The Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision is due on Wednesday 28 October 2026, at 2:00 pm US Eastern time. It closes the seventh of the eight meetings the Fed has scheduled this year.
Every meeting runs to the same timetable. A statement comes first, then the Chair's press conference, then the minutes three weeks later. Here are the dates for 2026 and 2027, what each meeting releases and what the 2026 meetings have decided so far.
What is the FOMC meeting schedule? The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is the group at the Federal Reserve that sets US interest rates. It holds eight scheduled meetings a year on dates published in advance, with each decision announced at 2:00 pm US Eastern time.
The last two meetings of 2026 are on 27–28 October and 8–9 December. The first meeting of 2027 is on 26–27 January.
Four meetings a year, in March, June, September and December, also bring officials' projections for interest rates, known as the dot plot.
The minutes of each meeting come out three weeks after the decision. Officials stop speaking in public about policy from the second Saturday before each meeting.
What the FOMC is and how often it meets
The Federal Reserve (the Fed) is the central bank of the United States. Its interest rate decisions are made by the FOMC.
The committee has 12 voting members: the seven Fed governors, the president of the New York Fed and four of the other 11 regional Fed presidents, who take turns. We cover the Fed's wider job in What Does the Fed Do?
The Fed's calendar page says the FOMC "holds eight regularly scheduled meetings during the year and other meetings as needed". Every scheduled meeting in 2026 and 2027 runs over a Tuesday and a Wednesday. The decision comes on the Wednesday.
The main decision is the target range for the Fed Funds Rate, the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans. We explain how the Fed keeps the market rate inside that range in How the Fed Sets Rates.
FOMC meeting schedule for 2026 and 2027
Source: Federal Reserve; YX Insights
The chart shows the 16 scheduled meetings for 2026 and 2027, as listed on the Fed's calendar page on 8 October 2026. Six of the 2026 meetings have taken place. The next is on 27–28 October. The last of the year is on 8–9 December.
The meetings sit six or seven weeks apart. The 2027 meetings fall in the same eight months as in 2026, starting on 26–27 January. The Fed has also listed 25–26 January 2028.
The dates can still move. In the Fed's words, "Each meeting date is tentative until confirmed at the meeting immediately preceding it."
What each FOMC meeting releases
Decision day follows a set order, in US Eastern time (ET):
2:00 pm, the statement. A short text giving the decision, the reasons and the vote. It names every official who voted against. An implementation note comes with it, listing the new settings for each of the Fed's rate tools.
2:30 pm, the press conference. The Chair reads an opening statement and takes questions. Kevin Warsh, Chair since 22 May 2026, held his first on 17 June.
Four times a year, the projections. At the March, June, September and December meetings, the Fed also publishes its Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) at 2:00 pm. It covers growth, unemployment, inflation and the Fed Funds Rate.
Three weeks later, the minutes. These give a fuller account of the discussion. In 2026, each set has come out 21 days after the decision, at 2:00 pm.
The SEP draws on more officials than the 12 who vote. Up to 19 can submit: the seven governors and all 12 regional Fed presidents, including those without a vote that year. In September 2026, 18 officials submitted projections.
The rate forecasts are shown as one dot per official on a chart, called the dot plot. We compare the dots with futures pricing in Will Interest Rates Go Down?
The blackout period before each FOMC meeting
Source: Federal Reserve; YX Insights
The chart shows the full cycle around the October meeting. The blackout period is the time when officials stop speaking in public about the economy or policy.
The FOMC's rules say it begins at "12:00 a.m. Eastern Time the second Saturday before a meeting". It ends at 11:59 pm on the day after the meeting.
The FOMC says the rule supports "the clarity of its communications." For the October meeting, the blackout runs from Saturday 17 October to Thursday 29 October. The minutes are due on Wednesday 18 November.
What the FOMC decided at each 2026 meeting
Source: FRED (DFEDTARU, DFEDTARL); Federal Reserve; YX Insights
The chart shows the target range since January 2025. The FOMC cut it by 0.25 points three times in late 2025, in September, October and December. The range then stayed at 3.5% to 3.75% through the first five meetings of 2026.
On 16 September 2026, the FOMC raised the range by 0.25 points to 3.75% to 4%. It was the first rise since July 2023. The statement gave one reason: "Inflation remains elevated."
Meeting (2026) | Decision | Target range after | Vote | Votes against (what they wanted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
27–28 January | No change | 3.5% to 3.75% | 10–2 | Stephen Miran, Christopher Waller (a cut) |
17–18 March | No change | 3.5% to 3.75% | 11–1 | Stephen Miran (a cut) |
28–29 April | No change | 3.5% to 3.75% | 8–4 | Stephen Miran (a cut); Beth Hammack, Neel Kashkari, Lorie Logan (no easing bias in the statement) |
16–17 June | No change | 3.5% to 3.75% | 12–0 | None |
28–29 July | No change | 3.5% to 3.75% | 9–3 | Beth Hammack, Neel Kashkari, Lorie Logan (a 0.25-point rise) |
15–16 September | Rise of 0.25 points | 3.75% to 4% | 12–0 | None |
Source: Federal Reserve, FOMC statements, 2026
The table lists each 2026 decision with its vote. Across the six meetings, officials cast 10 votes against the decision:
January and March. Stephen Miran voted for a cut both times. Christopher Waller joined him in January.
April. Miran again wanted a cut. Beth Hammack, Neel Kashkari and Lorie Logan also voted against. They agreed with the hold. Their objection was to an "easing bias" in the statement, meaning wording that leans towards a future cut.
July. The same three voted against again, this time for a 0.25-point rise.
June and September. No votes against. The September rise passed by 12 votes to 0.
The next FOMC meeting: 27–28 October 2026
The October meeting brings no projections and no new dot plot. The statement is due at 2:00 pm ET on 28 October, with the press conference at 2:30 pm.
For UK readers, that is 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm. UK clocks go back on 25 October, a week before US clocks change on 1 November. So for this meeting, the gap is four hours instead of the usual five.
Fed Funds Futures are contracts that settle on the average Fed Funds Rate over one month. They trade on CME Group, a US futures exchange. Its FedWatch tool turns their prices into odds for each meeting.
On 7 October 2026, after the September minutes, FedWatch showed an 82.8% chance of no change in October. It showed a 17.2% chance of a 0.25-point rise, Benzinga reported. We explain the sums in What Are Fed Funds Futures?
The 8–9 December meeting is the last of 2026. It brings new projections and a new dot plot.
How to follow the FOMC calendar
A few points help:
Use the Fed's own page. The calendar at federalreserve.gov lists every date, with links to each statement, press conference and set of minutes.
Convert the time. Decisions come at 2:00 pm ET, which is 7:00 pm in the UK, except when US and UK clocks change on different dates. That moves three meetings to 6:00 pm UK time: 18 March 2026, 28 October 2026 and 17 March 2027.
Read the vote with the decision. A vote against shows what some officials wanted instead. In July 2026, three votes for a rise came seven weeks before the committee raised rates.
Mark the four projection meetings. March, June, September and December bring the dot plot.
Expect quiet before each meeting. Officials stop speaking about policy from the second Saturday before.
The FOMC meets eight times a year on dates published well in advance. Every decision comes at 2:00 pm ET with a press conference. Four meetings a year add the dot plot, while the minutes follow three weeks later. The next decision is on 28 October 2026.
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Common questions about the FOMC meeting schedule
When is the next FOMC meeting?
The next FOMC meeting is on 27–28 October 2026, with the decision due at 2:00 pm US Eastern time on Wednesday 28 October. It is the seventh of eight scheduled meetings in 2026. The last meeting of the year is on 8–9 December, which also brings new projections and a dot plot.
How many times a year does the FOMC meet?
The FOMC holds eight scheduled meetings a year, six or seven weeks apart. It can also meet between them when needed. In 2027, the scheduled meetings fall in January, March, April, June, July, September, October and December. The first is on 26–27 January 2027.
What time is the FOMC announcement?
The FOMC announces its decision at 2:00 pm US Eastern time on the second day of each meeting. The Chair's press conference starts at 2:30 pm. In the UK, that is 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm, except when US and UK clocks change on different dates. On 28 October 2026, it is 6:00 pm, because UK clocks change a week before US clocks.
Which FOMC meetings include the dot plot?
The dot plot comes with four FOMC meetings a year: March, June, September and December. It is part of the Summary of Economic Projections, published at 2:00 pm with the statement. The last one of 2026 is due on 9 December. In 2027, the dates are 17 March, 9 June, 15 September and 8 December.
When are the FOMC minutes released?
FOMC minutes are released three weeks after each decision, at 2:00 pm US Eastern time. The minutes of the September 2026 meeting came out on 7 October. Those for the 27–28 October meeting are due on 18 November 2026. The minutes give a fuller account of the debate than the statement.
DISCLAIMER: This article is strictly educational. Any information or analysis in this note is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Nothing in this note is intended to be investment advice and nor should it be relied upon to make investment decisions. Any opinions, analyses, or probabilities expressed in this note are those of the author as of the note's date of publication and are subject to change without notice.