When is the 2026 Autumn Budget?
- Confirmed
The 2026 Autumn Budget will be delivered on Wednesday 28 October 2026.
- Confirmed
The Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its economic and fiscal forecast on the same day, alongside the Budget.
- Confirmed
It will be delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, who was appointed on 20 July 2026.
The previous Budget was delivered on 26 November 2025.
What is confirmed about the 2026 Budget?
The date of the Budget and the publication of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast on the same day are confirmed. The measures that will be in the 2026 Budget have not been announced, so this page does not cover reports, leaks or predictions about them.
The changes listed on this page were legislated or announced before the 2026 Budget. Each is labelled so you can see whether it is already in force, already law with a future start date, or announced but not yet law.
What the Budget could mean for your financial planning
A Budget can change tax rates, allowances and reliefs, and can alter or add to changes that have already been announced. Some changes take effect straight away and others start at a later date.
The contents of the Budget are not known until it is delivered. Financial decisions are best based on the rules that apply now and on your own circumstances, rather than on speculation about what might be announced.
Pensions and retirement planning
- Legislated – from 6 April 2027
Under the Finance Act 2026, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will count towards your estate for inheritance tax for deaths on or after 6 April 2027. Death-in-service benefits payable from registered pension schemes are excluded.
- Legislated – from 6 April 2028
The normal minimum pension age, the earliest age most people can take their pension benefits, rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028.
- Legislated – from 2029-30
From the 2029-30 tax year, only the first £2,000 a year of pension contributions made through salary sacrifice will be exempt from National Insurance.
- In force
For the 2026-27 tax year, the pension annual allowance is £60,000 and the lump sum allowance is £268,275.
- In force
The full rate of the new State Pension is £241.30 a week.
Tax and investments
- Legislated – to 2030-31
The income tax personal allowance (£12,570) and basic rate limit (£37,700) are frozen until the end of the 2030-31 tax year.
- In force
From the 2026-27 tax year, the dividend ordinary rate is 10.75% and the dividend upper rate is 35.75%.
- Legislated – from 2027-28
From the 2027-28 tax year, income tax on savings income will be charged at 22% (basic rate), 42% (higher rate) and 47% (additional rate).
- Announced, not yet law
The government has announced that the overall ISA limit will stay at £20,000 until April 2031 and that, from 6 April 2027, the cash ISA limit will be £12,000 for people under 65. The regulations to make this change have been consulted on but not yet made.
- In force
Capital gains tax is charged at 18% and 24%, and the annual exempt amount for 2026-27 is £3,000.
Inheritance tax and estate planning
- Legislated – to 2030-31
The inheritance tax nil-rate band is £325,000 and the residence nil-rate band is £175,000. The Finance Act 2026 extends the freeze on these thresholds to the 2030-31 tax year.
- In force – since 6 April 2026
A £2.5 million allowance applies to the combined value of property qualifying for 100% business property relief or agricultural property relief, with relief at 50% above it. Any unused allowance can be transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner.
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will also count towards your estate for inheritance tax (see Pensions and retirement planning above).
Property and mortgages
- Legislated – from 2027-28
From the 2027-28 tax year, income tax on property income will be charged at 22% (basic rate), 42% (higher rate) and 47% (additional rate). Rates for taxpayers in Scotland and Wales may differ; check GOV.UK for how they apply to you.
- In force
Stamp Duty Land Tax (England and Northern Ireland): first-time buyers pay no SDLT up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000. The relief is not available if the price is over £500,000.
- Announced, not yet law
The government has announced a High Value Council Tax Surcharge on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million or more, taking effect in April 2028.
What happens after the Budget
On 28 October 2026 the Budget will be delivered and the Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its forecast. Some tax changes can take effect from Budget day itself under the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1968, while others will have later start dates.
We will update this page after the Budget with the measures that are announced, and label each one as announced or law in the same way.