Pick a date and a fiscal-year start month/day, and the calculator returns the fiscal year (FY) that contains your date plus the FY's exact start and end dates. Many organizations use a fiscal year that doesn't align with the calendar — the US federal government runs Oct 1 → Sep 30, the UK government runs Apr 1 → Mar 31, Australia runs Jul 1 → Jun 30, the UK personal-tax year is Apr 6 → Apr 5. Naming convention here matches the US/UK gov practice: the FY is named for the calendar year of its end. For calendar-year quarters (Q1–Q4), see calendar quarter; for cross-checking with public holidays, use the holidays index.
Common use cases
- US federal contract reporting (Oct 1 FY). US federal contracts and grants are budgeted on the federal fiscal year, which runs October 1 → September 30 and is named for the year it ends in. A contract dated November 15, 2026 is FY 2027. Use the calculator with start "10-01" to confirm the right FY label for your invoice or grant report.
- UK income tax filing (Apr 6 personal year). UK personal income tax runs from April 6 of one year to April 5 of the next ("the 2025/26 tax year"). The unusual start date dates to the 1752 calendar reform; HMRC kept it for historical continuity. Use start "04-06" to find the right tax year for any income event.
- SaaS revenue recognition under custom FY. Apple, Microsoft, and many large companies use a non-calendar fiscal year for revenue reporting. Apple's FY runs Oct 1 → Sep 30 (same as the US federal calendar). Enter your transaction date and the company's FY start to know which fiscal year the revenue belongs to.
- Education-sector budget (Jul 1 FY common in US states). Many US state governments and public-school systems use a July 1 → June 30 fiscal year. A purchase made August 15 is in FY+1. The calculator with start "07-01" gives you the right FY for your state-level reporting.
How it works
The calculator parses your input date and your fiscal-year start (MM-DD format), then determines which fiscal year contains that date. The fiscal year is named for the calendar year in which it ends — this matches the US federal and UK government convention. So "FY 2026" with an Apr 1 start runs from Apr 1, 2025 through Mar 31, 2026. The calculator returns the FY number plus the exact start and end dates so you can drop them into a spreadsheet or invoice without manual lookup.
Worked examples
UK government FY (Apr 1)
Date 2026-04-15, start 04-01.
Result: FY2027 (2026-04-01 → 2027-03-31).
The fiscal year that started April 1, 2026 ends March 31, 2027 — so it's named FY 2027 under the end-year convention. April 15 is two weeks into the year.
US federal FY (Oct 1)
Date 2026-11-15, start 10-01.
Result: FY2027 (2026-10-01 → 2027-09-30).
The federal fiscal year that started Oct 1, 2026 ends Sep 30, 2027. Federal contracts dated November 2026 are reported on FY 2027 — easy to mis-label without the calculator.
Last day of US federal FY
Date 2026-11-15, start 10-01.
Result: Ends 2027-09-30.
The federal fiscal year always ends September 30; the next one starts October 1. Government shutdowns dramatically time around this boundary because Congress must pass funding before October 1.
Edge cases & gotchas
- Some FYs are named for the start year, not the end. The calculator follows the US federal / UK government convention: FY is named for the calendar year it ends in. But some industries (notably Australian businesses and Japanese government) name FYs by their start year. If your accountant says "FY26 starts in July 2026" they mean what we'd call FY27 — confirm the convention before using the result.
- A short or stub year at FY boundary changes. When a company switches its fiscal-year start, the changeover typically produces a "short year" of less than 12 months. The calculator assumes a steady FY start; if you need to handle a one-time changeover, compute the two adjacent FYs separately.
- Day-31 starts cause month-end ambiguity. Some FYs start on the 31st of a month. The calculator stores the literal day; if the next FY would start on a non-existent date (e.g. February 31), you'll get an invalid date. In practice no real FY starts on the 31st; the common starts are 1st, 6th, or some other early-month date.
- No leap-day handling for Feb 29 starts. A fiscal-year start of "02-29" would be undefined for non-leap years. The calculator doesn't guard against this — if you genuinely have a Feb 29 start, file your fiscal year on Feb 28 in non-leap years (this is what most US tax codes do).
Frequently asked questions about Fiscal Year Calculator
Why does the US federal year start in October?
It's been Oct 1 since 1976, when Congress shifted from a July 1 start to give itself more time after the May–July budget cycle. The reason for the original July 1 start dates back to the post-Civil War era and Treasury cash-flow needs that no longer apply. The Oct 1 start is now a fixture of US federal accounting.
Why is the UK personal tax year April 6?
The 1752 calendar reform shifted Britain from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar by skipping 11 days. The Treasury, unwilling to lose 11 days of revenue, kept the tax year length intact by shifting its start from March 25 (Julian "new year") to April 5 (or April 6 from 1800 onward, after another correction). HMRC has never changed it back.
Should I use FY-named-by-start or FY-named-by-end?
It depends on your jurisdiction and industry. US federal: end-year. UK government: end-year. Australia: start-year ("FY24" = FY ending June 2024). Japan: start-year. The calculator uses end-year (the commoner convention). If your accounting software uses start-year, subtract 1 from the calculator's answer.
How do I pick a fiscal-year start for a new business?
Most new corporations default to the calendar year (Jan 1 start) unless there's a specific reason not to. Reasons to differ: aligning with industry seasonality (retailers often start in Feb, after holiday returns settle), following the parent company's FY in international subsidiaries, or matching the government FY where you do most of your business.
What does "FY2026" mean unambiguously?
Without context, ambiguous. With end-year convention (US federal, UK gov): FY2026 ends in calendar 2026. With start-year convention (Australia): FY2026 starts in calendar 2026. Always specify the start month-day or jurisdiction to remove ambiguity.
How does FY interact with calendar quarters?
A fiscal year always has 4 fiscal quarters, but they may not align with calendar quarters. For Apple's FY (Oct 1 → Sep 30): FQ1 = Oct–Dec, FQ2 = Jan–Mar, FQ3 = Apr–Jun, FQ4 = Jul–Sep. So Apple's FQ1 is the calendar Q4 of the previous year. Use the calculator to find the FY, then divide into 3-month fiscal quarters.
Glossary
- Fiscal year (FY)
- A 12-month financial reporting period chosen by an organization, not necessarily aligned with the Gregorian calendar year. Determines accounting close, tax filing, and budget cycles.
- End-year naming
- Convention where FY is named for the calendar year of its end date. Used by the US federal government and the UK government. "FY 2027" with an Oct 1 start runs Oct 1, 2026 → Sep 30, 2027.
- Start-year naming
- Convention where FY is named for the calendar year of its start date. Used in Australia and Japan. "FY 2026" with a Jul 1 start runs Jul 1, 2026 → Jun 30, 2027.
- Stub year
- A short fiscal period of less than 12 months created when a company changes its fiscal-year start. Generates one-off accounting complexity; not common but worth being aware of in mergers.
- Tax year
- A fiscal year used specifically for tax filing. Often (but not always) aligned with the organization's broader fiscal year. UK personal tax year is Apr 6 → Apr 5; US personal tax year is Jan 1 → Dec 31.