fiscal year

American  

noun

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

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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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of fiscal year

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

Leawood-Kansas-based AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. posted a net loss of $632.4 million on revenue of $4.8 billion for fiscal year 2025, compared with a net loss of $352.6 million a year earlier.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The company on Thursday also updated its fiscal 2026 guidance and now expects net sales between $1.31 and $1.35 billion, which would represent a 7% to 10% decline compared with the last fiscal year.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Royal Bank generated about C$20.4 billion in earnings in the last fiscal year, with a return on equity of 16.3%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

In the last full fiscal year of the Biden administration, which started in October 2023, 125,000 people were accepted from 85 countries.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 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