Budget 2026-27 was presented on Sunday, 1 February 2026, the first time the Union Budget was presented on a Sunday. The budget date and time were confirmed only in January 2026, when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the presentation would begin at 11 AM in the Lower House.
Many investors and families had been waiting for the official announcement before planning their weekend around the speech.
Media reports are saying that the Budget 2027-28 will be presented on Monday, 1 February 2027, though that has not been made official yet. The 2026 Budget Session ran in two phases, first from 28 January to 13 February and then from 9 March to 2 April.
How 1 February became the fixed date
Until 2017, the Union Budget used to be presented on the last working day of February. If that day fell on a Sunday, the presentation was brought forward by a day, so the budget date changed from one year to the next.
Government officials now say the General Budget date is fixed. This is a shift from the old practices that started in the British era and the earlier habit of waiting for the calendar to decide the day has lessened.
Investors and families still wait for the official confirmation every year. According to the media, the formal date and time are only confirmed when the Budget Session is scheduled, so the expected date for 2027-28 remains an expectation till that announcement is made.
Why the Budget begins at 11 AM
Until 1999, the Union Budget was presented at 5 PM, a timing carried over from the colonial era, when 5 PM in India matched 11:30 GMT.
Yashwant Sinha moved the presentation to 11 AM on 27 February 1999, allegedly to give MPs and officials more time to debate the figures.
On budget day, the Union Cabinet meets at 10 AM. The Finance Minister then meets the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan for approval, before going to Parliament. The speech is broadcast live and runs from 11 AM to 1 PM.
The 1 February 2027 date is still only expected and it will be confirmed when the Budget Session is scheduled and communicated to both Houses.
