Budget 2026: what should business owners be looking out for?

The Chancellor will deliver the 2026 Autumn Budget on Wednesday 28 October, and speculation about what may (or may not!) be announced is already gathering pace.

For business owners, the sensible approach is to separate informed preparation from Budget rumour.

The economic backdrop means the Chancellor will be under pressure to balance the public finances while also creating the conditions businesses need to invest and grow.

So what will we be watching?

Capital Gains Tax is highest on the list. Our client base of entrepreneurs need stability and the ability to plan, so any changes affecting the rate of CGT will be closely scrutinised. Corporation Tax and Income Tax are also high on the list.

For entrepreneurs and company directors, changes affecting capital, pensions, investments or the taxation of business owners can influence major commercial and personal decisions.

We’ll also be watching for measures affecting business investment and any further developments in the Government’s wider programme of tax and Companies House reform.

As always, there will be plenty of speculation in the weeks leading up to 28 October.

Our advice ahead of any Budget is simple: do not make important financial decisions purely because of a newspaper headline or rumour.

Instead, understand your current position, know where potential exposure lies and consider different scenarios. Once the Chancellor has spoken and the detailed documents have been published, decisions can then be based on facts.

Murray Patt, founder of Alexander Knight & Co, said:

“Every Budget produces weeks of speculation and inevitably some of it turns out to be wrong. What businesses need more than anything is stability and the confidence to invest, recruit and plan ahead.

“Our advice to clients is not to react to every headline. Use the period before the Budget to understand your numbers and identify where potential changes might affect you.

“Then, once we know exactly what has been announced, we can provide proper advice based on the detail.”

We’ll be following the Budget closely and will update our clients on the measures that matter to business owners following the Chancellor’s statement on 28 October.

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