Budget 2026 likely on Feb 1: Nirmala Sitharaman set for historic 8th consecutive presentation

Even as the government awaits formal announcement of Parliament’s Budget Session dates, all indications suggest the Union Budget 2026 will be presented on Sunday, February 1, continuing a long-standing fiscal tradition.

The Union Budget for 2026 is expected to be presented on February 1, which falls on a Sunday, even though the government has not yet officially announced the dates for Parliament’s Budget Session. Sources indicate that there is no plan to alter the traditional schedule, making a weekend Budget presentation highly likely.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to table the Budget in Parliament on that day. If this schedule holds, it will mark her eighth consecutive Union Budget presentation, an achievement that underlines her long tenure in the crucial finance portfolio. The Budget will also be a landmark one, as it will be India’s 80th Budget since Independence.

Preparations for the annual financial exercise have already begun, with ministries and departments working on their inputs ahead of the fiscal announcement. Traditionally, the Union Budget is presented on February 1 each year to allow adequate time for parliamentary scrutiny and smooth implementation from the start of the new financial year in April.

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Presenting the Budget on a weekend is not unprecedented. Sitharaman herself presented the Union Budget 2025 on a Saturday. Earlier, former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Budgets of 2015 and 2016 on February 28, which also fell on Saturdays.

If the February 1 schedule is followed, Sitharaman will also move closer to a major historical milestone. She would be on track to become the first Finance Minister to present nine consecutive Union Budgets. This would place her close to the record held by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who presented a total of 10 Budgets across two terms, six between 1959 and 1964, and four between 1967 and 1969.

Among other notable Finance Ministers, P. Chidambaram presented nine Union Budgets during his tenure, while Pranab Mukherjee delivered eight Budgets under different Prime Ministers.

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Sitharaman was appointed as India’s first full-time woman Finance Minister in 2019 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to power for a second term. She retained the finance portfolio even after the Modi-led NDA government secured a third consecutive term in 2024.

While the official notification on the Budget Session dates is still awaited, all signs point to February 1 remaining the fixed date for one of the most closely watched economic events of the year.