The Autumn Budget lands on 28 October: what is already confirmed

The Autumn Budget is the UK’s main financial event of the year: it settles how much tax you pay, what gets more expensive and which benefits change. This time it falls on Wednesday 28 October 2026, delivered by Chancellor John Healey — his first Budget in the job. He has promised to "move money and power out of Westminster and into every postcode around Britain".

Already confirmed

A £2 cap on single bus fares — in England outside London, from 1 January to 31 December 2027, replacing the current £3 cap. It is backed by an extra £400m.

Zero VAT on domestic electricity — from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, across England, Wales and Scotland. Other domestic fuel, gas included, stays at 5%.

Business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England — down 20% from April 2027, saving the typical pub about £1,100 a year. Reliefs for “anti-social” businesses such as vape shops are to be reviewed alongside it.

A subscription-cancellation reform from January 2027, making it as easy to leave as to join.

Also on the list: the 16-17 Saver railcard valid for a full year from purchase, English mayors keeping a share of income tax, business rates retention for strategic authorities, powers for local leaders to levy an overnight visitor charge, a trader register against cowboy builders, and mandatory accreditation for bailiffs in England and Wales.

What is still being argued over

The biggest money is in what is not yet confirmed. A review of the personal allowance. A capital gains tax reform aligning rates with income tax and closing the uplift-at-death loophole — put at £1.5–2bn a year. A national care service with better pay for care workers and closer NHS integration. And tighter conditions for benefit claimants, linking some payments to work participation.

What to do before 28 October

Nothing urgent, but two things deserve attention. If you were planning to sell an asset at a large gain — a second property, a stake in a business, a share portfolio — capital gains rules may change, and the date of the transaction matters. If you are on benefits, watch the wording on conditions. Everything else becomes concrete only on the day: until then, any figure is a forecast, not a rule.