Enacted Budget – Fiscal Year 2026
On October 7, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed both the state’s general omnibus budget as well as the education budget. According to the House Fiscal Agency’s Appropriation Analysis and Summary, total adjusted gross appropriations are projected to be $74.63 billion (an 8.5 percent decrease from fiscal 2025), while adjusted General Fund/General Purpose appropriations are estimated at $14.11 billion in fiscal 2026 (a 5.1 percent decrease from fiscal 2025). Enacted school aid for fiscal 2026 is $21.29 billion, a 2.5 percent increase from fiscal 2025. Net General Fund/General Purpose revenue is estimated to be $15.11 billion in fiscal 2026 (a 4.3 percent increase from fiscal 2025), while School Aid Fund revenue is estimated at $18.93 billion (a 2.1 percent increase from fiscal 2025). The projected Budget Stabilization Fund year-end balance is $2.23 billion, an increase from $2.15 billion in fiscal 2025. Additionally, the budget assumes a General Fund/General Purpose ending fund balance of $237.1 million and a School Aid ending fund balance of $49.8 million.
The fiscal 2026 budget is focused on securing sustainable, long-term funding to fix Michigan’s state and local roads; tax cuts for seniors and working families; protections for core health care services; funding for public safety; investments in air, land, and water; and changes to improve government efficiency. The budget continues to roll back the retirement tax on seniors, maintains the Working Families Tax Credit, and eliminates state taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security income; provides additional resources for improving roads, water infrastructure, airport safety, and the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund; supports business attraction, community revitalization programs, job creation services, and workforce development programs; and expands access to counsel for low-income defendants. The budget also includes a series of measures directed towards keeping neighborhoods safe, ensuring families can get the care they need, and preserving land and water for future generations. Finally, the budget ensures state government is efficient, effective and accountable through modernizing technology, maintaining facilities, and building long-term fiscal stability. The state’s education budget provides record per-pupil funding, continues free school meals for all, boosts literacy supports, funds pre-K and community college, builds up college campuses, and provides recruitment and retention bonuses to educators.