Budget 2026 date: From income tax cuts to more, here’s when Nirmala Sitharaman will announce key measures

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for 2026–27 on February 1 at 11 am, marking her ninth budget in Parliament. As Budget Day falls on a Sunday, stock exchanges BSE and NSE will keep equity markets open for trading.

The pre-open market session will run from 9:00 am to 9:08 am, while regular trading hours will be from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm.

The Budget session of Parliament will commence on January 28, 2026, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said earlier, adding that the President has approved the summoning of both Houses for the session.


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Being the first parliamentary session to be held every year, the Budget session begins with the President's address to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Since Budget 2017-18, India has presented the Union Budget on February 1, replacing the long-standing tradition of presenting it on February 28.

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While presenting the Budget on a Sunday would be a first since 2000, weekend Budgets are not without precedent. Budget 2025, presented by Nirmala Sitharaman, was tabled on a Saturday, as was Budget 2015, delivered by then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 28, 2015.

A notable earlier instance was the 1999–2000 Budget, presented on February 27, 1999 by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. That year marked a significant shift from the traditional 5 pm presentation to 11 am, breaking away from a colonial-era practice.