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".

What has already been 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.

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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.

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What should you 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.

All the upcoming filing deadlines, bank holidays and decision dates are gathered in the ONLYWAY calendar, day by day with explanations.

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