Budget 2026 speech date, time: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament on February 1, 2026.
The Union Budget 2026 will mark FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive Budget presentation, making her the first finance minister in India to achieve this milestone. She will also become the first finance minister to present a Union Budget on a Sunday, adding to the historic significance of the occasion.
In 1999, when February 28 fell on a Sunday, then finance minister Yashwant Sinha presented the Union Budget a day earlier, on Saturday, February 27. Nirmala Sitharaman has previously presented Budgets on Saturdays as well — on February 1, 2020, shortly before the Covid-19 lockdown, and again on February 1, 2025.
Until 1999, the Union Budget was presented at 5 pm, a colonial-era practice aligned with British working hours. That convention was changed by then finance minister Yashwant Sinha, who shifted the Budget presentation to 11 am, a practice that continues to this day. Later, in 2017, former finance minister Arun Jaitley introduced another reform by advancing the Budget presentation to February 1 from the end of the month.
Union Budget 2026: Date and time
The Budget 2026 will be delivered during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament and will lay out the government’s fiscal roadmap for the 2026–27 financial year. The Budget speech is scheduled for February 1, 2026, with the Finance Minister expected to begin her address at 11:00 am.
The Union Budget is generally presented on February 1 to allow ministries and departments adequate time to implement proposals from the start of the new financial year on April 1.
Where to watch Union Budget 2026 live
Viewers can watch the Union Budget 2026 speech live through multiple official and media platforms:
- Sansad TV, which will broadcast the Budget presentation live from Parliament
- The Times of India website, which will carry real-time updates, key announcements and detailed coverage
- Official government digital platforms, including PIB and related parliamentary streams
The full Budget documents will be made available online soon after the speech, along with explanatory statements and annexures.
Parliament Budget Session
The Budget Session of Parliament commenced with President Droupadi Murmu addressing members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on January 28. The first phase of the session is scheduled from January 28 to February 13, while the second phase will run from March 9 to April 2, with the session comprising 30 sittings.
The Union Budget is a key annual policy statement that outlines government spending, taxation proposals and fiscal strategy for the coming year, and the 2026 presentation will be closely tracked across sectors, markets and households.
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