering its financial capacity, inflation, cost of living and the living standards of government employees.
Under the new structure, the ratio between the salaries of the lowest and highest grades has been reduced to 1:1.78 from the existing 1:1.945. As a result, the basic salary of the lowest grade will increase by 142%, while the fixed salary of the highest grade will rise by 100%.
New pay scale to be implemented in phases
The government said the new pay scale would not be implemented at once, considering its financial implications and impact on inflation. It will be implemented in phases during the current 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years.
Giving priority to lower-income employees, those in grades 10 to 20 will be given preference. The revised basic salaries will be implemented in three phases between 1 July 2026 and 1 July 2027. The various allowances will take effect simultaneously from 1 January 2028.
A similar phased increase in net pensions will also be implemented for pensioners.
A separate committee has been formed for the judicial service. Based on the committee’s report, a Bangladesh Judicial Service Pay Scale will be approved and implemented in phases from 1 July 2026.
FP/R
