Union Budget 2026-27 will be presented on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 11 am, creating a rare weekend sitting of Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will deliver the 88th Union Budget since Independence, and the ninth in a continuous series, as policymakers work with a projected 7.4% real GDP growth rate for FY 2025-26.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has cleared the full schedule for the Budget Session. The President’s joint address will start proceedings on January 28, 2026, followed by the tabling of the Economic Survey on January 29, 2026, ahead of the Union Budget 2026-27 presentation.
Key dates and events for Union Budget 2026-27
Major milestones around Union Budget 2026-27 have been fixed early, giving clarity to businesses, lawmakers, and markets. The financial year for which these proposals are being framed will begin on April 1, 2026, covering tax and expenditure plans for FY 2026-27.
The main events linked to Union Budget 2026-27 are summarised below in tabular form, outlining the formal opening of Parliament, the presentation of the Economic Survey, and the Budget speech. These dates help corporates and analysts plan scenario exercises, based on expected policy and tax signals.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Budget Session begins / President’s address | January 28, 2026 |
| Economic Survey tabled in Parliament | January 29, 2026 |
| Presentation of Union Budget 2026-27 | February 1, 2026 (Sunday, 11 am) |
Macroeconomic framework for Union Budget 2026-27
The government’s First Advance Estimates, released on January 7, are shaping the macroeconomic framework for Union Budget 2026-27. These estimates project real GDP growth at 7.4% in FY 2025-26, stronger than the 6.5% expansion recorded in the previous financial year, despite global uncertainties and tariff war pressures.
These First Advance Estimates traditionally guide the core Budget calculations, including revenue forecasts, expenditure envelopes, and fiscal deficit targets. For Union Budget 2026-27, they provide the base for tax assumptions and departmental allocations for the year beginning April 1, 2026, and help frame expectations for public investment and welfare spending.
Political and leadership context of Union Budget 2026-27
Nirmala Sitharaman is set to become the first finance minister to present nine consecutive Union Budgets, further lengthening the tenure among India’s longest-serving finance ministers. This sequence brings Sitharaman close to Morarji Desai, who presented 10 Budgets in total, spread across two terms in office between 1959 and 1969.
Morarji Desai delivered six Budgets during 1959-1964 and four more between 1967 and 1969. Among later finance ministers, P Chidambaram presented nine Budgets, while Pranab Mukherjee delivered eight across different governments. Nirmala Sitharaman became India’s first full-time woman finance minister in 2019, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term began.
Since 2017, the Union Budget date has been brought forward from February 28 to February 1. This shift enables a faster rollout of Budget proposals at the start of the financial year. The 2026-27 exercise maintains this schedule while adding the distinctive feature of a Sunday session for the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
With the session calendar confirmed, Union Budget 2026-27 will combine a rare Sunday sitting, Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth straight Budget, and decisions framed around a 7.4% growth outlook. Lawmakers, investors, and young professionals will now watch how these numbers and milestones shape tax changes and spending priorities for FY 2026-27.
