The President, in his capacity as Finance Minister, will present the 2027 Budget in Parliament on 12 November, 2026, Parliament said. The final vote is scheduled for 14 December.
The timetable was approved by the Committee on Parliamentary Business, chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, on 25 September.
The Appropriation Bill for 2027, which sets out Government spending for the year, will be presented for its First Reading on 7 October. The Budget Speech, which marks the Bill’s Second Reading, will be followed by a seven-day debate from 13 to 20 November, with the vote at 6 p.m. on 20 November.
The Committee Stage, where Parliament debates allocations ministry by ministry, will run for 19 days from 21 November to 14 December. The Third Reading vote, which concludes the Budget process, is set for 6 p.m. on 14 December.
The Government will receive 60% of debate time during the Second Reading, with the Opposition receiving 40%. The split reverses during the Committee Stage.
Parliament will sit every day during the Budget period, including Saturdays, except Sundays and public holidays. Budget debates will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each sitting day.
If a division, or recorded vote, is called on a ministry’s expenditure head during the Committee Stage, it will be held at 6 p.m. at the end of that day’s proceedings, according to the Parliament Secretary General.