UK Autumn Budget 2026: 6 Money Moves Before 28 October

What the Chancellor announces on 28 October could reshape your 2027

On Wednesday 28 October 2026, Chancellor John Healey will deliver his first Autumn Budget — and with six days to go, UK personal-finance searches for "what to do before the budget" have shot to the top of the charts, according to analysis this week. That's understandable: while some of the biggest money changes for 2027 are already law, several revenue-raising measures are still firmly in play. The smart response isn't to panic — it's to tidy the things that a budget can change before it changes them.

Consumer sentiment is already braced: the British Retail Consortium–Opinium monitor, published this week, showed expectations for the UK economy falling to minus 40 in October, personal-finance expectations at minus 18 — the second-lowest on record — and confidence among Gen X and Boomers tumbling after the announcements around pensions.

"With fewer than three weeks to go, UK savers, investors and homeowners have a short window to get their finances in order." — WalletWise analysis of the pre-Budget picture

Below is a plain-English action plan: what's already confirmed, what's rumoured, and the six moves worth making now.

First, sort what's confirmed from what's speculation

The biggest changes to your money in the next 18 months were already legislated in the November 2025 Budget and Finance Act 2026. They happen whatever Healey says on 28 October. Keep them separate in your head from the rumours:

Status	Measure	From
Confirmed law	Unused pension pots brought into inheritance tax	6 April 2027
Confirmed law	Tax on savings income rises 2 points: 22%, 42%, 47%	2027/28 tax year
Confirmed law	Cash ISA limit cut to £12,000 for under-65s	6 April 2027
Confirmed law	Income tax bands frozen (fiscal drag continues)	Until April 2031
Confirmed law	"Mansion tax" surcharge: £2,500/yr on homes £2m+	April 2028
Confirmed law	Salary-sacrifice pension NI relief capped at £2,000/yr	April 2029
Rumoured	Capital gains tax rise (main rate currently 24%)	Possible
Rumoured	Mansion-tax threshold cut from £2m to £1.5m	Split opinion
Unlikely	Pension tax relief or tax-free cash raid	Not expected
Unlikely	Wealth tax or exit tax	Not expected

The middle row — "rumoured" — is where pre-Budget action matters. The confirmed rows give you months, not days.

Move 1: Use your ISA allowance while it's fully yours

For 2026/27 the ISA allowance still stands at £20,000, and you can keep all of it in cash if you wish. From 6 April 2027, under-65s can shelter only £12,000 a year in cash ISAs — the rest must go into stocks and shares. With savings-income tax rising to 22%, 42% and 47% from 2027/28, interest earned inside an ISA looks even more valuable. If you have savings sitting in a taxable account and haven't used this year's allowance, the weeks before the Budget — and the rest of the tax year — are the time to act.

Move 2: Review your capital gains position — carefully

Capital gains tax is the most widely tipped revenue raiser: firms expect either a higher main rate (currently 24%), a trimmed £3,000 annual exemption, or both. If you hold investments outside an ISA and are already planning to sell some, a CGT change is a genuine reason to bring that decision forward and discuss it with a qualified adviser now.

Move 3: Update your pension expression of wishes

From 6 April 2027, unused defined-contribution pension pots join your estate for inheritance-tax purposes — potentially taxed at 40% above the allowances. This is law; the Budget can't soften it (AJ Bell notes it will be the Chancellor's last chance to revisit the decision).

You can't change the law, but you can control the paperwork: check your expression-of-wishes / beneficiary nomination is current with every pension provider and model your full estate position including the pot. If the combined value could breach the nil-rate bands, speak to an adviser well before April 2027.

Move 4: Check your savings-allowance arithmetic for 2027/28

When savings-income tax rises two points next April, the winners are savers whose interest sits inside ISAs or inside their Personal Savings Allowance. Add up the interest your taxable savings will earn in a year, check it against your allowance at your likely 2027/28 band — and note that frozen tax bands mean wage inflation keeps dragging more people into the 40% band, where the allowance halves from £1,000 to £500.

Move 5: Resist the pension-panic temptation

Fear of retirement tax raids is already costing savers real money: FCA data cited by AJ Bell shows £14 billion of tax-free cash was irreversibly siphoned from pensions in 2025 — above the normal annual level. Analysts now expect no change to tax relief or tax-free cash in this Budget.

Pulling money from a pension early on a rumour is the most expensive financial decision you can make without actually deciding anything.

Withdrawing from a pension crystallises a decision you cannot reverse: the money leaves the tax wrapper, you lose years of compounding, and you may push yourself into a higher tax band. If pension headlines worry you, read the actual Budget documents on 28 October before touching a thing.

Move 6: Note the changes that need no action yet

The April 2028 "mansion tax" surcharge on £2m+ homes, the 2029 salary-sacrifice NI cap (£2,000/yr) and the frozen £29,385 student-loan threshold (to 2030) need no action this week — but if any applies to you, it's worth knowing they're coming.

Frequently asked questions

When exactly is the Autumn Budget 2026?

Wednesday 28 October 2026, delivered by Chancellor John Healey. It's his inaugural Budget.

Will CGT definitely rise?

No. Firms "widely expect" CGT reform — higher rates, reduced reliefs or a trimmed £3,000 exemption — but it remains speculation until Budget day. Don't act as if it's decided.

Are pensions definitely joining inheritance tax?

Yes — for most unused defined-contribution pots, from 6 April 2027. That measure is already legislated and won't change on 28 October.

Should I sell investments before the Budget to beat a CGT rise?

Only if selling already fits your plan. Selling on rumour risks dealing costs, lost growth and a wrong call. Discuss it with a qualified adviser.

What if I'm not in the UK?

This article is UK-specific. If you're a US reader, the equivalent discipline applies around any major tax-law change: maximise tax-advantaged accounts (401(k), IRA, HSA) before year-end while the rules are settled, rather than betting on legislative rumours.

The bottom line

The Budget always tempts people into two mistakes: doing nothing until it's too late, and doing something frantic on gossip. The sensible middle is unusually clear this time. The biggest 2027 changes are already written into law, so you have months to adapt — but the rumoured ones reward people who've done their housekeeping by 28 October: ISA allowances used, nominations current, gains position reviewed. Get those six moves done this week, and on Budget day you'll be watching the headlines with interest rather than anxiety.