# Fiscal year

> The twelve-month period a company reports on, which need not match the calendar year.

Updated Oct 17, 2026.

A company's fiscal year is the twelve-month period its annual report covers. Many companies use the calendar year, but many do not: retailers often end their year after the holiday season, and some technology companies end theirs in June or September.

## Names can mislead

Companies usually name a fiscal year after the calendar year in which it ends, but not always. A "fiscal 2027" can be mostly in calendar 2026. Read the dates, not the label.

## 52 and 53 week years

Some companies end their year on the same weekday each year, such as the last Saturday of January, rather than on a fixed date. Their years run 52 weeks, with a 53rd week every five or six years. A 53 week year has an extra week of sales, which flatters growth that year.

## On Listed

Each company page shows its fiscal year end. In the SEC's company facts data, the fiscal year label attached to a figure describes the filing it came from, not the period the figure covers, so a 10-K's prior-year comparison figures carry the new year's label. Listed places each figure by its own start and end dates instead.

## Related terms

- [Fiscal quarter](/glossary/fiscal-quarter.md)
- [10-K](/glossary/10-k.md)
- [TTM](/glossary/ttm.md)
- [XBRL](/glossary/xbrl.md)

## Guides that use it

- [How to read a 10-Q](/guides/how-to-read-a-10-q.md)

All terms: [/glossary.md](/glossary.md)