The date is set. The Autumn Budget will be delivered on Wednesday 28 October 2026, and the Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its economic and fiscal forecast the same day. That gives business owners a fixed point to plan around, and roughly ten weeks to get their affairs in order before any new measures take effect.
The temptation now is to react to headlines. The better use of the next few weeks is a calm review of where you stand under the current rules.
TL;DR: The 2026 Autumn Budget falls on Wednesday 28 October. HM Treasury's representations portal closes at 23:59 on 9 September, and the OBR forecast lands on Budget day. Review your salary, dividend, pension and capital plans now, but avoid big irreversible moves based on speculation. Wait for confirmed measures before you act.
When Is the 2026 Budget?
The Autumn Budget will be delivered on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The Chancellor, John Healey, confirmed the date in a letter to the Treasury Select Committee dated 31 July 2026, and asked the OBR to publish a full economic and fiscal forecast alongside it (GOV.UK, 2026).
A Budget backed by an OBR forecast usually means costed tax and spending measures. Some changes tend to take effect from Budget day itself, others from the start of the next tax year in April 2027, and a few after a longer lead time. That mix matters, because it decides which of your own decisions are genuinely time-sensitive and which can wait. The forecast from the OBR sets the fiscal backdrop the Chancellor works within, so it shapes the room for any giveaways or tightening.
Before Budget Day: The Representations Window
You can put your view to HM Treasury before anything is decided. The Budget representations portal is open now and closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 9 September 2026. Submissions made after that time will not be considered (Ross Martin, 2026).
Representations are how businesses, trade bodies and individuals flag the practical effect of existing rules or propose changes, with the rationale, cost and benefit set out. It is not a wish list. HM Treasury asks for evidence-based points that policy teams can actually assess. If a particular relief or threshold causes your business real friction, a short, well-argued submission through the official portal carries more weight than a social media complaint. In our experience, sector bodies do most of the heavy lifting here, so backing your trade association's submission is often the most efficient route.
Should You Act on Budget Speculation?
Generally, no. Until a measure is announced and written into legislation, it is speculation, and the commentary in the run-up to a Budget is rarely a reliable guide to what actually lands. Every year brings predictions that never materialise, or that arrive in a very different shape.
The useful distinction is reversible versus irreversible. Using an allowance you were going to use anyway is low risk. Selling a business, crystallising a large capital gain, or restructuring your company purely because of a rumour is not, because you cannot easily undo it if the rule never changes. What we see most often is an owner rushing a decision on a headline, then discovering the change did not happen, or happened with an exemption that made the rush pointless. Prepare so you can move quickly on 28 October, rather than betting early on a guess.
What Should Business Owners Review Now?
Focus on what sits within your control today. The point is to know your position cold, so you can act fast once the detail is confirmed. A sensible pre-Budget review usually covers:
- Your salary and dividend mix for the year, and whether the balance still fits your circumstances (director salary vs dividends)
- Pension contributions against the £60,000 annual allowance, a long-standing planning tool for company owners (pensions and inheritance tax)
- The timing of capital investment and how it interacts with current capital allowances
- Your capital gains position, including the £3,000 annual exempt amount and the current 18% Business Asset Disposal Relief rate
- Whether you are making full use of this year's allowances before they are spent
One question clients always ask is whether to bring income forward or defer it. The honest answer depends on your own numbers, not on a prediction, which is exactly why the review comes first.
Areas Commonly Discussed Ahead of a Budget
Certain themes come up before most fiscal events, and it helps to know the current figures so you can judge any change against them. Frozen thresholds and the fiscal drag they create are a recurring talking point, as are capital gains, the tax treatment of pensions, and the cost of employing people.
Knowing today's baseline is what makes you ready. The dividend allowance sits at £500 for 2026-27, and the VAT registration threshold is £90,000 (GOV.UK, 2026). We are not in the business of predicting what the Chancellor will do with any of these. We do think you should walk into 28 October knowing which of them affect you and by how much, so a confirmed change turns into a clear action rather than a scramble.
How Should You Prepare With Your Accountant?
Book a pre-Budget review and model your position under the rules as they stand today. That gives you a baseline to measure any announcement against, and it surfaces the decisions that are genuinely date-sensitive.
From there, the plan is simple. Agree which moves you would make if a rule changes, which you would make regardless, and which you would only ever make with confirmed detail in hand. Keep the irreversible decisions parked until after Budget day. When the measures are published, you then act on a plan you have already thought through, instead of interpreting a press release under time pressure. That is the difference between responding and reacting.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the 2026 Autumn Budget?
Wednesday 28 October 2026. The Chancellor confirmed the date on 31 July 2026 and commissioned an OBR economic and fiscal forecast to be published the same day.
Will taxes go up in the 2026 Budget?
No measures have been confirmed, so any specific claim is speculation. Rather than predict, prepare: review your current position, know which allowances and rates affect you, and be ready to act once the detail is published on 28 October.
Can I submit views to HM Treasury before the Budget?
Yes. The Budget representations portal is open and closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 9 September 2026. Late submissions are not considered. Points should be evidence-based, with the rationale and cost or benefit clearly set out.
Should I bring forward a sale or big decision before 28 October?
It depends on your circumstances, and you should not act on speculation alone. Reversible planning carries little risk, but an irreversible move made on a rumour can backfire if the rule never changes. Talk it through with your accountant first.
With the Budget confirmed for 28 October, the sensible move is a clear-eyed review of where you stand under today's rules, then a plan you can act on quickly once measures are announced. Get in touch and we'll run a pre-Budget review of your salary, dividend and capital position, so you are ready to respond rather than react.