Census 2027 Dates Notified: Self-Enumeration From January 10, House-to-House Count From January 25 to February 28
The Centre has notified Census 2027 dates. Self-enumeration runs from 10 to 24 January and the house-to-house count from 25 January to 28 February 2027.
Photo: Pankajk RT / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New Delhi, 31st October 2026: The Union Home Ministry has notified the schedule for the second and main phase of Census 2027, the population count. Enumerators will visit homes across most of the country from Monday, 25 January to Sunday, 28 February 2027. Before that, households will get a window to fill in their own details online.
The notification was issued on Friday, 30 October, by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, under section 3 of the Census Act, 1948.
The key dates
- Self-enumeration: 10 to 24 January 2027
- House-to-house population enumeration: 25 January to 28 February 2027
- Revisional round: 1 to 5 March 2027
- Reference date: 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027
The reference date matters because the census counts everyone as they were at that moment. A baby born on 2 March 2027, for example, will not be part of the count.
Which areas are left out of this window
The notification keeps some areas out of the January to February schedule. These are Manipur (until further orders), Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Several of these states have Assembly elections due in early 2027, and the snow-bound areas follow a separate timeline. Separate dates for the remaining areas have not been announced yet.
Maharashtra is not on the exempt list, so Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the rest of the state will follow the 25 January to 28 February schedule.
What is different this time
This will be India’s first digital census, with data collected on digital devices instead of paper forms. It will also record caste details for all communities, the first time since Independence. Until 2011, only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were counted separately. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs approved caste enumeration on 30 April 2025.
The first phase, House Listing and Housing Census, began in April 2026. The Centre has approved an outlay of Rs 11,718.24 crore for the exercise, which covers 36 states and Union Territories, about 6.39 lakh villages and over 9,700 towns.
What households should keep ready
The official self-enumeration portal and its login process have not been detailed yet. It helps to keep basic details of every member ready, such as names, dates of birth, relationship to the head of household, education and occupation.
Be careful with calls or links claiming to be “census registration”. Census enumerators carry official identity cards, and the census does not ask for bank details or OTPs. For other changes coming up, see our post on rules changing from 1 November 2026, and our explainer on how MLC elections work.
We will update this article when the self-enumeration portal is announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Census 2027 house-to-house enumeration take place?
From 25 January to 28 February 2027 in most states and Union Territories, followed by a revisional round from 1 to 5 March 2027.
When is self-enumeration for Census 2027?
Households can fill in their details themselves from 10 to 24 January 2027, before enumerators visit.
What is the reference date of Census 2027?
00:00 hours on 1 March 2027 for the areas covered by the January to February schedule.
Will Census 2027 count caste?
Yes. The Centre has said the census will record caste details for all communities, the first time since Independence.
