fiscal year

noun

Definition of fiscal year

: an accounting period of 12 months

Examples of fiscal year in a Sentence

Sales were up in the last fiscal year. Our fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to CBP’s own figures sent to Ars in March 2017, the agency searched nearly 24,000 devices during fiscal year 2016, up from nearly 5,000 a year earlier. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Man sues feds after being detained for refusing to unlock his phone at airport," 18 Dec. 2018 The number of children traveling alone across the border has increased each year since fiscal year 2015, when there were 10,105 children apprehended, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics. — Graham Kates, CBS News, "Migrant children at the border - the facts," 19 June 2018 If the money doesn't get pushed into the 2019 budget, the Air Force would have to return the budget for the program and go back to Congress to re-authorize the program for the next budget year—in fiscal year 2020. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Sitrep: The Air Force’s senior-citizen chopper may have to hold off retirement," 31 July 2018 The Journal Gazette reports Indiana's sales and income taxes grew during fiscal year 2018, but corporate tax revenues were $318 million less than the previous year and $100 million less than projected. — Chicago Tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Indiana collected less corporate taxes in fiscal year 2018," 13 July 2018 There were 22,366 family units from Honduras apprehended in fiscal year 2017, and 20,675 apprehended by May 31, putting that total on pace to surpass last year's as well. — Graham Kates, CBS News, "Migrant children at the border - the facts," 19 June 2018 That closure will likely mean a million fewer passengers will fly through FLL during those months, according to the airport's fiscal year 2019 budget presentation. — Chabeli Herrera, miamiherald, "A million fewer people will fly out of Fort Lauderdale airport next summer. Here's why," 19 June 2018 The Trans-Border Institute estimates that apprehensions at the Southwest border are on track to total about 380,000 by the end of the CBP's fiscal year in September. — NBC News, "Number of migrants trying to cross border down 18% in June," 6 July 2018 So far in the eight months of this fiscal year, 7,167 Salvadorans have been detained as part of a traveling family, down from 24,122 in the full 2017 fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics. — Joshua Partlow, Washington Post, "Trump’s crackdown may deter some border-crossers — but others say they’ll keep trying," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fiscal year.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Jan 2019

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The first known use of fiscal year was in 1843

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More Definitions for fiscal year

fiscal year

noun

Financial Definition of fiscal year

What It Is

A fiscal year is an accounting period of 365(6) days that does not necessarily correspond to the calendar year beginning on January 1st. The fiscal year is the established period of time when an organization's annual financial records commence and conclude.

How It Works

A company's fiscal year will always reflect the date of the calendar year in which it ends. For example: The financial operations of the federal government are carried out in a fiscal year that begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. Therefore the government's fiscal year for 2008 would begin on October 1, 2007 and end on September 30, 2008.

Why It Matters

The key thing to remember is that a fiscal year doesn't necessarily correspond with the calendar year. Although it may not seem like very important, when a company starts its fiscal year can have an impact on its fundamental analysis. This is especially true of cyclical companies.

Consider a retailer that has an incredible first quarter. An investor may look at that company and think it will probably post even higher earnings during the end of the year, during the holiday season. However, if that company started its fiscal year in September, then its first quarter earnings will have already encompassed the higher sales that accompany the holiday shopping season, and the remaining three quarters will most likely be a little lower.

Source: Investing Answers

fiscal year

noun