Budget 2026 on Feb 1? Govt likely to decide date today; CCPA to take final call

The Budget 2026 will be Sitharaman’s 8th straight Budget and the 80th since independence.

The government is on January 7 likely to decide on the date for the presentation of the budget for the financial year 2026-27, with the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs (CCPA) set to meet later in day, sources told Moneycontrol.

A proposal to continue with the budget on February 1, which falls on a Sunday this year, has been moved, sources said.

Earlier, CNBC-TV18 reported that the finance ministry is preparing for the budget on February 1.

Typically, the budget is presented on February 1, allowing enough time for Parliament to review and implement the proposals from the start of the new financial year on April 1.

A weekend budget won’t be a first for the Modi government. Last year, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented the Budget on a Saturday.

Arun Jaitley, the first finance minister of the Modi government, had tabled the budgets for 2015 and 2016 on February 28, both Saturdays. It was under Jaitley, who was the finance minister from 2014-19, that the budget date was moved to February 1. Jaitley passed away on August 24, 2019.

The Budget 2026 will be Sitharaman’s eighth straight budget and the 80th since Independence.