fiscal year

American  

noun

fiscal years plural

1. any yearly period without regard to the calendar year, at the end of which a firm, government, etc., determines its financial condition.

---

fiscal year British  

noun

1. any annual period at the end of which a firm's accounts are made up

2. the annual period ending April 5, over which Budget estimates are made by the British Government and which functions as the income-tax year

---

fiscal year Cultural  

1. A twelve-month period for which an organization, such as a government or corporation, plans the use of its funds. Commonly, fiscal years run from July 1 to June 30, or, in the case of the U.S. government, from October 1 to September 30.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fiscal years
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fiscal year

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fiscal year

Analyst expectations for earnings per share this fiscal year have dropped by more than half since Niccol’s arrival.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

In turn, Cracker Barrel raised its profit outlook for this fiscal year.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

It said pre-tax profit was up 4.9% to a record £275.7m for the fiscal year.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tuition is free to families: The state of Arizona paid the school $231,973 in fiscal year 2025, according to the state education department.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

This is determined by the fact that the first supply of the ½ cent lasted until the fiscal year of 1871-2, before any further printings were made.

From Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery by Howes, Clifton Armstrong

Related Words

• calendar year
• financial year