The 2026 Autumn Budget has introduced a range of measures affecting individuals, families, property owners, investors and businesses. From changes to savings and property taxes to support for first-time buyers and adjustments to business tax reliefs, the announcements could have a significant impact on your financial and tax planning.

Here is a summary of some of the key measures.

Energy and cost of living

The Chancellor announced several measures aimed at easing household energy costs. These include a £100 one-off payment for households in council tax bands A to D from January 2027, the removal of gas standing charges and the continuation of the zero-rate VAT on electricity until July 2027.

Extended paternal pay

The government is extending parental pay to over 150,000 additional parents each year, including self-employed fathers who were previously left out.

Eligible parents will get two weeks of support worth up to £194 a week to help them take time off with their new child.

Savings, investments and property

The planned reduction in the annual Cash ISA allowance has been scrapped, meaning savers can continue to invest up to £20,000 a year in cash ISAs. The Government is also exploring incentives to encourage investment through Stocks and Shares ISAs.

However, property owners and savers face an increase in income tax rates on property income and savings interest from April 2027. The rates will rise to 24% for basic-rate taxpayers, 44% for higher-rate taxpayers and 49% for additional-rate taxpayers.

First-time buyers will also benefit from a new government-backed scheme allowing eligible buyers to purchase new-build homes with deposits as low as 2.5%. Under the proposed Your First Home scheme, eligible buyers in England can access a government-backed equity loan worth 20% of the property’s value to help fund their purchase. The loan will also have an initial interest-free period.

Personal tax and pensions

Income tax thresholds will remain frozen until 2031, continuing the impact of fiscal drag as wages and other income increase.

A new Pension Tax Allowance will be introduced from April 2027 to help protect certain pensioners from paying income tax on their State Pension. The allowance is intended to address the impact of increases in the full new State Pension.

Employment and transport

The National Living Wage will increase to £13.21 per hour from April 2027, with increases also applying to younger workers.

The Government will increase the Trading Allowance from £1,000 to £3,000 from April 2027, providing additional relief for individuals with small amounts of self-employment or casual income.

Fuel duty will remain frozen until July 2027, while the tax-free business mileage rate will increase to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles and 35p thereafter.

Business tax

Businesses will continue to benefit from full expensing, while the main rate of writing down allowance will reduce to 12% from April 2027.

Business owners should also take note of changes to Business Asset Disposal Relief. The lifetime limit for qualifying gains will reduce from £1 million to £500,000 for disposals made on or after 6 April 2027, potentially increasing the Capital Gains Tax payable on future business disposals.

What does the Autumn Budget mean for you?

The measures announced in the Autumn Budget could have implications for your personal finances, investment decisions, property ownership and business tax planning. The impact will depend on your individual circumstances and the timing of any transactions.

If you would like to explore how the Autumn Budget announcements could affect you or your business, please get in touch with our team. We would be happy to discuss the changes and help you understand the opportunities and implications for your tax position.