What is a calendar year?

Definition of Calendar Year

A calendar year is the 12 consecutive months from January through December. In other words, it is the 365 days (366 days in a leap year) beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31.

Example of Calendar Years

In the U.S., individuals file their personal income tax returns based on the calendar year of January 1 through December 31. Many U.S. corporations also have accounting and income tax years that coincide with the calendar year of January 1 through December 31. However, U.S. corporations may have an accounting year and income tax year that is not a calendar year.

Examples of Non-calendar Years

If a U.S. corporation has a non-calendar accounting year, it is referred to as a fiscal year.

For example, a U.S. corporation can have a fiscal year that begins on October 1 and ends on the following September 30.

Educational institutions often have fiscal years that begin on July 1 and end on the following June 30. A U.S. retailer can have a fiscal year consisting of 52 weeks that begins on the Sunday closest to February 1 and ends on the Saturday closest to February 1 of the following year.

Free Financial Statements Cheat Sheet

543,791
Subscribers
You are already subscribed. This offer is not available to existing subscribers.
Error: You have unsubscribed from this list.
Step 2: Please check your email.